Chapter 5: Putting Together the Pieces
If there was one thing Mako hated more than her low blood pressure, it was waking up for school. The girl with black hair and a white headband stumbled drowsily on her daily morning trip to be yelled at by Student Morals Leader Midoriko Sono, and maybe be awake by lunch. "If this were just a dream, then everything would be just fine…" she mumbled.
Already running behind schedule herself, Miho skidded to a stop after quickly rounding the corner behind the sleepy Mako and just barely avoided slamming into her. Although being held up by something would annoy anyone, the concern Miho felt when Mako fell to her knees overrode any annoyance. "Um, excuse me, are you alright?" she asked as Mako kept mumbling.
"It's useless, I can't make it on time, why should I even bother," she grumbled and began falling forward. Miho gasped and grabbed Mako by the arm and slung it over her shoulder to pull Mako back onto her feet.
"Cmon, don't give up that easily. Let me help," Miho offered. With Miho's help, Mako was able to barely walk. It was more like barely moving her feet, but the girl appreciated the assistance.
The sentiment of the aid did not go unnoticed by Mako who muttered, "I'm sorry, I'm just holding you back."
"Not at all Mako, it's always good to lend a helping hand to a fellow student," Miho replied. Because she had memorized the majority of her year's faces and names, she already knew that the sleep deprived girl's name was Mako Reizei.
Mako didn't acknowledge the fact that a helpful stranger already knew her name. Instead she tried to keep herself steady, it was the least she could do. "So rough night?" Miho asked, trying to make pleasant conversation.
"It's always like this, waking up is always painful…" Mako mumbled, "If this were just a dream, then everything would be just fine."
The two stumbled their way to school. Most of the townsfolk disregarded them since it was a common occurrence for the occasional good-hearted student to try to pull Mako to school. When they reached the school gate five minutes late, the head of the Student Morals Committee did not look pleased.
"Miss Reizei, this is the 245th day in a row that you're late. What do you have to say for yourself?" Midoriko Sono pestered. The girl with short black hair shook her head as she marked Mako and Miho as "late" on her attendance tablet. "And Miss Nishizumi, I would advise you to leave Miss Reizei behind next time. It'll do you a favor and won't encourage Miss Reizeui's irresponsible behavior," she lectured.
Miho meekly nodded. "I understand." Mako remained silent as they passed through the school gates.
"I'm sorry, I'll try to repay you back… someday," Mako promised groggily and lazily dislodged herself from Miho when they reached the doors.
"Okay well, see you later then," Miho replied with a light wave. The two students separated and headed to their own classes.
000
With the permission of the Student Council and William, Joseph had taken the office from the second leftmost garage and fitted it for his purpose. Back in the states, Joseph had self-declared himself to be the "Armament Organizer" and thus organized the team's logistics such as ordering supplies such as fuel and ammunition. However, this also gave him the power to give him resources to pursue more "eccentric" projects. All for the benefit of the team of course.
Joseph looked over his new office with a satisfied smile. What was once locked away and forgotten now was cleaned and reorganized. The windows lining the walls that separated the garage and office had been aggressively cleaned to be crystal clear again. At the front of the office, facing the front window was a surplus school computer on his new desk which was flanked with filing cabinets with a neat 70s style retro radio he had restored placed on the right cabinet. A separate desk was off to the side for paperwork. In the center of the room was an industrial square table where he could tinker and restore anything he could fit through the door. A proper tool bench and component storage placed in the back corner finished his new headquarters.
Checking his watch told Joseph that he still had most of lunch left before classes resumed, so he sat at his paperwork desk with the retro radio playing some background music from whatever station they could pick up at sea. Just as he was about to open his tin square lunch box, however, he heard the sound of footsteps outside. "Now who could that be?" he asked himself. Before he went to investigate, he grabbed a sandwich from his lunchbox, not wanting to miss lunch should his investigation spiral into something more.
When he exited his office, he found Yukari entering the garage with her own lunch. "Hey, Yukari right? What brings you to my little plane of creation?" Joseph greeted.
Yukari looked startled for a moment. "Oh, Mr. David! I wasn't expecting to see you here. I just wanted to eat lunch with the Panzer, if that was okay," she explained. The Panzer IV and the 7.5cm Kwk 40 L/48 cannon had been moved into the second garage for restoration at practice after school, along with the other tanks being moved into the other garages
"Yeah, the biohazard over there definitely makes me hungry. Plus you know, natural light," he joked and gestured at the holes in the ceiling.
Yukari giggled. "I'm guessing it's okay if I stay then?" she asked.
"Sure go for it. I was going to do the same after I reorganized my new office. Also just Joseph's alright," Joseph replied. He gestured to a few steel folding chairs leaning neatly on the back wall of the garage. "There are some folding chairs if you prefer not to sit on concrete. Mind if I join you?"
Yukari smiled broadly and grew excited. "W-well um, yeah if that's okay with you!" she stammered. Being Oarai's tank obsessor, people typically kept their distance from Yukari, but here was a student who didn't seem to actively avoid her! Taking his suggestion, Yukari grabbed a folding chair excitedly and followed Joseph into his office. The American advisor sat back in his swivel chair for his paperwork desk, where his slapped-together lunch was. Nothing is more American than having a thrown-together lunchbox consisting of whatever he could find in the Schwarzadler Boy's kitchen. Thank god Ross could find a grocery store still open after practice yesterday.
Yukari looked curious at Joseph's hasty lunch of a couple of sandwiches, a bag of crackers, and two cans of soda. "So is that what American lunches look like?" she asked while pulling her bento box from her bag. Her own lunch contrasted heavily with Joseph's being neatly prepared by her mother the night before.
"Only if you have about five minutes to prepare, still better quality than whatever the public school's serve," Joseph replied and took a drink of one of his sodas. "I stayed up too late last night trying to fix that radio over there." He pointed to the aforementioned radio on its filing cabinet.
Yukari's eyes glimmered with interest when she looked at the antique. "Does it play cassette tapes? I'd love to burn some old WWII songs onto some and hear them from an old radio!" she exclaimed.
Joseph finished his first drink and expertly tossed it into a recycling can next to his workbench. "Sure sounds like fun!" he agreed.
"Really?!" Yukari exclaimed excitedly.
Joseph chuckled at his lunch companion's enthusiasm. "Yeah, really."
Seeing Joseph's acceptance of one of her ideas, Yukari decided to see what he thought of another she had for the team. "Cool! Anyway, I had thought up an idea, but I'm not sure if it's a smart idea or if I can do it on my own…"
"Well, the only bad idea is an idea that isn't suggested, so shoot," Joseph said.
Yukari grew a little more confident. "So I was thinking, once we join the nationals, I think it'd be a good idea to… I guess infiltrate our opponent, get to know their lineup so we know what we're up against!" she exclaimed.
Joseph stopped eating his final sandwich. "Wait, we're planning on joining the nationals? I don't think I was ever told that," he remarked.
"Oh, well I just kinda assumed we would, but I guess it's fine if we don't…" Yukari replied dejectedly.
After quickly finishing his sandwich Joseph tried to cheer up Yukari. "Oh, I didn't say we weren't, it's just the first time I've heard about it. I'm sure the Student Council and the rest of the team will want to chase the championship. About your suggestion of infiltration, so long that it isn't against the rules, you've got my support. I think it's a great idea," he reassured. Already he began brainstorming what he could do to obtain helpful information. "How about this, we send in a… a… a cat! Yeah, we could train a cat to look for tanks with a mini-camera attached to its collar!"
Yukari giggled at Joseph's… eccentric suggestion. "You know, I was just thinking I could sneak onboard in their uniform and try to photograph their tanks, maybe 'overhear' some strategy meetings, the typical spy stuff," she proposed.
"And here I was thinking we could train a cat to be controllable via minor electrical shocks," Joseph muttered. The tinkerer had to suppress an urge to pull out a piece of paper to draw up a proof of concept.
Again Yukari giggled at his idea. "Maybe stick to something more practical, like a mini camera in a pair of glasses?" she suggested.
"Perfect! That I can do, now let's see… where do I keep my concept papers," he asked himself and pushed himself around the room in his chair, searching the various cabinets. "This is why I hate organization! You can never find what you need without disorganizing everything!"
000
With all regular school classes completed for the day, the members of Oarai's reformed Sensha-do team returned to the garages to begin the first step of restoring their tanks. With buckets of soapy water, too many sponges, hoses, and a few borrowed pressure washers from the ship's maintenance crew, the students went to work cleaning the rust and debris from the five decrepit tanks. While the native Oarai students changed into their athletic uniforms, the transfer students simply put their old jumpsuits from Schwarzadler over their uniforms. While they waited for the rest of the team to rejoin them, the transfers began distributing the supplies between the garages. Although they could hold up to four vehicles and a utility vehicle like the M6, the garages each held only one tank each, minus the second garage, which housed both the Panzer IV and the Stridsvagn. The first garage, the furthest down the gravel field, still held the Schwarzadler tanks and Nixe II, accompanied by the M6. Since there was no need for maintenance for them yet, the transfer crews separated to help restore the rest of the vehicles.
"Hey Jody, mind turning on the hose for me?" Ross shouted across the garage. Opting to stick with his new friends, Ross and his team remained in the second garage to work on the Student Council and Miho's friend's tanks. Ross waited for the water to come rushing out of his hose and onto the front of the Panzer IV's hull. However, after a moment of no water, he looked down at the nozzle. "What's up with this-'' a surge of freezing cold water cut him off, soaking him to the bone.
The mischievous redhead snickered from the back of the garage. "That's always a classic…" She laughed and stepped off the hose completely.
Agitation, irritation, and fury couldn't even begin to describe Ross's feelings towards his gunner at that moment. The normally calm and reasonable Ross became replaced by a boy desiring nothing but vengeance. With the hose in hand, he let out a battle cry, "Daughter of a bastard! Get over here!" he shouted and began chasing his prey.
Jody yelped and took off like a jackrabbit. "Come on! Let's see how you like to get soaked!" Ross shouted.
Being used to the two's antics, the rest of the Type 100's crew simply shrugged and went back to work prepping the garage for practice. While Ross chased Jody around the Panzer IV, William stepped into the garage to check what the ruckus was about. He turned to Tandy and asked the obvious question. "Those two at it again?"
"Yeah, they'll probably tire themselves out in a few minutes, or the hose will run out of length, bet on which will happen first?" Tandy responded.
William shook his head. "Nah, just make sure nobody gets hurt," he said while turning around to leave.
"Yes sir," Tandy replied casually as William left.
After a minute of running after his personal curse he called a gunner, Ross's hose ran out of length and tightened around the Panzer IV and jerked to a stop. With his firm grip on his weapon of vengeance, Ross ended up falling to the ground after the sudden stop pulled his feet out from under him. Groaning in pain, Ross pulled himself up and shot a glare to Jody, who stood over him triumphantly. "Still can't catch me, Huot? Shame," she mocked.
Just because the hose was wrapped tightly around the Panzer IV didn't mean its water supply was cut off. In fact, the squeeze only caused water to shoot out at a higher pressure. With a lazy flick of the wrist, Ross sprayed the cold water over Jody, causing her to yelp and jump back. "Can't catch up, but I've got a hell of a range," he replied.
"Okay, that's not fair! Why do you get to swear and I can't!?" she huffed.
Ross pulled himself off the ground and brushed down his suit. "I'm the commander, so I'll say what I damn well please," he explained with a mocking smile.
"Even a commander has rules Ross, it's best to stick to them," a creepy monotone voice stated ominously.
Ross and Jody looked around curiously before Alex stepped out from behind a tool chest with her traditional expressionless face burning its way into her friend's minds. "Also you should unwrap the hose from the Panzer," she advised.
The three were interrupted by the return of the rest of the team. "Hey everyone! We're back!" Saori announced. The crews of the Panzer IV and the Student Council reentered the garage with everyone but Momo and Anzu wearing Oarai's standard athletic uniforms for their year. It was just a simple white shirt and blue athletic shorts, although the shorts were about as generous as their skirts. "Thank god I can wear our old uniform over those…" Alex began, "What's with this place and showing a lot of leg."
Ross chuckled and agreed awkwardly while Jody prodded Alex. "I don't know, maybe you'd look good in them," the trickster teased.
If looks could kill, then Alex's would've sent Jody six feet under. This naturally didn't affect her in any way as she skipped off to help clean the Stridsvagn due to Yuzu being the only member to do any work.
Ross untangled his hose from the Panzer IV and approached Miho, who was evaluating the extent of the damage done to the tank. "So, Captain Nishizumi, what are your orders?" he asked.
"Well, the armor looks intact. We'll need to replace some parts in the engine and other mechanical parts, and some spots on the armor need to be restored. Oh! We also need to replace the sensor array inside the tank and refit the carbon armor-" she rambled.
Ross held up his hand to stop her. "Good to know we'll be here all night then, but let's just take things one step at a time. A tank can't run if it knocks out its crew with its well…" he gestured to the tank's current state. "Anyway, we've got what we need, let's get to cleaning!"
"Right! Yukari and I will work on the inside, you, Hana, and Saori work on the outside. Just don't blast us with water with the hatches open okay?" Miho responded. Ross gave her a thumbs up and began blasting his hose into the side of the tank. The rust and grime came away satisfyingly and the grey steel underneath shone radiantly once more. A few spots were more resistant than others, so Ross grabbed a sponge and scrubbed them away. Hana and Saori on the other side had similar progress, although Hana had complained about the water being cold.
The rest of the teams went to work, with a couple on exterior cleaning duty and a couple on interior cleaning duty. The ex-volleyball team in particular attacked the Type 89B with enthusiasm. Using their anger at their club being shut down and their desire to prove themselves again worthy of being a formal club, the girls of the Type 89B were done cleaning the fastest, while the inexperienced freshmen crew of the Medium Tank, M3 'Grant I' were naturally slower due to their younger age and having one of the tallest tanks in Oarai's arsenal. The Sturmgeschutz III on the other hand was the shortest tank Oarai had, but the History Club crewing it took their time cleaning up the machine and treated it with the reverence a history enthusiast would with a tank destroyer as famous as the StuG III Ausf. F.
Their jobs were eased by the presence of experienced tankers, although it seemed like the Student Council, minus Yuzu was more than content with sitting back and watching them do the work. Jody and Alex, who were working on the right side of the Stridsvagn, shared the sentiment of the other Type 100 crew members.
"C'mon Alex, just let me blast them once, we shouldn't be the only ones getting wet here," Jody complained after her idea of getting some sort of compensation from those who did not work, through their embarrassment and dismay maybe, but compensation nonetheless, was shot down.
Alex worked diligently on cleaning the large suspension wheels that made the Stridsvagn and its Czech original look unique. Instead of using small bogie wheels to pull the track back around the drive sprocket from the rear idler wheel, the track used large suspension wheels to support the track on its return journey. "Still a bad idea," Alex replied.
"You know, it doesn't look like it, but Momo-chan and the president do a lot more than you think," Yuzu stated while cleaning up the driver's compartment.
Jody rolled her eyes and shook her head while she continued blasting the hull. "Sure, sure, and Alex has more than three emotions."
"It's actually four," the monotonous girl corrected. Jody rolled her eyes and splashed Alex with her hose.
Over at the Panzer IV, the tank looked like it had just rolled off the assembly line in 1944. The extra antennae for the command tank's extra radios were straightened out or replaced. The last thing for its crew to do was refit its large cannon, which was going to be a tedious and time-consuming task.
Having the most experience with the maintenance and repair of tanks, Miho and Ross went to work on the complicated task. Of course, the nearly one-ton device would need to be lifted with the garage crane and guided back to its place in the turret of the Panzer. Attaching the chains to the gun was the easy part for the pair, although guiding it to the turret was going to be a different challenge.
"So, how does this thing work…" Ross muttered while looking at the controls. Standing in front of the tank with the control remote gave him a better angle to guide the crane, but the knobs and buttons did not help him get any ideas.
Miho looked at the controller herself and blinked in confusion. "Hmm… we're just going to figure it out as we go, do you mind hopping onto the tank to guide it in?" she asked.
"Gotcha," Ross affirmed. Using what was left of his energy, he climbed up onto the hull and stood in front of the turret. "Try to make my job easier, I'm feeling pretty worn out over here!"
Miho giggled and gave him a salute. "I'll do my best sir!"
Ross rolled his eyes and gestured towards the suspended cannon. Turning the first knob on the controls rotated the gun away from the tank. Ross grabbed the gun breech to stop it from rotating too far as Miho quickly corrected herself. The second knob moved the gun, except it went to the left and not forwards into the turret. Miho again corrected herself. "Third knob's the charm?" she joked.
Moving the third knob pulled the gun away from the tank, but the crane was finally on the right plane of movement. For the third and final time, Miho corrected herself and guided the cannon towards the turret. Ross adjusted the gun so the breech and gun mantlet was guided into the turret correctly. When the mantlet hit the turret face Ross called out for her to stop. "Now's the fun part… welding," he said. He jumped down from the tank to retrieve the final set of tools he needed to finish off their restoration project. "Nobody here wouldn't happen to know how to weld, right?" he asked rhetorically.
When he only heard the sounds of the other teams working, Ross sighed and put a welding helmet on. "If I set myself on fire I'm blaming all of you..." He climbed onto the roof of the turret with a welder's torch. With a twitch of his head, the helmet's face shield fell over his face and he fired up the torch. Sparks started flying when he began welding the mantlet back to the turret. His uniform protected him from any nasty burns and a pair of welding gloves protected his hands. With precision and care, the mantlet was slowly reconnected to the turret.
The rest of the garage's crew stopped their work and marveled at the spark show, albeit from a safe distance. Like a swarm of angry fireflies, they shot through the air and fizzled out on the damp concrete below. "Trust me, I'm an engineer. I think we put this thing right here," Ross sang.
With the top of the rectangular mantlet completed Ross moved around to the left side. Picking this up from Joseph turned out to be a good choice, he thought while working around a corner of the mantlet. With precision and care he rounded out his work, and the mantlet was firmly attached to the turret. He turned off the torch and pulled up his face shield to examine his work. "Not perfect… I think I can see some kinks, but it'll hold up," he determined.
"You done up there?" Miho asked. Ross nodded and jumped down from the turret. The two removed the chains from the gun and moved the crane away from the tank. They stepped back to admire their work. "All Quiet on the Western Front?" Miho asked.
Ross nodded his head and smiled at the captain's humor. "Im Westen nichts Neues," he replied.
"Sprechen sie Deutsch?" Miho asked.
Ross only made a so-so motion with his hand. "So, what's next on the menu?" he asked, "Please tell me the engine doesn't need to be replaced too…"
"Yukari's on that right now. We'll see what she thinks," Miho answered.
The fluffy-haired tank expert looked up from behind the Panzer IV. Fortunately for Ross, her assessment was positive. "There are no obvious issues. I think," Yukari explained. After being abandoned for a couple of decades, the Maybach HL120 TRM 12 cylinder engine was in surprisingly good shape.
"Then I suppose we should gather everyone back together and begin proper training," Miho decided.
Yukari and Ross nodded in agreement. With most of the work completed, all five tanks actually looked presentable. Some spots on the paint jobs needed to be redone, but for a large number of novices they did a solid job. With their assigned tasks completed, the team gathered in front of the second garage. This time, however, they grouped themselves more orderly. Seven rows of students assembled and waited for the next course of action.
Miho stood in front of the group, with the Schwaralder commanders to her left and the Student Council to her right. She was still a bit anxious being the center of attention of the crews, but the previous addresses gave her some degree of confidence. "Okay, everyone! We've still got a fair bit of work to do on the tanks, but we can move onto training. Naturally, you'll all be split up based on your role in your vehicle, so if you haven't already figured out your roles then now is the time!" she instructed.
While the four groups conversed among themselves regarding their roles, the crew of the Panzer IV discussed their roles as well. "I think Miss Nishizumi should be the commander. She's already proven to be an excellent team captain and has the work ethic of a proper commander!" Yukari exclaimed enthusiastically.
"Oh no no, I wouldn't be a good tank commander," Miho immediately replied, much to the confusion of her friends.
Hana was the first to support the idea. "You already are the team captain and you've done a good job so far," she reassured.
"Well, you know… I'm only the captain because the Student Council demanded it! We've only been doing what is obvious so I don't think that's an adequate display of skill," Miho argued.
Saori gave her own opinion on the matter. "But imagine how it'd look if the team captain didn't even command her own tank. They'd think you're incapable of being the team captain!" she countered.
Her first thought made her stop before attempting to repudiate Saori. But I AM incapable of being the team captain! Miho thought. "Maybe um, Hana should be the commander. You're always calm and confident!"
Hana smiled and blushed at the compliment. "Thanks, Miho, but I was hoping I could try to be the gunner. I think it would be just wonderful to fire the cannon!" she exclaimed.
"Oh, well maybe Saori could! You're always friendly and energetic," Miho suggested.
"Well, I try my best! Boys always like a girl they can talk with, but if I become the commander then I'd have too many boys chasing me! There's only so much one girl can handle, you know?" Saori politely rejected.
Yukari already knew she was going to be suggested next. "I think I wouldn't be a good fit either… I'd end up getting too distracted by the enemy's tanks to take them out," Yukari explained, "Please Miss Nishizumi, you may not see it, but you'd be an excellent commander. Please do us the favor!"
Hearing her friends explain their thoughts made Miho rethink her position. Maybe they're right… Maybe I could be the commander.
000
"If a Nishizumi is in a tank, then she must always be the commander. There is nowhere else for her. If she is not the commander, then she is not a Nishizumi," Shiho Nishizumi stated coldly.
At a traditional low table, Miho sat on her knees across from her mother. Next to her mother was her sister, the similar-looking Maho Nishizumi. "But mother, I just-"
"There is no room for cowardice or complacency. If you do not take the position destined for you, then you cannot be a Nishizumi. It is in your DNA for you to be a commander, just as it was for your sister, and your family before us," Shiho interrupted, "You aren't doing this for yourself, you're upholding the honor of your family and the honor of Kuromormine. Sensha-do is not an activity done for fun. It is done to strengthen girls into women and to prove one's honor through the trial of combat."
Miho looked down for a moment before facing her mother again. "I understand. I'll take the position of Vice-Captain then."
000
This is something they expect of me, Miho concluded, if I have to, then I will. She nodded. "Alright, I'll be the commander, but I don't want anyone to think they're more important. We're all equal, and we all have an important job to do," Miho declared.
Yukari pumped her fist excitedly. "Alright, if we do our best, then no enemy could ever penetrate our armor!"
The rest of the girls sweatdropped awkwardly, but Yukari's enthusiasm was contagious. "Right, this is a group effort!" Saori exclaimed.
"We still have three positions to fill, the radio operator, the driver, and the loader. What positions do you two want?" Miho asked.
The two girls in question thought for a moment before Yukari spoke up, "I actually just got a pair of genuine World War II German loading gloves, so could I be the loader? I've been dying to use them!"
The other three girls nodded in agreement, leaving Saori with the driver's position. "So that leaves me with the driver's spot? I'm not sure if that'd work too well," Saori admitted, "I don't even like to drive normal cars."
"Then who could be our driver?" Miho asked, "There's only four of us so someone is going to have to take two jobs regardless."
Saori thought for a moment before she remembered something the Student Council promised at the assembly on the first day of school. "Say, members of the team get three times the regular amount of credits right? I think I know someone who could be 'persuaded' to be our driver."
"Do they know how to drive a tank or even just a manual?" Miho asked.
"Not yet but she'll take like only a minute to figure it out. Mako's super smart, but she's always late so she's constantly failing classes. If tankery is the only way she'll be able to graduate on time, then I think she'll join," Saori explained.
"Mako? The girl who was stumbling to school this morning?" Miho asked.
Saori nodded. "Yep, that sounds like her alright. She didn't cause you any trouble, did she? That girl…" she muttered.
Miho laughed it off. "No, it's fine. If she's willing to give tankery a shot then it's worth a little bit of a morning hassle."
By this point, everyone had figured out their roles. Miho grabbed a clipboard from the office of Garage 2 and rejoined the team. "I'm going to write down everyone's roles and then we'll get to training. We may not be able to use our own tanks just yet, but we can use your tanks to acclimatize the crews to their roles before the Automotive Club can finish restoring the other tanks," she said to the Schwarzadler commanders.
"That sounds like a good plan to me, we can split up and train everyone with our crews more effectively than if we focused on one team at a time," William replied. Ross and Joseph nodded in agreement, so Miho started writing down the roles each crew member would play in their tank.
When she had finished, her paper was full of names and roles listed. The paper was split into five teams designated with a Roman numeral. Team I was the Panzer IV's crew, Team II was the Student Council, Team III was the Volleyball Club, Team IV was the History Club, and Team V was the group of first-years. With her list finished she checked the time on her phone. "We still have enough time to explain and teach you how to do your roles, so let's go to Garage 1 to begin," Miho instructed.
Everyone moved to Garage 1. The crews of Schwarzalder's tanks collected by their vehicles while everyone else stayed near the front of the garage. "So our transfer students will be teaching everyone your chosen role in your tank. Drivers, you'll learn how to drive with the Type 100, loaders with the Elefant, gunners with the A7V, commanders with the M6, and radio operators with the Tiger. For our teachers, go to the vehicle corresponding to your role and instruct your teammates to the best of your ability," Miho explained. She turned to the three experienced commanders. "I'm guessing you three won't need to learn much, but could you please walk around and make sure everyone's on track?" she asked.
The three boys saluted. "Yes ma'am, we'll do our best!" they exclaimed together.
"Okay, well then everyone, Panzer Vor!" Miho shouted.