Chapter 16: Shermans Will March to the Sea, Part I
Deep within the Zuikaku's depths, beyond the reach of the student council and the Student Morals Committee, was the "Johannesburg of Oarai." A dark, barely maintained collection of decks was a haven for delinquents and neerdowells who sought relief from the rules that governed above. Oarai, being a small and underfunded schoolship, was also understaffed with law enforcement and moral committee members to rid the ship of these delinquents. However, the loaders of Hyena Team, Morgan and Kass, weren't looking for trouble when they ventured into these dark decks. They were searching for information.
When they entered Bar Donzoko the singing of one of its patrons, a silver-haired girl with the nickname of Flint, filled their ears. Morgan and Kass rolled their eyes and tried to ignore her song. They stepped up to the bar and sat down like it was second nature, something that Morgan would proudly admit and something that Kass would not. The two girls had dyed their hair to be dark blue and it reached their shoulders. They also had bright blue eyes. They weren't related, but people often thought they were sisters. Morgan was a second-year and Kass was a first-year, which also translated into their height with Morgan being several inches taller although Kass was already short for her age.
The bartender, a blonde girl with the nickname of Cutlass wearing barmaid attire, turned to them. "You two again, what'll it be?" she asked emotionlessly.
"Tonight I need answers. A gang of students attacked our friends and you know every delinquent gang that roams these decks. Hear any rumblings?" Morgan asked.
"I don't do small talk. Perhaps I'd be persuaded with some orders," Cutlass replied.
Morgan and Kass scoffed, but both slapped several Yen bills onto the table. "The usual," Morgan requested.
"Whatever you have tonight that isn't alcoholic. I have to study later," Kass said.
Cutlass nodded and pocketed the cash. For Morgan, she poured a pint-glass with a foamy, amber, and fizzy drink while for Kass she placed a glass full onto the table and filled it with milk. "Seriously? Just because I have the voice of a helium balloon and am just a tad short you had to get milk? I thought you were joking last time," she complained with a frown.
Cutlass only nodded with a very tiny amused smile. "I can dump it for you if you'd like," she said.
Kass just shook her head and took the milk. Morgan took her drink and took a long drink while Kass slowly sipped hers. Morgan set her glass gently on the bar after she drank a large portion of her drink, feeling a relaxing, warm feeling spreading through her body. "Alright, will you talk now?" she asked.
"I suppose I could go for a quick conversation. You said your friend was attacked by a gang?" Cutlass asked.
Morgan nodded. "Yes, he and his friends were attacked by girls with baseball bats, at least that's what one of my friends, Victoria, said," she explained.
"He got attacked huh?" Cutlass said, "Well plenty of girls down here start fights with each other all the time, but I haven't ever seen a boy down here. Did this happen on the surface?"
"Yeah, just outside their apartment," Morgan answered.
"Only one gang dumb enough to take their actions up top and to attack a boy without reason. The Blackshirts," Cutlass said.
"Who are they?" Morgan asked.
"I don't feel like talking anymore. You know the drill to change that," Cutlass replied.
Morgan and Kass scoffed and finished their drinks before handing over more Yen. Cutlass refilled their glasses and spoke again, "They're a gang who hates boys with a passion. Being one of the older gangs, they trace back to the graduates of 1989. Rumor has it, the current generation of Blackshirts are looking to cause enough trouble to force the last of the boys off the ship."
"Seriously? Why do they want to do that?" Morgan asked.
"They say this generation is the first to have daughters from the girls of the last Sensha-do team," Cutlass revealed, "Those girls who quit the Sensha-do Team after the 'Scandal of 89' lobbied hard for the school to go back to girls-only. They failed, so they resolved to force out any boys who tried to enroll. When that failed, they resorted to violence," Cutlass revealed.
Morgan started connecting the dots. "So the current gang wants to finish the job that their mothers indoctrinated them into?" she asked.
A girl wearing a long, black overcoat spoke up from across the bar. "Afraid so," she interrupted.
The three turned to the girl, who looked up from her drink and took a drawl out of her pipe. The tan girl with black hair turned to them. "These new girls are a brutal bunch. They believe every little lie their mothers spin. Of course… mine knows a different story," she ominously spoke.
"So you've finally been around long enough to be spoken to by Ogin. Congratulations," Cutlass said.
"You're familiar with them?" Kass asked.
"Familiar? Aye, I was one of 'em, as was my mother," Ogin revealed, "but history repeated itself and we ended up 're."
"Oarai's gangs and delinquents trace their lineage back generations. They graduate, they have children, their children end up here, and they become delinquents themselves. The cycle repeats," Cutlass said.
"Keep a close eye on your boys. All it takes is a single bout of plague to kill an entire ship's crew," Ogin warned.
Morgan tilted her head in confusion. "What she means is all it takes is a single lie to propagate a fake story," Cutlass explained.
"Still as sharp as ever Cutlass," Ogin complimented with a smirk.
"Fake story?" Kass squeaked.
Ogin sighed and took a draw from her pipe. "Yep, pipsqueak, fake story," she responded.
000
William had fallen off tanks, fought long matches, and had been in plenty of squabbles with his sister. Pain was not something he was unfamiliar with. The screams of pain his muscles gave him every time he tried to move, on the other hand, was an entirely new level of suffering. He sat silently at a line of cots in Oarai's emergency care center. He would have been laying down like Ross and Joseph who, while awake and alert, didn't say a word, but he'd rather sit and try to relax than force himself down and cause more pain, even if it was temporary.
They had heartbeat monitors connected to them that beeped normally, they didn't need IVs, and they were only partially bandaged up. Joseph had a patch on his left cheek, Ross got fresh bandages on his arms, and William had a patch on the right side of his neck. Overall, if it weren't for the large bruises under their clothes one would have assumed that they only got into a minor scuffle.
A nurse with brown hair in a ponytail quietly entered the room with a file full of x-rays and other reports. "We've got good news! The x-rays came back and it doesn't look like there are any broken bones with any of you three," she informed with a smile.
"Right…" William slowly said, "Anything else?"
"Well, all three of you are exhibiting symptoms of moderate to severe muscle contusions. Basically, your muscles are bruised along with areas of your skin. Your muscles will heal alongside your surface bruising at about the same rate so it'll be mostly recovered in two weeks. However, that's not our primary concern, the risk of a concussion is," the nurse said.
William frowned and bit his lip. "And what's our risk?" he asked, fearing the worst.
"Well to be completely certain, we'll be holding you overnight for evaluation. All three of you are conscious and alert so you're already doing fairly well. We'll reevaluate you in the morning and if you're up to it then we can release you," the nurse explained.
"So you don't know if we have a concussion yet?" Ross asked.
The nurse shook her head. "While you are awake and alert, a concussion could still be a possibility. We want to observe you for a little bit before making a final diagnosis to let any possible symptoms develop since they may take some time to show up. If any do, we'll perform a CT scan to see if there is any damage done to your brain," she explained.
William took a deep breath and asked the question that was on everyone's mind. "Will we be able to participate in the first match of the Sensha-do national tournament?" he asked.
The nurse looked at him sympathetically. "I'm sorry, but I would recommend that you abstain from Sensha-do for at least two weeks to prevent any more complications with your injuries, even if you don't have a concussion," she advised.
"A little bruising isn't that bad-" Ross protested before he hissed in pain. "W-we'll be fine by Saturday. Bruises don't hurt for that long right?" he pleaded.
"While the pain may fade by then, the underlying damage won't be fully healed for at least ten to fourteen days," the nurse said, "you really shouldn't be in a tank until then."
"Come on, we can't just miss the first match!" Ross protested.
They were interrupted by a knock coming from the door. "Are you okay with visitors right now?" the nurse asked.
The three nodded. "Come in," the nurse said.
The door opened slowly and Miho, Victoria, and Kass stepped in. "Hello nurse, I am Miho Nishizumi," Miho introduced with a bow while also trying to hold Natalie.
"Victoria Valentine," Victoria said with a quick raise of her hand.
"Kass Day," Kass followed.
The nurse smiled. "I'm Nurse Koyama," she introduced.
Miho's eyes widened. "Would you be related to Yuzu Koyama by chance?" she asked.
"Yes, that's my daughter's name, how do you know her?" Nurse Koyama asked.
"We're both on the Sensha-do team," Miho answered.
Nurse Koyama's eyes lit up in recognition. "I see, my daughter has told me a bit about it. Unfortunately, I had to miss your exhibition match for work, but my husband said it was quite intense!" she exclaimed.
"It was quite the match," Miho replied with a small smile. "How are they?" she asked.
Ross spoke up, "We'll be fine. Just some minor bruising. We will be fine for the first match!"
Nurse Koyama turned back to him and frowned. "First Ross, it isn't just a small, minor bruise. You're suffering from some pretty widespread and potentially severe bruising and may still be at risk of a concussion," she said.
"Is it really that severe, nurse?" Miho asked.
"No, it really is-" Ross started before pausing and blinking rapidly, "Woah," Everything suddenly felt strange, like everything was shifted suddenly or his head disconnected from his body. He rolled his head around and shook it before everything settled.
Nurse Koyama wrote something quickly onto her clipboard. "Lightheaded or dizziness… that's often the first symptom of a concussion," she said, "If he gets any worse, then a concussion is a very real possibility."
"Then you three shouldn't participate in the first match. I know you're dedicated to Sensha-do, but your health and safety comes first," Miho said.
"Look this will all subside quickly and we'll be fine before Saturday. There's no need to jump the gun," Ross protested.
Miho sighed. "Listen, I know how you feel, but you need to take the time to let your body heal properly. If you don't you could hurt yourself even more. Think of Natalie too. If you get worse, then how could you care for her?"
That got Ross to stop. The idea of not being able to take care of his daughter because he pushed himself too far pierced his heart. Give it some time. I do have almost a week to feel myself out. If I don't recover as fast as I think I will, then I'll sit it out. "A-alight," Ross forced out, "Can we at least give us until Friday to see where we are before we decide if we can participate?" he proposed.
Miho's eyes softened and she looked at the nurse for advice. "Alright, if you don't show any more symptoms of a concussion and can be discharged tomorrow morning, we can have a quick check-up on Friday to see if you're fit to participate in the first match. Joseph and William, would you like to follow that plan?"
Joseph's eyes fluttered open after having fallen asleep during Ross's protests… "Huh, oh yeah that'll do…" he said before falling back asleep
William thought about it for a moment. "Although I'm not as sure as Ross is, I guess we can see how far we recover," he answered, "I think I'll try to sleep now too." He yawned and painfully laid down with a groan.
Victoria, who had sat on a chair next to his bed, pouted. "I came all this way to visit you and you fall asleep on me?" she complained.
"I don't work on your timetable. Pay me at the union wage and maybe I'll consider it," he said sarcastically.
"Oh, you joined a union? Dad's gonna be pissed," Victoria said.
"Yeah, yeah, tell him he can shove it. It was his corrupt shenanigans that killed our team," William replied.
That got everyone's attention. "Wait, Dad shut down our team?" Victoria asked.
"Ah crap…" William bemoaned. "Well pretty much. He threw a lot of money at the government for a monopoly-sized contract to have the exclusive public tankery team supply rights for the entire public school system. I'm talking about every public school in the United States that participated in Sensha-do. A couple of manufacturing and oil companies got pissed and bribed a bunch of state legislatures into gutting tankery programs in the name of 'safety' and 'reducing violence in our youth.' To make things worse, Kuromormine bought our Panzer III Ausf. M, our Tiger IIs, and our Jagdtigers," he explained irately, "Oh well, we'll see if they can get those overweight, unreliable, pieces of crap to go more than three miles without demanding a new transmission. We never should have wasted our time on those fat cats."
"Weren't you the one who convinced the school to buy them for us?" Victoria asked.
William scoffed. "That was when I didn't know they would break every five minutes," he retorted, "Stupid overpriced off-brand manufacturing. If you buy extremely late war German designs, never under any circumstances buy them from any company that isn't Japanese or German. Only those companies put any effort into making them work," he said to Miho, "Not American, not French, and God help you if you buy Chinese or Russian."
"I'll… keep that in mind," Miho replied.
"If I may interrupt. I have information regarding the gang of students that carried out this attack," Kass spoke up.
Everyone turned to her. "I think I remember Sayuri, if that's her real name anyway, said something about the 'Blackshirts of Oarai.' Something about not stepping out of line… and something about forcing Miho to do something…" Ross said.
"Forcing me to do something? Nobody is forcing me to do-" Miho started.
William had a realization. "They must think it was us who forced you to be the team captain and join the Sensha-do team," he interrupted.
"But you didn't. It was the student council!" Miho replied.
"I think that's the public image we're facing now," Ross said, "when I first met the rocketry club, they thought the same way. They initially wanted us to knock the Oarai Space Program down a peg because apparently, that's what we did to Miho."
"So someone wants people to think I'm being forced to be captain?" Miho asked.
Ross frowned. "I think it might be worse… I think people want to make us seem like the bad guys. They don't want us here," he concluded.
"And that fits right in line with my prime suspect," Kass started dramatically. She pulled a deerstalker hat out of her backpack before grabbing a notebook from the bag and opening it dramatically. "According to my anonymous source, these Blackshirts of Oarai are a gang with a long history of prowling the 'Johannesburg Decks', the decks of the ship either extremely understaffed with maintenance or security or with none at all. They trace themselves back to the Class of 1989 and have seen a resurgence in recent times." She paused for dramatic effect and turned to Miho with a serious look. "Captain, I believe that not only are the assailants members of this blackshirt gang but that the gang as a whole may be spreading false and harmful rumors in a wider attempt to revert Oarai back to being girls-only."
"That won't be happening anytime soon," Nurse Koyama spoke up, "Oarai needs male students to survive financially."
Kass nodded. "Which is why this gang must be stopped. They want to force all the boys off the ship and if they do that… then Oarai will close," she explained. "We'll need to take this one step at a time," Kass stated, "we can't knock them down in one fell swoop. Right now, putting down their rumors and protecting ourselves is the best action."
"Please leave most of this to law enforcement as well. I know the lower decks are more susceptible to crime, but you really have no reason to be down there anyway. There's no need to seek out trouble," Nurse Koyama instructed.
"Of course, going out of our way to attack them would only make their job easier. I'm talking more like, countering rumors and stuff. We'll just slowly expose them for who they really are," Kass explained, "what do you think captain?"
Miho slowly nodded in agreement. "I don't want lies about our teammates making people think they are someone who they aren't," she said.
Kass smiled. "Well said, captain."
000
The next morning came and without any more symptoms of concussion and muscles that were slowly hurting less and less, the boys were free to head home. The week dragged on for them as their bruises healed and they stayed away from their tanks until Friday came and Nurse Koyama assessed their condition.
"The bruising has healed to some extent. Do you still feel any pain when moving or when you're still?" Nurse Koyama asked. William was sitting on an examination table and his uniform was slightly unbuttoned to allow the nurse to examine his chest.
"I'm still a little sore, but I'm not hurting too bad anymore. I can move around alright without too much pain, but it's still there. It kind of feels like I've just completed a pretty intense workout," William described.
Nurse Koyama wrote a few more notes on her clipboard. "Any dizziness, lightheadedness, confusion, or loss of focus?" she asked.
"No, I feel fine mentally," William answered.
She nodded and continued writing on her clipboard before setting it on her desk and sitting down on a rolling stool. "Now the last question… Do you think you are ready to participate in tomorrow's match?" she asked.
"I feel more than ready," William replied.
Nurse Koyama chuckled. "Well then, although I would still recommend that you abstain from participating, I don't think you're at any risk of further injury so I won't file a medical injunction. You may just be a little sore for a couple more days," she stated, "Tell my daughter that I'll be at the match and that she better bring back a victory," she said with a smile.
William rebuttoned up his uniform and put on his greatcoat after sliding off the examination table. "I'll do that," he replied before leaving. After a short walk, he entered a waiting room where Joseph and Ross were waiting. "Gentlemen, I have good news. The nurse thinks we can safely participate tomorrow," he said.
"Alright!" Joseph exclaimed.
"Good, because I was planning on going either way," Ross said.
William sighed. When did he get so stubborn? he thought. "Alright, well then. We've got some catching up to do so let's get moving," he directed.
Joseph jumped up eagerly. "I'm ready when you are!"
Ross stood up to join them. "Let's get moving then," he said with a smile.
000
A flurry of post-practice activity tore through Oarai's garages. In Garage 2, Anglerfish and Turtle Team rushed through their maintenance so they could attend to the strategy meeting that would be held at a table they had set up with a rolling whiteboard in one of the empty tank stalls of their garage. A buzz from her skirt's pocket pulled Miho's attention away from the periscopes she was adjusting in the Panzer IV. She opened her phone and eagerly read the message from William.
The nurse cleared us for the match. We'll be over in a bit, it read.
She smiled happily and stood out of her commander's cupola. "Guys I have good news!" she announced, "William, Joseph, and Ross are cleared to participate in the match tomorrow!"
A feeling of cheer and relief fell upon Garage 2 while they continued to work eagerly. Miho ducked back into the Panzer IV and grabbed her clipboard for a final checklist. "Ammunition," she said to herself. She gazed towards the racks of shells loaded in the turret and the hull. "Check." She ran through the rest of the necessities. After everything was clear she climbed back into the commander's seat and set her clipboard aside. "We're ready for battle," she said happily. She opened her hatch and climbed out of the tank just in time to see William, Joseph, and Ross enter the garage. She eagerly jumped down from the tank and ran over to them. "Hi guys, how are you feeling?" she asked.
"Fairly good. I'm a little nervous since we haven't been at practice for some time, but I think we can catch up," William said.
"I'm ready to knock out some Shermans, it's been too long since the Elefant's gotten a kill," Joseph said.
Miho giggled. "Well, if our strategy goes to plan, you'll have plenty of opportunities to take out some tanks," she informed.
Joseph smirked confidently. "Well then, why don't we check this strategy out?" he asked.
"We were actually just going to begin our final strategy review. I'd like to hear your thoughts on it. Follow me," Miho said. The group walked over to the meeting table. A large map was laid across the table with pencils scattered around various parts of the map. Around it was various diagrams of tanks and photos of the landscape. "I'm guessing you two have watched the video Yukari and Joseph made?"
"We did, although was the Lucas Films knock-off logo really necessary?" Ross answered.
"I thought it was funny," Joseph replied.
"Anyways, they plan on splitting their tanks up. I'm guessing they're trying to focus their best guns on you three since you're our heavy armor. The Firefly and the T22E1's will probably focus their fire on you, especially on Hyena Team," Miho explained, "Now the battlefield is in a large valley with a mix of hills, trees, and plains. Most of the infrastructure is simple dirt or gravel roads with a few bridges here and there. None of the bridges look like they'll hold more than one tank, but they should all be able to handle our tanks if they go one-by-one."
The three boys studied the map intently. "We'll be limited in moving our heavy tanks at the edges of the battlefield. The slopes are a bit too steep even on the roads for our tanks," William noted while pointing to the ridges that lined the battlefield, "That's a bit of a shame, those would be perfect sniping spots."
"Right… wait, the Elefant and the Tiger might not be able to go up there, but a Firefly might be able to. That means we'll have to monitor those ridges to make sure we don't get attacked from above," Miho noted.
"How much does the Firefly weigh?" Ross asked.
"I don't know… maybe thirty tons? Why?" Miho asked.
"Hey, Yukari!" Ross shouted across the garage.
Yukari eagerly dropped what she was doing and ran over. "What do you need?" she asked.
"How much does a Sherman Firefly weigh and how fast can it go?" Ross asked.
Yukari smiled widely. "The M4 Sherman Firefly weighs 35.3 tons and has a max speed of 25 miles per hour," she answered excitedly.
"And the T22E1?"
"The T22E1 weighs 29.83 tons and has a max speed of 25 miles per hour!" Yukari answered.
"Perfect, you can go back to what you were doing. Thank you," Ross said. Yukari nodded happily before running off to resume her work. "If the Firefly can get up there, then I can as well, and I can get there much faster. The Type 100 can get 37 miles per hour and weighs 30 tons," Ross said.
"And from there you can overlook a fair portion of the battlefield and target the Firefly!" Miho exclaimed.
"Exactly! We'll be able to see them first and hunt down the Firefly easily!" Ross said.
William grabbed a tape measure, quickly measured one of the trail routes leading up to the ridge, and converted the inches into miles. "It's not too far from our starting point… problem is, it doesn't have a dedicated trail up to it from our end of the valley. You'd have to climb up the slope, which could be risky especially if you're intercepted," he pointed out.
Ross scowled at the map. "Damn, they've handed over that part of the ridge right to Saunders," he said.
"Turning back to our main force. I was thinking we could try to push to the center of the battlefield by moving through this forest here," she paused to circle a forest leading to the center. "We'll send Duck and Rabbit Team forward on the left and right flanks with Anglerfish Team moving between them as needed." She drew some arrows along some paths in the forest that cleared a way through. "Atrox and Hyena Team can follow behind us with Hippo Team and Turtle Team, who'll be our flag tank. Although the Shermans are fast, I don't think they'll be able to make it to the forest before we're able to make it through, but the possibility of a flank attack should be considered so once we enter the forest we'll need to be on high alert."
The boys nodded in agreement. "I think I can make it up the slope here," Ross said and pointed to the bottom right corner of the map, "It doesn't look too rough since it's green on the map and not brown like the rest of the slope."
"If you're confident then Leopard Team can flank around up the slope and secure the high ground. Be ready to face the Firefly though," she warned.
Ross smirked. "I've always liked a bit of a challenge. What's the weather forecast looking like? If it rains then there's no way for me to get up there and we could easily get bogged down," he said.
Miho grabbed a sheet that was next to the map on her side. "It looks like it'll be nice and sunny. A bit too humid for me, but that won't affect the battle," she answered, showing them the forecast sheet. "Once we reach the center of the map we'll be on a large, but not very tall hill. It'll be the perfect place to release one of Joseph's pigeons to search for their flag tank, an M4A1(76)W Sherman."
"That's smart, a centrally located place is a good place to release my birds," Joseph said.
"Right, but I don't think constantly monitoring them is very fair though… you'll recall them once they've found their target," Miho instructed.
"Fair enough, it reduces the chance of them getting found out or worse, shot at," Joseph replied.
"What would happen if they did get hit?" Ross asked.
Joseph thought for a moment and cupped his chin. "Well… a small shell, say 37mm or something smaller wouldn't be too bad. It'd probably just surprise them and give them a light toasting, nothing worse than a bottle rocket would do. Although the pigeons are small and sensitive enough that they could be pushed out of the way by the change in air pressure. Anything bigger than 37mm would probably knock them out of the sky, since they're smaller than us, the shell will hurt more than it would if we got hit. Thankfully, I've done some pigeon care research so if that happens then I can patch them up," he explained.
"Right… just be careful with them. From there, we'll seek out the flag tank and take them out," Miho said.
"What about Medaka and Mongrel Team?" William asked.
Miho pointed to her bottom-left corner where a small clearing was bordered by a forest with only one entrance. "Right here. They'll be able to provide covering fire for the forest operation before advancing to this clearing here." She pointed to another clearing on the left side of the map that was surrounded by trees. "Mongrel Team will protect them by holding the entrance chokepoints, preventing anything from passing through," she explained.
"Those Shermans will go off like fireworks when Medaka Team gets them focused in," Ross said.
Miho nodded. "Yep, Canaveral says that they've got indirect fire down, so we'll have some substantial artillery support. We better make those rockets count though," she said, "I think that pretty much covers the strategy. What do you think?"
"It's a good plan, but we should expect to deviate from it. 'No plan of operations extends with any certainty beyond the first encounter with the main enemy forces,'" William quoted.
"Helmuth von Moltke the Elder right?" Miho asked.
"That would be correct," William replied with a smile.
000
Ross gently knocked on Miho's door with one of his elbows since he was holding a shallow, warm, and slightly steamy pot with a glass lid. Natalie was held in a harness that held her to his back. Before Miho answered Natalie put her hands over Ross's eyes to hold onto his head. "Hey, Natalie, I can't see!" he complained and tried to shake her hands off. Natalie giggled as if it were a game and only hugged his head harder.
Miho opened the door and was greeted by the amusing sight. "What in the world are you guys doing?" she asked with an amused smile.
"Being blinded by my daughter, could you please help me and take this pot so I can free myself from her wretched grasp?" Ross pleaded.
Miho giggled and took the pot by its handles. "Are you giving your dad trouble Natalie?" she asked.
With his hands now free, Ross took Natalie's hands off of his eyes and undid his harness to take her into his arms. "You know, you're a little brat sometimes," he complained. Natalie only giggled and hugged Ross. "God, you know hugs are my weakness," he said.
"Well, come in! Supper is almost done so you can just take a seat at the table," Miho said. She took the pot and put it on her table, which had been extended to accommodate for the amount of food they were preparing. The table had been set up with plates and cutlery already and a small clear vase held a single white flower.
"Is there anything you would like me to help with?" Ross asked.
Miho shook her head. "Nope! We'll be done in just a moment," she answered.
"Okay," Ross replied, "so um… any assigned seats?"
Miho giggled. "No, just sit where you'd like," she said.
Ross nodded and sat down with his legs crossed with Natalie in his lap at the closest side of the table to the door. Miho looked at him with confusion before coming to a realization. "You must not have eaten at a chabudai, have you?" she asked.
"Huh? No, what does that mean?" Ross asked.
"This is a chabudai table. You kneel next to it instead of sitting on a chair or floor," Miho explained.
"Oh, my bad." Ross picked Natalie up and readjusted himself so that he was kneeling. Natalie sat back against his legs and was just able to poke her eyes above the table. "Like this?" he asked.
Miho nodded. "Yep!" she answered with a smile.
Saori stepped out of the kitchen with a pot of her own. "Oh, you made it Ross. Good evening!" she greeted.
"Good evening!" Ross replied with a smile, "what's in the pot?"
"Beef stew," Saori answered, "It's a good thing you came. I've got a question to ask you."
"Sure what is it?" Ross asked.
Saori set the pot down next to Ross's pot and knelt down in the spot next to him. "Is it true that guys like beef stew? Like is it good for seducing them?" she asked.
Ross blankly blinked and then slightly gaped at her. A light blush appeared on his cheeks and he looked away slightly. "Well um… you know…" he stuttered, "I guess it depends on the guy?"
Saori mulled over his response for a moment. "I see… well I just read it in a magazine so I thought I'd ask you to see if it was true," she replied.
"So Ross, what did you bring?" Miho asked while she knelt next to him.
"One of the few things I can actually cook well, hamburger steak!" he answered and took the lid off the pot. Saori and Miho looked into the steaming pot to see a collection of hamburger steaks soaking in a savory-looking gravy that immediately caused their mouths to water.
"Oh wow, they look good!" Miho exclaimed.
"Yeah, I guess we'll have two meat entrees tonight," Saori followed.
Ross nervously chuckled. "My bad, I don't many recipes I can actually make well," he said with a blush.
"That makes sense, you are a guy after all. Men can't really cook that well…" Saori said.
"C'mon there's no need to stereotype me, I can make a few good dishes… it's just they are in all different types of categories," Ross complained.
"So you have a strange variety of dishes you can cook well? At least you have a diverse list to choose from!" Miho said.
"Why are you only able to cook a few diverse dishes? Wouldn't you want to learn by starting with similar dishes?" Saori asked.
Ross bit his lip and sighed. "Well… it's kind of how… it's how I picked up girls. You know, learn what their favorite foods are and make it for them? Back home, a lot of the girls preferred those types of dinner dates instead of going to a restaurant…"
"Wow, that sounds so romantic!" Saori exclaimed.
"Well… I was only doing it to increase my count and chase cheap pleasure," Ross said, "that tends to make it less romantic and more scummy."
"But you moved past that and took responsibility when the time came so what happened in the past can stay in the past!" Miho encouraged.
Ross looked down at Natalie and smiled. He gently stroked her bangs causing her to look up at him and smile back. "Yeah, things might not have ended up perfectly, but I don't regret having her. Sure, a perfect route would have been to not get in this situation in the first place, wait until you're married, and be financially stable, but people and life aren't perfect," he said, "Natalie's the best thing that's ever happened to me, given the situation."
"Ross, that's so sweet," Miho gushed.
Saori just smiled while Hana and Yukari entered the room with plates and bowls filled with food. "The rest of the food is done!" Hana said while setting a plate filled with stacks of egg rolls onto the table, along with a plate of chopped Japanese turnips that had been cooked in miso butter. Yukari set down a bowl of fried rice and a salad of sliced cucumbers with toasted sesame seeds.
"Oh wow, I haven't tried some of these before," Ross said, "what are these?"
Miho jumped at the chance to explain some more Japanese culture to Ross. "So, these are Harumaki, Japanese spring rolls or more widely known as eggrolls!" she explained while pointing at the eggrolls. She pointed to the cucumber salad next. "This is sunomono salad, it's basically sliced cucumbers with some vinegar, soy sauce, and toasted sesame seeds." She pointed to the radish next. "These are simple Japanese radishes cooked in miso butter. And then there's the fried rice, but that's pretty self-explanatory."
"Fascinating, I feel like I should be taking notes. Thanks for the explanation… uh… what was that thing… the…" Ross snapped his fingers while racking his brain for what he was trying to say. "Right! Honorifics! Thank you Nishizumi-sensei," he exclaimed.
Everyone at the table laughed at his "complete" understanding of the Japanese language and culture. Their laughter was interrupted by Mako finally rising from her nap and looking up from her arms/pillow. She groaned and stretched for a moment. "Is it time to eat?" she asked. The scent of the many dishes on the table answered her, so she stood up from Miho's desk and knelt at the table. "Looks good," she mumbled.
"Wait, let's let Ross have the first taste. It's only proper since he is our guest for the evening," Hana said.
"Right! Help yourself, Ross," Miho suggested,
"Okay," Ross said and started taking a little bit of everything. After the new foods were on his plate, he set his plate in front of him and reached for a fork, only to grab a stick of wood. He looked over the foreign object before realizing his predicament. "So, how do you use chopsticks?" he asked.
Miho giggled and began instructing him, "So, first you'll want to separate them by splitting them vertically."
Ross put a little pressure on each edge of the chopstick's surface before they broke in two with a satisfying snap. "What next?" he asked.
"Okay now hold your hand out and arrange the sticks in a V-shape with them pointing down your hand," Miho instructed.
Ross arranged the sticks as Miho instructed. "Next?" he asked.
"Now wrap your thumb around the right stick and press the left stick between your middle finger and your pointer finger," Miho said.
Ross tried to follow her instructions, but the sticks kept finding a way into the wrong position or falling out of his hand. Miho giggled lightly at his struggles and gently grabbed his hand. "Here, let me help you," she said. Their faces blushed a little from how close they were, but she arranged the chopsticks in Ross's hand into the correct position calmly. "There! Now you should be able to easily use chopsticks!"
"Thanks, Miho, I appreciate all your help. In all seriousness, you were a good teacher" Ross said with a smile.
Miho smiled back. "You're welcome! It was fun. Maybe I should become a teacher! It sounds like a fun career path," she exclaimed.
"Well, you'd probably be pretty good at it," Ross complimented.
"So lovebirds, when's the wedding?" Mako joked with a bored, monotonous tone from across the table, completely interrupting their conversation.
Ross frowned and looked at Mako. "Please don't joke about those sorts of things… like relationships and stuff, it brings back some bad memories," he requested.
Mako froze, showing some emotion for the first time that evening. "I-I'm sorry…" she mumbled.
Ross just sadly smiled and nodded, accepting her apology. He turned to Miho, who was frozen solid and her face set ablaze with a fiery red blush while blankly staring at him. Ross gulped and carefully waved his hand in front of her face. "H-hey Miho, are you okay?" he asked.
Miho snapped back to reality and quickly shook her head. "Huh, what me? Yeah I-I'm fine. Did the A/C get turned off or something? It's really hot in here. I-I mean it is June next week so I guess it would be pretty warm after all!" she exclaimed.
Saori, the completely trustable romance expert, knew exactly what to do. "Hm? I guess it is a little warm in here. Why don't you check the A/C and I'll get you some water," she said.
"R-right, I'll do that!" Miho stuttered and stood up. While she checked her air conditioning unit above a shelf of Boko plushies right behind her, Saori rushed into the kitchen and came back with a pitcher of ice water. She filled everyone's glasses while Miho sat back down. "It um… looks fine! I turned it down just a little though."
Everyone nodded and began to dish out their own plates while Miho sipped on her ice water. So… what in the world actually just happened? She thought. She shook it off and, despite her extremely high heart rate, let the dinner return to normal.
Ross did his best to grab one of the beef chunks in the stew. After a few tries, he was able to snatch a good piece. With his hand under the meat to keep it from dripping onto the table, or worse, Natalie, he ate the piece. After swallowing, he spoke up, "The beef stew is good!"
"Isn't it? I think it came out really good," Saori replied.
"Could you teach me how to make it? I would like to expand my cooking skills," Ross asked.
Saori smiled. "Sure! If it's okay with Miho, you can join us every Friday and can help you learn to cook!" she offered.
Ross turned to Miho, who smiled. "Of course! On one condition," she paused, causing Ross to tilt his head in confusion. "You have to teach me how to make this hamburger steak!" she requested and savored another bite of her steak.
"Alright, deal!" Ross exclaimed.
Their conversation was interrupted by a pair of small hands smacking on the surface of the table. Natalie had lifted herself onto her feet and was eying Ross' plate hungrily. "Do you want some too, sweetie?" Ross asked affectionately.
Natalie babbled incoherently and hit the surface of the table again, although it didn't shake at all. She looked like she was sucking on her lips as well, giving Ross his clue that she was hungry. "Well then, give me a moment and I'll show you all my secret cooking skill!" Ross exclaimed and opened his diaper bag. After digging around for a moment, he pulled out a small bowl with something in it. "This is a mortar and pestle!" He placed the tool onto the table and put a piece of his hamburger steak into the bowl. "This is so cute, watch, Natalie loves my hamburger steak."
After mushing up the piece into a pasty consistency, he took out a baby spoon from his bag and gave Natalie a bit of the mushed hamburger steak. Everyone watched as she eagerly accepted the offered food and licked the spoon clean.
"So you can turn anything into baby food with just a mortar and pestle? I'd have never thought of that!" Miho exclaimed.
"Yep! It really helps expand her diet and introduces her to some of the foods I eat. Babies love to imitate their parents, so letting her eat some of the food I eat helps strengthen our bond and expands on her diet. It's a win-win," Ross said.
000
As the early morning sun rose over the mountains west of Oarai the next morning, Miho overlooked the ten flatbed train cars that held Oarai's tanks. Each one was fastened down to their car with a heavy-duty set of chains. "I guess that takes care of everything," she said as she looked down at her clipboard, "Tanks, crews, accommodations, bags…" Since the match was held a few hours away and would likely last until the late evening, the crews would be staying at a hotel overnight. I wonder why I don't really feel anxious? At Kuromormine I'd be shivering in fear until I'd get into my Tiger… I wonder how 217 is doing? She thought idly.
Her thoughts were broken when she heard Saori shout to her from the entrance of one of the passenger cars, "Hurry up Miho, we don't wanna leave you behind!"
Miho looked up from her clipboard with a wide smile. "Coming!" she shouted back before running to the passenger car. Just as she stepped into the car, the train let out its last call whistle. "So where are we sitting?" she asked.
"Follow me, I got us some really good seats!" Saori exclaimed. She led Miho to the middle of the car where the rest of Anglerfish Team waited for them in their seats, except for Mako, who was asleep. Miho took off her Boko backpack and sat down with the rest of the team.
"I'm so glad we're facing Saunders first. I'll finally get to see Shermans in action up close!" Yukari exclaimed.
"But isn't Saunders super strong? Why would you want to face them in the first round?" Saori asked.
"Just because they're rich doesn't mean they're super strong. See, Saunders focuses on superior firepower by attacking one tank with ten of theirs, but since the first round is limited to ten tanks, they won't be able to attack with as much of a numerical superiority," Yukari answered.
Miho nodded in agreement. "But that doesn't mean this battle won't be difficult," she noted.
"I'm already getting all jittery just thinking about the battle. Can we talk about something else?" Saori asked, "All this anxiety can't be good for me. It'll cause weight gain…"
The train slowly started to pull away from the platform. Of course, being a train operated by the Japanese Sensha-do Federation, the train was vintage, a JNR Class D52 steam locomotive, first produced in 1943. As the locomotive chugged westwards towards the rising sun, a new era of Japanese Sensha-do was about to unfold.
000
And another chapter complete. It's been a moment, blame college returning and winter break ending, but I'll try to keep a constant flow of content because boy do I love writing this story and it's starting to get really good! Chapter 16 already, man, we've come so far...
So far in fact, the day that I'm uploading this, January 24th, 2022, marks Tank Aces' second birthday! On 1/24/2020, I created the first chapter document for Tank Aces (And then promptly took a year and four months to upload it...). The story has changed a lot since then. In fact, Chapter 1 was very different back then, I'll try to see if the original version is somewhere and I'll upload it after this story is finished as a sort of cutting room floor type update.
But I'll share a few details that I remember that got cut or changed (Mostly tanks...) I went through a lot of tanks trying to pick the perfect ones for our boys. Here are some of the themes I canned: German Tanks designed during WW1, German Tanks designed during the Weimar Republic/1933 or 34, German tanks designed before the death of Kaiser Wilhelm II, Tanks of the Armed Forces of Occupied Germany (Soviet, American, British, and French), Beutepanzer tanks Germany used during both World Wars, and tanks from WW1 in general.
Here are some specific proposed tanks for our transfer students
William: Panzersturmwagen Oberschliesen, Großtraktor, T-54 first prototype, Sturmpanzer Churchill
Ross: FT-17, Mittlerer Kampfwagen für Ausland (MKA), Beutepanzer M4 Sherman Firefly, Panzerkampfwagen M4-748 (a)
Joseph: Großkampfwagen (And yes, I was insane enough to consider creating 27 OCs to crew it. Initially, it wasn't supposed to be finished and would keep Joseph busy until later in the story so he wouldn't participate in the opening matches), Neubafahrzeug (Ha, got it first try!), Panzerkampfwagen 751 (r) (T-35)
Victoria (Fun fact, she was initially planned to be William's driver before transferring to Oarai with them at the start and becoming a commander): Char 2C, St. Chamond, ARL-44, SOMOU S-35, SOMOU S-40
Anyway, that's enough of the cutting room floor!
Next Time on Girls und Panzer: Tank Aces!
Chapter 17: Shermans Will March to the Sea, Part II!