Chapter 21: Panzers of the Jungle
With another week of practice and school complete, the commanders of Oarai's Sensha-do team gathered for another strategy meeting for the next match that weekend. The Friday afternoon sun was just starting to set as they set up their improvised war room in Garage 2.
Miho set her overstuffed school bag onto the table, which was overflowing with documents and papers. As she started to lay out the map and some tank specifications for the tanks she believed Chi-Ha-Tan would use, Joseph said, "Wow, that's a lot of papers. Do you need to borrow some office space or something?"
"Oh no, that's fine, I should be able to carry everything I need in my bag," Miho answered.
Joseph just shrugged and opened a can of soda when he had an idea. "You know, I could fix up the old club headquarters and then you can use the office here. Win, win," he proposed.
"That'd be a good place to launch rockets too. Do you mind if we join you? We'll help with the renovation efforts," Canaveral added.
"Let's handle that after the battle, and focus on the here and now," Miho interrupted, "it looks like our battle will be held on the island of Okinawa in its northern rainforests, the Yanburu."
Canaveral's eyes lit up. "We're going to Okinawa Island?" she eagerly asked.
"Yeah, that's where the battle will be," Miho answered.
"Awesome, that's where I'm from before I came to Oarai!" Canaveral exclaimed, "I'm Ryukyuan and my family has lived in Okinawa for centuries. We can trace our lineage as far back as the time before the Japanese annexation in 1879."
"That's so cool! I'd love to live on a tropical island like Okinawa!" Azusa exclaimed.
Canaveral chuckled. "Well first, you're gonna need a nice tan like this, or you're going to get a nasty sunburn," she pointed out, showing off her arms. "Just remember to pack some sunscreen."
"Well the ship will be docked in Okinawa for the rest of next week until we head to wherever the third round will be held," Yuzu added, "so you shouldn't need to pack anything."
"Awesome! We should go to the beach together!" Azusa proposed.
"That sounds like fun," Miho said, "but let's focus on our match first."
Asuza nodded and grew serious. "Right, sorry captain," she apologized.
"No worries, team-building exercises will be good for the team so we can go to the beach and hang out together while we're docked. Our stay will be even better if we can win our match," Miho said.
"Right, so our match will be held in the jungle…" Azusa started, "that means we'll be in close-quarter combat and limited in our range of movement…" She turned to William. "Is that the correct terminology?"
William nodded approvingly. Miho looked impressed at Azusa. "You've been improving quickly, Azusa. Good work," Miho complimented.
"Thank you, I just want to make sure we aren't a burden," Azusa sheepishly replied.
"Well, you won't have to worry about that! We're a team and teams work together to cover for each other. Now, you are correct in that we will be fighting in an area with limited movement. The JSF has created a network of trails and gravel paths through the forest along with the preexisting roadways. Since they took the native wildlife and habitats into consideration, the paths are laid out somewhat awkwardly," Miho explained. She pulled out a map of the Yanbaru forest and pointed out the pathways and trails. "Now there is one aspect of this battlefield that is extremely concerning… Okinawa has four species of venomous snakes, specifically three species of pit vipers and one species of coral snake. We can expect to encounter them in the Yanbaru."
"Venomous snakes?! Why would they want us to battle there if there're killer snakes on the loose!" Joseph exclaimed fearfully.
"Okay, okay, calm down," Miho reassured, "The JSF has provided us with snake pants and snake gloves so that if we encounter them we can't get bit through them."
The sound of a shotgun racking a shell caused everyone to jerk up from the table and look at Patty. "Anyone fancy some snakeskin clothing?" she asked, holding a Winchester M1897.
"Is that a shotgun?!" William shouted.
"Chill out, it's a non-lethal shotgun," Patty said.
"Those two words are contradictory!" he exclaimed.
Patty shrugged. "Not when the technology of Sensha-do is applied. They can only fire the harmless shattering rounds we use in our tanks and MGs," she explained.
"Then how do they kill snakes?" William asked.
"To be completely honest, it doesn't do it too well," Patty explained, "But snakes are smaller and more prone to the shot than a person would so it might kill them with a well-placed shot like a BB gun would. A good impact and the sound should be enough to scare the little critters away though."
"So how many… 'non-lethal' Sensha-do firearms do you have?" Miho asked.
Patty tapped her foot and thought for a moment. "Well… there's the Spencer rifles we used in our match, this M1897…" she paused and sat the shotgun onto the table. She dug into a pistol holster she had attached to her skirt and pulled out a revolver. "The good ol' Colt M1861 Navy," she said and placed it next to the M1897. She opened her uniform jacket and pulled out an M1911 and set it next to the M1861. "That should be it, except for what's in my tank," she said, "I've also got a bazooka mounted on the roof of my turret for me to grab in an emergency."
The commanders just looked at her with stunned faces and dropped jaws. "Come on!" Patty exclaimed, "we operate tanks for fun. Is this really that shocking?"
"Fair point…" Miho said with a sigh. Patty smiled and put away her pistols and slung her shotgun over her shoulder. "I guess snake killing duty is on you."
"Nah, I can get every commander an M1897 or an M1861 if they want one," Patty offered.
Miho blankly blinked. "So… does anyone want one?" she asked.
Every commander raised their hands. "If it makes you feel safer then feel free to use it. Just don't go out of your way to wipe out the local snake population. Self-defense only," Miho said.
Patty chuckled. "Alright captain, I'll get your commanders a nice, shiny piece of anti-snake weaponry. Now you've gotta lead this team to knocking out those enemy tanks. What's the plan?" she asked.
"Right. I was thinking we should split our forces into three groups of four to maneuver the battlefield and react easier. We will be limited in our operations to the paths so there's no need to bunch our tanks together," Miho said, "Chi-Ha-Tan is extremely prone to simply charging straight at their enemy, but many of our tanks will be mostly invulnerable to their assaults. I propose that we take one forward team to engage the enemy and try to bait them into a kill zone."
"Just like in the St. Gloriana match?" Noriko asked.
"Similarly, but with improved training, experience, and a clear material advantage, I believe we'll be able to execute the strategy with better results," Miho answered.
"Certainly, the ambush in the St. Gloriana match was somewhat sloppy, especially with the loss of the Tiger and Elefant," William pointed out, "however, without the thick armor of the infantry tanks and the speed of the Crusaders, Chi-Ha-Tan will be much more vulnerable, especially if we strike them with artillery."
Victoria giggled menacingly. "I can't wait to unleash the power of 200 pounds of pure explosive destruction onto those weak Chi-Has…" she said.
"Um… okay, so I was thinking the Bait Team should consist of Anglerfish Team, Leopard Team, Rabbit Team, and Duck Team. That'll give our force some stopping power while also ensuring mobility and versatility," Miho proposed, "thoughts?"
Ross, Azusa, and Noriko nodded together. "We should have no problems keeping up and punching some holes in the enemy," Ross noted.
"We'll do our best!" Azusa affirmed.
"Great, our Artillery Team will naturally consist of Wildcat, Medaka, Mongrel, and Hyena Team. Mongrel and Hyena will act as guards and can remain mostly static since some pathways may be too narrow or muddy to pass through for them," Miho explained.
"If I may captain," Laika started, "I want to join the ambush group instead. We didn't even get a chance to fight in the Saunders match and I don't want to sit on my hands while everyone's out doing the heavy lifting."
"Oh, okay. We can move you to the ambush team, any volunteers to join the artillery team?" Miho asked.
"We'll do it! They probably won't even last long enough to figure out where we are, so the weakness of the Stridsvagn doesn't really matter," Anzu said before cheerfully eating a piece of dried sweet potato, "this'll be easy compared to Saunders and St. Gloriana."
"Don't get too arrogant," Miho warned, "you never know how a battle may go. Regardless, I think it's a good move." She wrote down on a sheet of paper the details of their order of battle.
Bait Team
Anglerfish Team (Panzer IV)
Leopard Team (Type 100)
Rabbit Team (M3 'Grant I')
Duck Team (Type 89B)
Ambush Team
Atrox Team (Tiger H2)
Hippo Team (StuG III)
Eagle Team (T22E1)
Mongrel Team (KV-1K)
Artillery Team
Wildcat Team (Gun Carrier Mk. I)
Medaka Team (T34E2)
Turtle Team (Stridsvagn M/41 SII)
Hyena Team (T1E1)
"The Ambush Team will take a defensive position at the entrance to the Haraishiyama Grand Golf Course," Miho informed, pointing to a parking lot tucked away in the jungle, "then once the Bait Team and Chi-Ha-Tan cross the Benoki River, Artillery and Ambush Team can begin their assault. Considering Chi-Ha-Tan has shown that their flag tank has participated in all their charges, this should be the ending blow."
"And if their flag tank isn't in the ambush?" Azusa asked.
"If the majority of their tanks are knocked out, then we can fan out and search for their flag tank. It shouldn't be hard to track down if everyone spreads out and scans the map," Miho answered, "the last question is, who will be our flag tank?"
"Well, looking at the enemy's lineup they won't be able to penetrate more than 55mm of armor under the best circumstances. Even if they bring a 7TP or one of the other 37mm armed Polish tanks then that'll only boost their firepower to 70mm of penetration under the best circumstances using APDS," William said, "so we'll want our flag tank to have decent armor while also being relatively mobile, especially if they're going to be in the Bait Team."
"I think keeping the flag tank in the Ambush Team is the best call. If they're in the Artillery Team, the enemy might be able to track them down using the residue rocket smoke," Laika added.
"Well, in the Ambush Team, I'd say the Tiger H2 is the best fit for that role," Miho decided, "Its armor is no thinner than 82mm and its top speed is about 28 miles per hour. It might struggle a bit in the mud, but you'll have the luxury of being able to take your time since you pretty much will be unable to be knocked out."
Everyone nodded in silent agreement. "Alright, then our flag tank will be Atrox Team. Chi-Ha-Tan would have to get pretty creative to knock it out," Miho said.
"Alright, looks like we have a plan!" Azusa exclaimed eagerly.
Miho nodded. "Operation: Slithery Snake is a go! Let's do our best everyone!" she encouraged.
"1, 2, 3, Oarai!" everyone cheered.
000
Miho leaned against the railing of the Zuikaku, overlooking the sea before her as the schoolship slowly docked at one of Okinawa's schoolship ports. To her right, the capital of the Okinawa Prefecture, Naha expanded across the coast and inland while to her left, the East China Sea shimmered in the evening sun. She took a sip of canned tea before Saori leaned against the railing next to her, followed by the rest of Anglerfish Team. "So, Miporin, how's your love life going?" Saori asked jokingly.
Miho nearly choked on her tea. She coughed for a moment before pulling herself back together. "What? Love life?" she asked.
"Oh please it's clear you like someone, you wouldn't have asked me for advice if you didn't" Safari teased, "so who is it?"
"Umm… uh, no I don't like anyone like that," Miho answered sheepishly.
Saori narrowed her eyes and smirked. "Oh reeeeally?" she asked.
"Yeah, you know… I was just curious since I've been reading a few books and wanted advice-" Miho started.
"Advice huh? You know, generally, you need something to apply that advice to for it to be useful," Saori pointed out amusingly.
Miho blushed and looked away. "Well, I don't like anyone like that, I've got enough to do with the team and stuff anyway," she deflected.
"Well if you need some help managing the team, why don't we help you out?" Saori proposed.
"Huh?"
"Yeah, on a serious note, you've got a lot on your hands, so why don't you let us help out?" Saori asked.
"Oh no, I-"
"No, no, no, you just said you had enough on your hands," Saori interrupted, "so we're gonna help you out. Can't have the commander carry the whole load right?"
Miho sighed. "Okay," she relented. "What do you guys want to do?"
Yukari jumped on Miho's offer immediately. "I'd like to take inventory! I can help you catalog what we have and what we need! I've got a good memory for keeping track of parts!" she exclaimed.
"I'd like to organize new tank searching efforts! If we win this match we'll need three more tanks to reach the next round's limit right?" Saori asked.
"Indeed we will," Hana answered, "and we'll need students to crew them. I can handle organizing recruitment efforts. I'm sure Yuzu would appreciate the help."
"I'll help with training," Mako said.
Miho smiled gratefully. "Thank you… I'm grateful for your help," she said.
"Anytime Miporin!" Saori exclaimed, "can't have you get all stressed out. It'll cause wrinkles and we wouldn't want that! Especially when you want to get the attention of someone… now who is it? Tell us!"
"Wha-? No, no," Miho stuttered.
"Come on Miho, if you tell us then we can help you get their attention too!" Hana added, "maybe I can make you a bouquet of flowers to give to him?"
"You guys are speaking a completely different language," Yukari said nervously, "I have no clue about anything romantic."
Mako raised a lazy eyebrow. "You've never had anything like a crush?" she asked.
"Not really, I could hardly make friends as a kid, much less crush on someone," Yukari answered with a nervous laugh.
"Lame…" Mako said, "I have to admit, some of the boys on the team are kinda cute."
Saori turned to Mako with shock. "Wait, you like someone too?!" she asked.
"I said some of them they're cute, not that I like one of them," Mako replied flatly, "don't take things out of context."
"Thinking someone is cute is typically the first step," Saori teased, "Now you both are going to need to tell me who you like so I can help you two get a boyfriend!"
Miho blushed even more and hid her face in her hands. "Saori…" she mumbled, "can't you just leave it alone?"
Hana giggled. "I think she's had enough teasing Saori," she said.
"Well, fine," Saori said, crossing her arms with a fake pout. "I'll
get it out of you one day…" she whispered smugly.
Miho groaned and rose from her hands and looked out at the
sea. Is that why I feel like I want to be around them so much?
000
On the Akagi school carrier, docked next to the Zuikaku and dwarfing it in size, the Sensha-do team of Chi-Ha-Tan Academy, led by Kinuyo Nishi, gathered in their own war room. The song, Battoi, played softly in the background while Nishi stood at a podium, surrounded by her teammates in rows of desks. "Tomorrow, my comrades, we will be facing Oarai Co-ed Academy in the second round, the first time we have reached the second round in ten years!" she declared.
"We'll crush them with a single decisive charge! Their cowardly boys will bulk at our strength!" Tamada shouted.
"Yes, that's the spirit Tamada! Chi-Ha-Tan's greatest strength is our charging spirit," Nishi encouraged, "we do not need to fear any advantage our opponents have!"
Hosomi cheered along with them, "Any advantage they have will be neutralized with our superior spirit!" She turned to Fukuda who was sitting next to her.
Fukuda was looking down at her notebook in front of her with a frown. She gripped the edge of her skirt with trembling hands and she started to sweat. "Come on Fukuda," Hosomi encouraged, "remember the first round? Our charge broke the enemy! Why would Oarai be any different?"
"It's just…" Fukuda whispered, "running straight at the enemy? Recklessly throwing yourself into cannon fire… it's scary."
Hosomi smiled reassuringly. "We'll pull through with our strength. There's no need to be afraid, for you'll be in the powerful armor of a tank!" she encouraged.
"R-right," Fukuda replied.
"Who wants to be our flag tank?" Nishi asked.
If I continue to show weakness… No matter how much they say otherwise, I know my fear will pull our team down! "Captain Nishi!" Fukuda shouted while standing up and raising her hand, "I would like to be the flag tank!"
Nishi stared at Fukuda with surprise before brightly smiling. "That's the spirit Fukuda!" she encouraged, "that was all we needed to discuss today. Everyone is dismissed, have a good evening!"
Everyone gathered their things and left. As Fukuda walked down the hallway that led to the exit of the academy, she heard hurried footsteps behind her. She turned to see a girl with brown-reddish hair and gray eyes. "Hey, Fukuda," she greeted.
"Oh, hey Maiko. How's transferring here going?" Fukuda asked.
Maiko was a temporary member of the Chi-Ha-Tan Sensha-do team who commanded the captured 9TP from Bonple. "It's going well, but it looks like Nishi isn't much different from Jajka," Maiko answered.
"Allows charging, no retreating… not even you're overwhelmed and outnumbered…" Fukuda said.
"Not a big fan?" Maiko asked.
"Why would I? I get that it's our tradition, but it's so scary to rush at an enemy when you know they'll take you out. I've tried to propose other ideas to Nishi, but she always just smiles and 'takes them into consideration,'" she answered.
"Jajka was the same…" Maiko lamented, "so if you don't want to blindly charge at the enemy, why do you want to be the flag tank?"
Fukuda flinched. "I can't show any more weakness. If I do, I'm going to drag the team down and my new ideas won't ever be adopted," she answered.
"Well, I've got your back," Maiko reassured with a smile, "you're a pretty cool girl, certainly more level-headed than our teammates."
Fukuda nodded sheepishly. "A-alright, no matter what happens, let's do our best tomorrow."
000
From the commander's hatch of his massive tank, Joseph admired his newly installed Tankgewehr rifle that replaced the M2 Browning machine gun on the AA mount. He eagerly opened the bolt and loaded a round into it before aiming into the dense jungle behind Oarai's prep lot. The rifle fired with a resounding crack and the round flew into the trees. Joseph let out a whistle. "Now that packs a punch," he said.
"You do realize that the M2 and Tankgewehr have the same armor penetration, like down to the millimeter, right?" Jennifer asked, standing below him.
"Yeah, but it looks cooler!" Joseph countered, "how do you like my spaced armor? Pretty cool right?" He pointed down at the turret
"You just duct-taped a bunch of jerry cans to your turret," Jennifer replied, unimpressed.
Joseph climbed down from his tank. "Yeah, but they'll give us a great tactical advantage!" he argued.
"How so?" Jennifer asked.
"Style points," Joseph answered.
The T22E1 sat in the lot next to the T1E1. Patty climbed out of the turret and stood in the hatch. She turned and saw a brown and tan snake slowly crawling up the back of the tank. "Snake! Snake" she shouted and pulled her shotgun from the turret. She stood on the turret, stepped over her bazooka, and aimed down at the snake while everyone nearby stepped back. Patty racked the M1897 and pulled the trigger. It fired with a resounding crack and the snake flew backward onto the ground.
Patty jumped down onto the engine deck with the shotgun at the ready with another shell loaded and leered at the motionless snake for a moment. The snake slowly started slithering away and disappeared into the jungle. "God bless Winchester Repeating Arms," she stated while resting the shotgun over her shoulder.
Miho rushed over. "Is everyone alright!?" she asked frantically.
"Everyone but that poor slithery critter I blew a thousand tiny little holes into! Fancy a new purse?" Patty joked.
Miho sighed. "I didn't think we'd actually need to use them," she said.
"Well, if it makes you feel any better, I did let it scurry away, for what that's worth," Patty said.
"So are you guys ready for the match?" Miho asked, changing the subject.
Joseph gave her a thumbs up. "All good, Miho."
"We're ready here too," Patty followed.
Miho nodded and began walking to the next tank. From the hull of the Panzer IV, Saori watched her every move from a distance. If I'm lucky, she'll show me a little hint with her body language… she thought while staring intently.
"Jeez, why do you care so much if Miho has a crush on someone?" Mako asked, noticing her friend observing Miho intently.
"I just need to know, okay?" Saori answered.
"Whatever," Mako replied and closed her driver's hatch.
Saori rested her arms and head onto her knees. She wore the thick, black snake pants the JSF had provided them which were tucked into her boots along with similar gloves that covered her hands. Surprisingly, the temperature wasn't very high so the air was pleasant and had a mild breeze. Saori continued her Miho watching. When Miho reached the Type 100, she seemed more energetic and cheerful, at least that's what Saori observed. She pretty much ran over to Leopard Team once she was past everyone else… Saori thought.
At the Type 100, Ross sat on the hull of his tank, gently swaying back and forth with Natalie in his arms. "Hey, Ross! Yoshiko and Jungoru still aren't here?" Miho asked and sat next to him.
"Nope, not yet," Ross answered.
Natalie looked up and saw Miho. Her eyes lit up and she moved to sit up in Ross' arms. "Hi, Natalie!" Miho greeted cheerfully.
"Mmmmm," Natalie babbled. Ross adjusted her so that she was sitting on his arm.
"Hear that? You are now Captain Mmmm," Ross joked.
Miho giggled. "No Natalie, it's Miho, Me-ho," she corrected.
"Mmmm, ho, home," Natalie babbled.
"The child has spoken, you are now Captain Home," Ross teased.
Saori narrowed her eyes and scrutinized every detail she could observe from her position. The way they casually conversed, the way they subconsciously leaned towards each other, every last little detail was recorded in her mind. Her eyes widened as she came to a conclusion. "Oh my goodness…" she whispered. "She must like Ross!" she squealed.
"Can you keep it down? I'm trying to nap," Mako complained.
Hana poked her head out of her hatch. "I guess I can see it," she said.
"I mean look at them! It's so obvious I can't believe I didn't notice it before!" Saori exclaimed, "oh my goodness, they're so cute together!" She winced when a 7.62mm bullet hit the side of her head. "Ow!" She turned and saw Mako glaring at her from a small opening in her hatch.
"I'm trying to nap!" she snapped.
Saori pouted and threw the bullet back at her friend when William leaned against the Panzer IV's hull. "So you guys finally figured it out huh?" he asked.
"When did you get here?!" Saori asked with surprise.
"Long enough ago to catch most of your conversation," he said with a smirk.
"Don't just eavesdrop on people!" Saori demanded.
"And hypocritical, because I've seen enough to know that you were spying on Ross and Miho," William smugly countered.
Saori grit her teeth, but relented. "Fair enough… wait what do you mean 'finally figured it out'?" she asked, "how long have you known?"
"Joseph and I bet on it on the bus ride to the drawing ceremony," William answered, "just so you know, I've got 10 dollars riding on those two getting together."
"You seriously bet on them?" Saori asked.
"Well someone's gotta profit off of it," William answered.
A loud crack pierced the air and a 13.2mm bullet zipped past the Panzer IV and flew past William's face. "We had a deal not to intervene!" Joseph shouted from the T1E1.
"I'm not doing anything, I'm just talking with her friends!" William shouted. He took off his helmet and jokingly threw it at the hull of the T1E1.
"What's going on here?!" Miho shouted as she stormed forward.
William put his hands up. "Calm down, we're just joking around," he explained.
Miho turned from him and glared at Joseph. "What?" he asked.
"Firing your rifle scared Natalie!" Miho exclaimed. William and Joseph looked to the Type 100, where Ross was comforting the terrified, crying baby.
Joseph climbed down from his hatch. "Oh… that's my bad. Sorry," he apologized.
Nishi and Tamada stepped onto the lot. "I'm hoping this isn't a bad time…" Nishi said as she approached Miho.
Miho sighed and turned to Nishi. "No, no, sorry, just smoothing some things out. You're Chi-Ha-Tan's captain, right?"
"Yes ma'am, Kinuyo Nishi, but you can just call me Nishi," Nishi introduced with a salute.
"Just call me Tamada," Tamada followed.
Miho took off her helmet and bowed. "I'm Captain Miho Nishizumi, just call me Miho," she introduced.
Nishi's eyes lit up in excitement. "Wow, to face a Nishizumi! This is such a great honor," she exclaimed while bowing, "I do hope we are worthy opponents!"
Miho nervously laughed. "A-and to you as well…" she stuttered.
Tamada narrowed her eyes. "I thought the Nishizumi were supposed to be determined, emotionless, and strong… you kinda look, I don't know, not… that…" she pointed out.
Miho frowned. "Well, that's how my sister is… but I didn't want to live like that, so I'm finding my own way," she answered.
"I see," Tamada replied casually, "I do hope we have a good match though. Don't underestimate the Chi-Ha-Tan strength!"
Miho smiled. "Don't worry, we'll give it our all!" she exclaimed.
"Very well Nishizumi, may our battle be exciting, and may the best team win!" Nishi said while extending a hand to Miho.
Miho took her hand with a smile. "Of course, may the best team win!"
Nishi and Tamada bowed to head to the opening ceremony. Miho turned and saw William and Joseph awkwardly standing behind her. "Let's just put that all behind us," Miho said, "alright everyone, we're heading to the opening ceremony!"
000
In a large open field, a rarity in the northern half of Okinawa Island, both teams stood opposing each other. Three members from each side stood near the center of the field. Miho, Momo, and William represented Oarai while Nishi, Tamada, and Fukuda represented Chi-Ha-Tan.
Ami Chono stood between them. "Hello everyone, before we begin, I just want to make sure that you all do have antivenom in everyone's tank, correct?" she asked.
"Of course," Miho and Nishi answered.
Ami smiled. "Good, now I just want to remind you, if you or one of your crewmates get bit and you administer the antivenom, you still have to take the victim to the medical tent marked on your map. The tank in transport will be set to medical emergency mode, so it won't be knocked out and can't fire. Once the victim has been dropped off, the remaining crew can return to the battle, if they choose to. Is that understood?" she explained.
Miho and Nishi nodded. "Good! Then all participants, please bow," Ami requested.
"Let's have a good match!" everybody shouted.
Miho and Nishi waved to each other before they separated. "Second round, let's do this!" William encouraged.
"Let's do our best!" Miho replied.
Momo just nodded and silently marched over to the rest of Turtle Team and the Stridsvagn M/41 SII. The crews mounted their tanks and waited for the order to move out. Miho stood high in her commander's cupola. William stood outside of his cupola as well, with the blue flag indicating his flag tank status waving in the breeze behind him. "Alright everyone, Panzer vor!" Miho ordered.
"Freikorp voran!" William followed. The tanks drove forward before turning onto a gravel path and entering the jungle.
000
At the main spectator lot, Kay, Alisa, and Naomi set up a spot for themselves next to St. Gloriana. "Hey, Darjeeling! It's been a while," Kay eagerly greeted as they set up their chairs.
"Indeed it has Kay, how are you doing?" Darjeeling greeted after sipping some tea.
"Just fantastic to be honest! We may have gotten eliminated, but I hope our girls at Oarai can keep up the spirit of Saunders all the way to the finals!" Kay exclaimed while crashing down into her seat with a bottle of cola and a big bucket of popcorn. "How'd your first-round match go?"
"Fairly well, we won without much fanfare," Darjeeling answered. "How are your crewmates in the Sherman that got rammed?" she asked.
"They're feeling better, after they learned that it was an accident they cooled down a bit," Kay replied, "I still feel pretty bad for getting up in Ross' face though."
"An accident, was it?" Darjeeling asked, "I guess that explains why no penalty was levied against Oarai."
Kay nodded. "Yeah, his steering levers got stuck and they lost control. Nothing you can do at that point."
Meanwhile, a short distance away, Maho and Erika observed the large screen which was running through the tanks each team brought to the battle. Erika sneered when the Gun Carrier Mk. I was displayed. "They seriously brought a tank from the First World War? They must be pitifully desperate," she mocked, "although Chi-Ha-Tan isn't much better."
Maho remained silent. It is a peculiar choice… either they actually are short on tanks or Miho sees some worth in it…
000
All of Oarai's tanks came to a stop at their starting positions. "Alright, is everybody ready?" Miho asked one final time.
Everyone radioed in their confirmations, although Victoria was far more energetic. "Ready to blow those poor girls to Kingdom Come, come on let's go!" she cheered. In her tank, Manfred was the driver while Victoria and Melitta manned the gun.
Miho giggled as the anti-air guns around the spectator zones fired. "Match begin!" Ami Chono announced through the radios and loudspeakers.
"Alright, everyone break into your teams and head to your designated positions. Bait Team, you'll be following Anglerfish Team," Miho ordered. The tanks rumbled forward and split into the various paths cut through the jungle. Miho stood outside her commander's cupola as Anglerfish Team led the Bait Team column down a path that would take them to the center of the map. The path was incredibly narrow and she had to duck occasionally from overhanging branches. "How are you guys doing?" she radioed to everyone.
"All good here," Ross radioed. Rabbit and Duck Team followed with the same. The Type 100 followed close behind the Panzer IV. Both tanks would be immune to Chi-Ha-Tan's guns frontally, with 80mm of armor each while Rabbit and Duck Team had less armor that could be penetrated up close.
"Away down South in the land of traitors, rattlesnakes, and alligators-" the crew of Eagle Team sang.
Miho giggled again. "Eagle Team, your radio is on," she said.
"Ah, my bad girl," Harriet replied, "we're all good, Ambush Team is nearly at our ambush point."
"Okay, just be sure to be alert to your surroundings. We wouldn't want your song to be interrupted by a Chi-Ha-Tan ambush," Miho replied with amusement.
"Cheers girl, I'll drink to that!" Patty cheered.
The radio of everyone's tanks blew up in an uproar of laughter. "Save your drinks for after the match. And make sure there's no alcohol," Miho replied with a bright smile.
"Oh yeah, it's all-" she paused to clear her throat, "'non-alcoholic'" She accompanied the statement with air quotes, although only her crew could see them.
"Alright, alright, everyone back to business," Miho said. The Bait Team followed the path as it turned right where a paved run-off area began and the hillside they were on top of fell into a heavily forested jungle valley. "Let's stop for a moment here, we might be able to see Chi-Ha-Tan's forward groups in this valley," Miho ordered. The tanks pulled off the road and onto the run-off. Miho climbed onto the roof of her turret and looked through her binoculars. She scanned the battlefield while her fellow commanders did the same. All she could see; however, was the top of the jungle canopy below.
"No sign of the enemy," Azusa reported. With her tank being the tallest, she had the best view of the valley, and yet even she was unable to see through the canopy.
"This is just what I feared would happen," Ross said, "We won't be able to see them until they're right in front of us."
"That gives Chi-Ha-Tan the advantage, they'll be able to get close and use their guns at the best range and we won't be able to use our long-distance advantage," Miho said.
"That's concerning, but not a major problem. These paths are narrow enough for us to avoid getting flanked," Ross replied.
"That's on the assumption that they won't be able to cut through the jungle somehow," Miho said.
Ross thought for a moment. There are a lot of engineer vehicles that might be able to cut a path through the jungle, so it's not impossible… "If they have such a vehicle, we might be able to see a disturbance in the trees," he proposed.
"Right, does anyone see anything that would indicate that?" Miho asked.
"Negative, maybe next time we should approach them at their prep lot instead of them coming to us, then we'll be able to learn their line-up," Azusa replied.
"Of course, why didn't we think of doing that?" Ross asked with annoyance while lightly kicking the turret, "they now know our entire lineup and we don't know a thing about theirs."
Jody poked out of the commander's cupola of the Type 100. "Well, maybe it's because you and Miho were too busy-"
Ross immediately cut her off by throwing his helmet at her. She ducked into the turret with a squeak and the helmet rattled down into the turret. "What did Jody say, Ross?" Miho asked.
"Nothing important, as usual," Ross replied with a sigh, "hey Yukari, do you know of any engineering vehicles-" He was cut off by the rattling of branches and the loud snapping of trees being pulled apart. Everyone looked around erratically when a cluster of trees and foliage crashed down onto the road behind them. Hundreds of splinters and chunks of wood rained down from the small cliffside that bordered the right side of the pathway. Then, only a few dozen meters behind them, a Type 97 with no turret and a massive steel wedge attached to the front fell from the hole in the jungle. "Contact!" Miho shouted. Everyone jumped back into their turrets as a Type 97 Shinhoto drove down the cliff behind the strange, unarmed Type 97.
"We'll cover you guys, get out of here!" Noriko shouted. The Type 89B turned around so that it was blocking the path. "Give us all you got Chi-Ha-Tan!" she shouted as Akebi fired the 57mm cannon. The round slammed into the side of the Type 97's wedge and left a scorch mark on the thick steel, but did not damage the tank.
The turret of the M3 Grant rotated to face the enemy tanks as well. "Fire!" Azusa shouted. A 37mm round flew over the Type 89B and impacted the front of the Type 97 Shinhoto. "Finally, my first kill!" Aya cheered. Another Shinhoto drove out of the opening in the jungle.
"Get going guys!" Noriko ordered while loading another Type 3 HEAT round into her gun.
Miho gripped her cupola and grit her teeth. I don't want to just sacrifice Duck Team, but we can't engage them in this narrow of a road and there's nowhere else to go, but forward… she took a deep breath and gave her next order, "Leopard, Rabbit Team, let's get moving, we're going to try and lose them!"
"Understood!" Ross and Azusa replied. Azusa gave a last salute to the Type 89B before ducking into her turret, followed by Ross and Miho. The three tanks started speeding off, leaving Duck Team to face the next Shinhoto.
"Taste the power of the Type 89B!" Noriko shouted. The Shinhoto charged at the Type 89B and both tanks fired. Their rounds barely missed each other as they flew towards their targets. Both shells impacted the front of each tank and knocked them out with a dramatic explosion.
Azusa watched sadly as they sped away around the bend and away from the surprise ambush. "Sorry Duck Team…" she whispered. After a moment of sadness, she looked up with determination and radioed the Panzer IV. "Yukari, what tank was that? The one with the wedge?" she asked.
"I-I…" Yukari stuttered, "I don't know, I've never seen a tank like that before."
The remaining members of Bait Team sat in shock. A tank Yukari couldn't recognize? The thought seemed impossible, with the fluffy-haired girl's tank knowledge rivaling even the most extensive of databases and encyclopedias. Saori opened a book she had stored with her about the Type 97 and other Japanese tanks that Chi-Ha-Tan could field. She read through a few pages about Type 97 variants before finding the answer. "That tank, it's a Ho-K, a variant of the Type 97 Shinhoto with the turret removed and used as a lumberjack vehicle to cut paths through the jungle!" she answered.
"So it looks like they do have a way through the jungle…" Miho whispered. "This is Anglerfish Team reaching out to all tanks," she said, "be aware that Chi-Ha-Tan is employing an engineering vehicle to cut through the jungle. Nowhere is safe so be on extremely high alert for any sounds of activity from the jungle."
000
My keyboard is currently filing a lawsuit. Apparently, I'm violating fair labor standards or something.
Anyways! Thank you all for the reviews, views, favorites, and follows! I'm really thankful that people are enjoying my story. The battle has begun, but there's still plenty of action to go!
Next Time on Girls und Panzer: Tank Aces!
Chapter 22: A Charge Like No Other!