Chapter 12 - The fire of guns

24th April JSF Battleground, stands. 11:45

Sarah and Darjeeling sat in the stands as the St Gloriana team rolled out, displayed on the large screens ahead of them. On seeing the tanks the crowd started hushed whispers, discussing the St Gloriana line up amongst themselves. Sarah and Darjeeling sat at the end of their row near the bottom of the steps leading up to the high heavens of the stands above.

"Howdy!" a girl yelled across from them. Sarah turned her head to see the body of Kay in her standard grey blazer, white shirt and red skirt of the Saunders uniform, plus her customary high socks. She had a large smile running across her face and her eyes remained closed but she was waving her arm ecstatically at them. Darjeeling remained unflinching, sipping her tea.

Behind Kay a tall boy with a blond hairstyle which looked somewhat like a David Beckham haircut with it cut short on the sides but with a fair amount of combed hair on top. He also had a not too dissimilar uniform to that which Kay was wearing - apart from the skirt of course. He carried a large tray with vast amounts of fast food covering it, with burger boxes, drinks and fries balancing precariously on top of one another. Kay scooted past some empty seats and sat next to Darjeeling.

"Hay Darj, hows it go'in?" Kay said, completely focusing on Darjeeling and not even recording Sarah's existence.

Darjeeling turned her head looking to her and then to the boy behind.

"Is this the new boy then?" Darjeeling said without hesitation nodding to his direction as he walked slowly making sure not to drop a single item.

"Yep ain't he a cutie!" she said, full of energy. "Well, he is supposedly the best commander in the boys league in the JSF..." she then lowered her voice. "...which means he's on the same par as maybe Anchovy, but more like Pepperoni. But at least he's better than my ex."

"I see. You have moved on pretty fast then. How long was it? Two days? You have boys lining up for you? Or maybe there's a waiting list?" Darjeeling asked rather bluntly.

Kay giggled and nodded, she reverted back to her normal tone of voice. "And anyway he is really nice and would do anything to learn from me," she said rather smugly.

"Anything? ... Really?" Darjeeling said again in her monotone voice but with a hint of intrigue this time.

Kay winked. "It's no two pounder."

"Pershing M3?"

"Na, more like a L20 howitzer."

"Well that is rather impressive," Darjeeling said with a devilish grin.

"So where is English?" Kay asked.

Just before Sarah could move her head out of the Shadow of Darjeeling, the tall boy used his knee to push down the seat of the white plastic chair next to Kay and placed the tray onto it keeping the seat from springing up.

"Darjeeling," he said as he bowed towards her. "I'm Takum Itsu ..."

"My boyfriend," Kay said standing immediately placing both her hands on his face as her face filled his. All that was heard was the sound of lips battling each other. Darjeeling watched, with her cheeks going a little flustered.

Sarah just looked at Darjeeling, a little in shock really. She knew Darjeeling was a helpless romantic but still. "Darjeeling," she said, tugging her shoulder In the hope of breaking her trance. "Darjeeling? Hello?"

"Oh I seemed to lose my train of thought for a second or two," Darjeeling said as she eventually moved her eyes back onto Sarah.

Kay's eyes finally moved off her man and finally found half of Sarah, the other covered by Darjeeling. "Ah there is my little English Breakfast!" she said.

She quickly moved off her boyfriend, leaving him in an odd daze wondering what just happened. She pushed a seat down and sat on the edge to look over to Sarah, resting her head on her arm, which in turn was resting on the top of her bare skin from her short shorts. "So how's you?" she asked rather plainly.

"So so," Sarah added with a shrug.

Kay just looked up and down at Sarah. Her eyes stopped and stared at her temple on the left side of her head. "Is that where..."

Sarah nodded, lifting her pin curls covering her temple. The inch long scar where the stitches had been stuck out like a sore thumb.

Kay just looked and said nothing really. She looked over to Darjeeling. "I didn't mean to hurt her..."

Darjeeling just closed her eyes; her mind looking through her unlimited knowledge of quotes to find the most appropriate one for the situation. She opened her eyes and spoke. "We must let bygones be bygones. Miss English Breakfast and I know you were under immense levels of stress at that time." She ended her quote and rested her arm on Kay's shoulder.

"I'm sorry English," Kay just muttered.

Sarah just sat there. She didn't want any more emotional baggage, plus a Kay on the near verge of tears would make a bit of a scene. Sarah slowly stood up and hobbled over. She wrapped her arms around the seated Kay giving her a light hug. "There there. There there. Thank you Kay," she added with a smile.

The tall boy finally moved over sitting next to Kay. "You're English Breakfast right?" He asked while sizing her up.

"Hopefully there isn't a second one," Sarah said, hoping to lighten the mood slightly.

"The night attack on the farm barn? The charge of the airfield? The early defence of the first objective? You did all those?"

"I was Rosehip's vice-commander, I just did what I was told really," Sarah added with a nervous chuckle.

"I thought someone who was related to Mr. Perkins would have been doing better than follow orders," he said.

Sarah's face formed a frown, as she knew nothing of this Perkins bloke. "Who's he?" she inquired.

"A British champion in the UK Sensha-do league?"

Her mind suddenly clicked back into action as she remembered someone mentioning that name before.

"Well, he's amazing to watch. He commands a Centurion with such elegance and power," he stated towards her.

"Oh yes I remember. No no I'm not related to him. So what did you think of this guy called James Alexander? I heard he was pretty good..."

"Well, I never liked him or his style; I don't think he was really that good. I think he just had connections with higher people, I wouldn't have picked him to represent England," he said, cutting her off. Sarah just stood there thinking of nothing more than hitting him right in the middle of his face. She just counted her breaths and moved back sitting next to Darjeeling.

He leaned over to look over at Darjeeling. "Miss Darjeeling, I've heard rumours that Mr. Perkins offered to marry you… is there any truth in that?"

"Oh you make me laugh Mr. Takum. He could charm the knickers off a nun. But he could never offer me something I wanted," Darjeeling said.

"What? What was it?" he asked with baited breath.

"Fun." She added with a grin. "Looking after Miss English Breakfast here with her injuries, has only proven to me that, someone who would be battered and bruised everyday coming back from work, would be a tiresome process." Both Kay and the boy laughed. Sarah hated being the butt of the joke and so spoke up.

"I thought you liked being a nurse?" she whispered to Darjeeling.

"You just cannot have the same thing twice without being disappointed," Darjeeling quoted. Sarah just rolled her eyes.

24th April JSF Battleground, 12:27

The very light rolling hills covered in a light green grass, mixed in with the odd dark green bush or tree. Orange Pekoe looked out, knowing this match would be the hardest one to win. Her tanks moved to the base of one such hill, making sure the turrets of the tanks were just below the highest point of the hill and thus keeping them hidden from view.

"Your orders, Miss Orange Pekoe?" Rukuriri asked blankly. Orange Pekoe looked out, standing on top of the Churchill and scanned the surroundings with her binoculars.

"We hold here. If we expose ourselves we run the risk of Kuromornine's guns picking us off one at a time, like Miss English Breakfast said. Let them come to us; we have more of a chance at closer range."

"And for us?" Rosehip asked, champing at the bit as ever.

"You know the plan Rosehip," Orange Pekoe replied.

"Okay Miss Orange Pekoe, we will stick to the plan," Rosehip agreed.

"I still don't understand English Breakfast's plan," Green Gunpowder said to the crew in the Cromwell.

"Well, we have to use every advantage we have otherwise we will end up like all the other teams and get smashed." Jasmine Pearl responded, looking to her junior commander.

"I know, I know," Green Gunpowder said, waving off Jasmine's notion.

"Jasmine, Green Gunpowder has a point, we are in fast, nimble tanks with light armour. Staying in place is just inviting trouble," Peppermint interjected from the loader's side, looking over to her commander, who in turn nodded in appreciation.

She turned her gaze onto Jasmine, her stare as sharp as daggers. "We are just fish in a barrel here," Green Gunpowder said towards Jasmine. "Remember what we achieved against Ooarai?"

"But look what happened to us against Saunders. We need to play our cards right here," Jasmine countered.

"Let's see then," Green Gunpowder said as she moved her head to peer over the top of the open hatch. "As I think English Breakfast has got this all wrong."

"Tanks! Three Panthers heading due east close range!" came a call over the radio.

"It's time," Green Gunpowder said as she stood on the commander's chair looking over to the direction of the enemy Panthers.

"Are we all in position?" Orange Pekoe called out over the radio. A catalogue of confirmation calls came back her way.

"Okay, hold your positions and wait, let's stick to the plan," Orange Pekoe added as the Panthers clawed their tracks into the virgin grass, moving ever closer towards the hidden force.

The Panthers were pointing their cannons in all different directions, seemingly preparing for an ambush, but began to trundle up the slight incline.

"Hold it... hold it," Orange Pekoe commanded over the radio as the gun muzzle of the first tank came into sight over the lush green slope. The cannon grew and grew in size, as now the tracks and most importantly the lower plate of the panther came into view. "All tanks, fire."

All seven tanks fired, most hitting their mark. The Panther was white flagged before it even knew what had happened to it.

"Chindits take out the other two Panthers, quickly!"

"Yes Miss Orange Pekoe!" a jubilant Rosehip responded immediately. "Chindits ATTACK!" she cried as she pointed dead ahead with her small force advancing up the slope in a rapid advance. The Cromwell hit the light slope getting a small amount air from it.

"We will take the tank on the right! Its barrel is still facing away from us," Green Gunpowder said, dead set in making this Panther her first kill of the match. The Cromwell drove past the Panther, and skidded sideways parallel to the rear of the Kuromorimine tank.

The Panther commander, knowing what was about to happen, started to neutral steer, keeping the Cromwell's cannon off the rear of the Panther. But it was too little, too late, and the shell hit the engine block. The tank's surrender was duly noted with the thwapang of the raising flag.

"Aim for the tracks on the other one!" Gunpowder yelled down towards Jasmine over the loud noise of skirmish. But there was no need for as the Cromwell's turret spun, the three other Crusaders had taken the Panther apart, hitting the turret front, hull side and engine block with multiple six-pounder shells, giving the appearance of a pack of wild hyenas on a singular elephant. One shell finally set off the white flag.

"Chindits, fall back," Orange Pekoe ordered through the headphones of the Chindit commanders.

Rosehip picked up her microphone which was bouncing around her lap. She didn't see any enemies in the area but empty rolling fields. "But..."

"Rosehip!" Orange Pekoe interjected instantaneously.

Her previous scolding resonating in her memory, she closed her eyes and sighed. "Chindits fall back to our original position."

"This in not what the Chindits were meant for!" Green Gunpowder yelled out, throwing her microphone out her hand into the steel block of the breach, cracking the hard plastic shell of the microphone. "What would my Earl Grey think! Argh, this is all English Breakleg's fault!" she yelled whole heartedly into the turret, be damned the consequences.

24th April JSF Battleground, 12:39

The Panther force has been destroyed at B17, with all the enemy force there. Your orders ma'am?" The radio operator said leaning back and shouting up as well as holding her throat microphone towards the throne of Erika in the commander's seat.

"Gather all tanks. We can crush them. Five points is what we came for and that is what we will get,"Erika responded cooly. Remaining calm was something that Erika was finally coming to grips with, as under stressful battle conditions being hotheaded didn't really help the school win battles. Maho's training seemed to be seeping in.

"All tanks from up on me at D15," she ordered as she had a quick glance at the map to see which was the perfect place to get flanking shots and if needed to close the range and put their armour to the test.

Soon all the heavy tanks of Kuromorimine had arrived. The force consisted of with two Tiger 1, one Panther and a King Tiger for good measure. A truly fearsome force of hard-hitting firepower and even harder German steel. The tanks lined up line abreast and began their advance with Erika's King Tiger in the middle, readying for the crushing blow onto St Gloriana's flank.

"Enemies spotted. It looks to be their whole force, plus the flag tank," Erika said with a grin as she lowered her binoculars.

A bull crack whip of a sound echoed around the grassland. "I didn't order you to fire!"

"We haven't Eri..." The reply was cut off as a shell smashed into a Tiger I, white flagging it instantly.

"Eyes up! This is an ambush!" Erika blurted out, her coolness filter crashing to the wayside. "Any eyes on where it came from?!"

"Dead ahead but I don't know where," Kumoe exclaimed.

"Any smoke?" Erika asked as she scanned ahead of her, looking for the tank. The small pinhead of an orange glow seemed to grow larger and larger, now the size of a tennis ball dramatically grew in size to that of a watermelon. The sound arrived - another hard crack. The orb crashed hard into the sloped hull of Erika's King Tiger. The vibrations inside the tank were something else; as if the tank had been hit with a heavy hammer.

"That's a 17 pounder! Koume you said their Tog was out of action!" Erika yelled into her throat mic with her eardrums still ringing.

"It is! I swear!" Kurome yelled back.

"Lunchtime quick! Gunner - get the gun on their tanks a fire! All tanks fire!"

The 88mm and 75mm guns blazed to life, shells peppering the St Gloriana pocket.

24th April JSF Battleground, 12:46

Shells crashed all around as dirt flew up into the Orange Pekoe's face but, likea shark with blood in the water, Orange Pekoe didn't care one bit about her safety. "Excalibur knock out their flag tank! That's all we need!"

"Yes, Miss Pekoe!" the commander answered, soon followed by an almighty crack of a cannon emanating from to the far rear of the St Gloriana's force about a half-mile away. Orange Pekoe took a glance back at the slight ridgeline. Protruding above it was the well rounded Sherman turret and the long 17 pounder gun with its muzzle steaming. The dark green Firefly had brought that extra needed firepower that the St Gloriana's tanks were extremely lacking in.

She cracked her head back towards the Kuromornine stationary force as the waving black flag of Erika's King Tiger beckoned to be hit. The shell seemed to be blown off course by the wind, even though there was no wind to speak of whatsoever, missing the flag tank by quite some margin and nearly hitting the Panther angled side nearly ten meters to the right. The shell veered off, crashing into the ground as earth flew into the air.

"Miss Orange Pekoe, we are trying our best. But the sabot rounds... they don't always want to go where we aim for them to go," the Firefly commander put forward, with the bustle of loading and clanging metal being heard over the radio.

Orange Pekoe quickly came up with a plan. "Just keep up the pressure," she reassured the Firefly crew. "Chindits - we need to give Excalibur more time. Flank around the enemy. As fast as you can; we need to draw the fire off the ridge. Rukuriri - we need smoke here to cover our flag tank."

To the joy of the warmongers, the Chindits belted off, scattering in different directions with Green Gunpowder racing directly towards the steel beast with no fear whatsoever. Rukuriri's Matilda moved forward to deploy some smoke canisters from the side of the turret in front of the Churchill flag tank. The Matilda stopped just a couple meters ahead of the flag tank, launching the smoke canisters which hit the floor with a thud as they hissed with the white cloud slowly lifting upwards.

A last desperate Kuromorimine volley headed towards St Gloriana's tanks. Most seemed rushed and unaimed, some going high some impacting the ground way go early, but one shot steamed towards the small pocket of tanks. Orange Pekoe squinted her eyes trying her best to follow the flight of this shell though the light haze as this one looked like it would be close. The singular shell burst through the haze, the smoke whipping around violently in its wake, and headed straight towards Rukuriri's Matilda.

The shell made contact with the left side of the turret, gouging off the St Gloriana logo as the hard metal sheared off with a high pitch squeal. The shell, however, didn't fly up and off into the sky, but changed its course and, still at high velocity, headed directly towards the Churchill.

Orange Pekoe could do nothing but hope that the Churchill's armour could weather the storm. The shell's impact was violent, hitting the flat driver's porthole. Orange Pekoe held on for dear life as the 40-ton tank rocked and rolled as if it was a small fishing boat in a rough swell. Once the tank had settled down. She looked behind her to hopefully to not see what she imagined being there. Her eyes then landed on it; the white flag of the Churchill waving clear as day.

The Spring League Tournament: Round 5 results

Anzio Girls' High School 3-v-2 Ooarai Girls' Academy

Chi-Ha-Tan Academy 2-v-5 Saunders University High School

St. Gloriana Girls' College 2-v-3 Kuromorimine Girls' Academy

Pravda Girls' High School 5-v-2 BC Freedom High School

The Spring League Tournament: League table after Round 5

1st Pravda Girls' High School - 22

2nd Kuromorimine Girls' Academy - 21

3rd Ooarai Girls' Academy - 19

4th St. Gloriana Girls' College - 15

5th Saunders University High School - 14

6th BC Freedom High School - 9

7th Anzio Girls' High School - 7

8th Chi-Ha-Tan Academy - 4