Chapter XXXVIII: The Rocket Red Glare
Flagpoint El Alamo
Ulysses S. Grant Tank Battling Ground
Arizona, United States
Japan's tanks routinely fire on the American tanks, despite the out of range, too keep them in bay. However, that doesn't seems necessary as American were unlikely to charge themselves against the wall of El Alamo. Despite the numerical advantage, charging on El Alamo right now, when Japan has set their enfilades, is suicide, no matter how tough American tanks' armors are. So, they only replied with firing from afar, though most of the shells dropped before reaching the wall.
"I don't like this," said Erika on top of the lunette overlooking American's position, "we can't charged out and meet them."
"Yes, but if we're keeping them at bay, at this rate, we could win the battle," said Miho.
"Yes, by countdown. Such empty victory."
"Still a victory nonetheless. That, if Caitlyn Lee allowed it."
"She won't, though I don't see any other way beside she's banging her head to our wall. That would be catastrophic."
"Maybe, or maybe not."
"There's any other way?"
"There's always be a way."
"How?"
Miho didn't answered, just looking far ahead to American position.
"She's waiting," said Miho
"Waiting for what?" asked Erika.
"Time to strike."
Erika looked at her watch.
"Well, if anything need to be done, she must do it fast. Just less than an hour before the countdown ends."
"She'll have her chance. If we're not ready by that time, it'll be doom for us."
Miho then looked at the waving Japan flag on the pole.
"I only wish we could bring down that flag, so that they will never know."
Further across, American tanks are sat down, seemingly waiting for a chance to attack. Sometimes, they're firing back if Japan's shells fell not far from them. Caitlyn Lee constantly fixed her eyes to El Alamo, waiting for an impending opportunity.
"M'am," said Aaliyah Jackson, "the girls are restless."
"Well, they have to rest nonetheless," said Caitlyn Lee.
"Can't we just attack them head on?"
"It's impossible, Ms. Jackson, ye know how much we have simulate this, and what's the result."
"The casualties will be large, but we could somehow have even a slightest chance..."
"Well, 'slightest' is not enough, Ms. Jackson. I would've let ye go if the odds are much bigger than this, but it's not, so be patient."
"But the time..."
"We still have enough."
Aaliyah Jackson nods.
"By the way, has Ms. Vera ready in her position?"
"They've load the barrels, ready on your go."
"Tell them that it ain't over 'til the Fat Lady sing."
"Understood, we..."
"BLAMM!"
Suddenly a shell landed not far from Caitlyn Lee's tank, which surprised everyone there. Two or three shells coming and landed not far from the first shell. This sudden incoming surprised the American, which frantically moved their tanks further back to dodge it. A cheer can be subtly heard from El Alamo. Cloud of dust are filling the air as the American trying to regain their position.
"What a hell is that?!" asked Caitlyn Lee.
"Seems their SU-100s trying some sort of indirect firing, M'am, I see their guns elevated on extreme angle, whatever that is they're doing," said Aaliyah Jackson, "oh, they're popping smokes again."
Grey cloud can be seen above flagpoint El Alamo, as Japan's forward tanks pop their smoke to obscure the view. Miho has ordered popping smoke grenades every now and then to be cautious if American tried to peep on their tanks' position in El Alamo. Despite not quite high, two hills in American front, the B57 and B59, is high enough to see some parts inside El Alamo, despite not 100 percent. Some rock formations also cover both hills, not allowing Miho to see what beneath, that she suggest American has been preparing something there. Though a massive gun such as Karl-Gerät is prohibited, but Miho expect American has something in their sleeve.
"Why don't anybody tell me about this? Where is our scouts? They should've told me about something like this!" said Caitlyn Lee.
Before Aaliyah Jackson said anything, Caitlyn Lee already pick up her radio to contact their scouts. Normally, it's Aaliyah Jackson's job, so if Caitlyn Lee done it herself, she must've been very much pissed off.
"Lost Batallion, Lost Batallion, it's Sweet Home Alabama, come in."
No answer, just static all the way.
"The wind perhaps interfering with the transmission?" said Aaliyah Jackson.
"Nonsense! Lost Batallion, Lost Batallion, it's Sweet Home Alabama, come in!"
Still, only static heard from the radio.
"I swear to ye, if ye're not picking up my call at once, I will..."
"BZZZZ!"
"Sweet Home Alabama, this is Lost Batallion, over."
"Okay, what's keeping you so long?" asked Caitlyn Lee.
"Err... Sorry, M'am, something's going on, err... Maddy accidentally messed with the radio while we're trying to contact you, err..."
"What? Again?"
"Err... We're terribly sorry,... Err... It won't happened again."
"Ye'd better be make sure of that! Yer main task could be enacted by any minute, and we perhaps won't get a wide enough window to do that, ye understand?"
"Yes, M'am, understood."
Caitlyn Lee suddenly silent as she noticing the Japan flag on top of flagpoint El Alamo now waving weaker than before.
"Prepare yerself, to kill a mockingbird," said Caitlyn Lee.
"Roger that, mockingbird is going down."
Caitlyn Lee then put down her radio.
"Oh, I wish I didn't task the rookies for this," sighed Caitlyn Lee.
"We need every girls able to perform the strike, left the scouting jobs for the rookies," said Aaliyah Jackson.
"Ye're right, we've talked about this million times before. Just make sure Ms. Vera got what she needs."
Aaliyah Jackson then listened at her headphones carefully.
"Ms. Lee, confirmed. Ms. Vera has got everything, M'am."
"Tell her, no loose ends."
"Understood."
"Alright, now walk with me. We have to deliver the ultimatum."
Miho startled. A glimpsed of horror can be seen in her eyes. Japan flag, which some minutes ago waving wildly now hanging powerless on the pole. Wind has stop blowing. She then saw both T29s, Little Miss Sunshine and Sweet Home Alabama creeping forward. Caitlyn Lee stand in her cupola with her hand raised.
"What is she doing?" asked Erika.
"Ultimatum," said Miho.
"What?"
Miho and Erika quickly set their radio to general channel.
"Miho Nishizumi! I hereby offer for you to surrender," said Caitlyn Lee, "you've fought very well, but we can save all the casualties if you surrender now."
"Nuts!" said Erika, "the only one got defeated is going to be you!"
Erika then ordered her gunner to fire a shell, which landed right in front of Sweet Home Alabama.
"That's our formal reply!" said Erika, followed by laughter of all Japan's crew.
Caitlyn Lee sighed. Japan now has once again popped their smoke screen.
"Why they always pick the hard way?" said Caitlyn Lee, "Ms. Jackson, proceed."
Aaliyah Jackson then stood on her cupola, and with radio on general channels, she started to sing.
"O say can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming,
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?"
Japan's crews are fascinated.
"She's singing The Star Spangled Banner, isn't she?" asked Erika.
"Mm-hmm," said Miho.
"Why she do that?"
"I don't know, but whatever it is, I don't like it."
"And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there;
O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?"
Suddenly, just second after the last verse of the song finished, some strange whistles can be heard flowing through the sky. At first just a little, then suddenly more whistles joined, creating a loud rumbling in the air. Miho and everyone looked to the sky, and they see contrails of high-speed rockets flying in massive numbers, high up before finally coming down towards El Alamo, with the sound as horrible as the clarion of The Angel of Deaths.
"INCOMING!"
The warning comes too late. First batch of massive rockets, the M16s, already raining down on El Alamo. Tanks are trying their best to dodge and evade, but the rockets struck like a lighting, bringing down thunderous demise to every tanks belows. Walls and buildings exploded, engulfed by flaming rain of fire and metals. Tanks can be seen flying to the air, burned down and wrecked, creating the apocalyptic scene of burning horrors. In the matter of seconds, thick black smoke rose from flagpoint El Alamo. Caitlyn Lee watched them in mixed feeling, part agony, part pitiful.
"Proceed," said Caitlyn Lee.
"But, M'am, isn't that enough?" asked Aaliyah Jackson.
"I said no loose ends. Proceed."
There's some period of silence by Aaliyah Jackson, before she finally nods.
"Yes, M'am."
Aaliyah Jackson sounded the proceeding of bombardment, and far behind them, in hill B75 and B79, which has been noticed by Kinuyo Nishi during the briefs, one of American company leader, Marisol Vera, overseeing her subordinates, as they load another batch of M16 rockets to their particular vessels, M4 tanks equipped with T34 multiple rocket-launchers, or colloquially named as "Sherman Calliope". Everyone rushes to finish reloading with Marisol Vera whipped them by words.
"Ready, M'am!" said one of the Calliope operators.
"Fire!" said Marisol Vera.
Everyone then hunker down and cover their ears as rockets launched in consecutive milliseconds, filling the valley with deafening whistling sounds, fireballs, and hurricane-like winds as each rocket left their barrels. Again, the silver contrails can be seen flown across the sky with loud rumbling noise, before falling, again to the flagpoint El Alamo, creating similar inferno as what happened few moments ago.
Large, thick, black clouds can be seen rising, as the sound of crackling fire and the smell of burning dirts filling the air. In the end, what was then flagpoint El Alamo is now barely resemble its former shape, just a burning wreckage in the middle of desert. From there, Japan's Hinomaru flag can be seen barely waving, with fire started to consume its rim. Caitlyn Lee stood still with her heads down, as if giving her foes a moment of silence.
"Should we take flagpoint El Alamo now, M'am?" asked Aaliyah Jackson.
"No, I'll do that, Ms. Jackson," said Caitlyn Lee, "I'll be taking Moulin Rouge and A Fistful of Dollar with me to El Alamo, ye proceed with the rest to take flagpoint El Dorado and Tombstone. Shouldn't be too hard after most of the Japanese forces being decimated in El Alamo."
"But, M'am, isn't that dangerous to you? What if there're still some tanks left there?"
"Relax, look at the wreckage. I doubt somebody could still survive there, and even if they do, I can still manage one or two."
"Are you sure, M'am?"
Aaliyah Jackson seems concerned with Caitlyn Lee's confidence. She thought it would be better if her commander brought more than just two tanks with her, since majority of Japanese forces was concentrated in flagpoint El Alamo, and while the flagpoint itself is literally obliterated, there's still few risks of some Japanese tanks still survive the bloody bombardments.
Caitlyn Lee just smiled.
"Of course, Ms. Jackson, I'll be fine, don't worry. Now head off and finish the rest of them."
"Aye, M'am!"
Two Sherman Jumbos, named Moulin Rouge and A Fistful of Dollar approaching Sweet Home Alabama, while the rest of the crews quickly followed Little Miss Sunshine as they now rode to the Japanese side of the bow, to claim the two remaining flagpoints: El Dorado and Tombstone, which still being held by Japan. Despite being enough to just taking El Alamo, Caitlyn Lee seems chasing for a spectacular dominating victory upon her foes, pretty much the same way she did to China in the match before. She then hauled a deep breath before finally starts singing:
"Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord;
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored"
Hearing this, Aaliyah Jackson quickly pick up the next lines.
"He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword;
His truth is marching on"
As the song reached the apex, the entire American crews, sing in unison on the chorus of the song.
"Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
His truth is marching on"
