A/N: The longest chapter yet! Enjoy!

JSDF Headquarters, Tokyo

"Really? You got approval from the government? This helps us out massively, thanks so much Jacobs! The monetary savings for the JSDF combined with the publicity we'll get is going to make this a dream come true for the Board of Directors…...yes, I'll drop the news at the lot drawing…"

Sumida Park, Tokyo

Even though she'd done this multiple times before, Darjeeling wasn't any less nervous. A sea of chairs stretched across the park, every seat packed by students and sensha-do fans alike for this historic lot drawing for the first annual Japanese Sensha-Do Cold War Tournament. Cherry Blossom trees ringed the area, and the Tokyo Skytree towered above them all, casting a shadow that cut like a gray blade through the shining sun. Darjeeling sat alongside her compatriots. Assam gripped the folder containing the details of their new tanks in a vise-like hold, her fingers nearly white from the strain. Pekoe shifted nervously in her seat. Only Earl Gray was composed, her steely eyes gazing up to the stage, stoic as the White Cliffs of Dover. Seeing this, Darjeeling attempted to at least form a facsimile of her predecessor's composure, but internally she was as stable as the turbulent English Channel.

Ami Chono took the stage, grasping a microphone which squealed slightly from feedback. She spoke as Darjeeling resisted the urge to cover her ears.

"The lot drawing for the First Annual Cold War Sensha-Do tournament will now begin!" Her voice boomed across the vast gathering as her fingers slipped into the jar containing school names. One folded slip of paper was retrieved from the jar and carefully unfurled, the sound of crinkling paper sending tingles down Darjeeling's spine.

"Chi-Ha-Tan Academy gets the first draw!" Polite applause rose to greet Kinuyo Nishi as she stood up and strode to the stage, ascending the steps and standing to face the enormous crowd. Her stature was a bit nervous and unsure of herself, Darjeeling thought. Plus, even with these new regulations for more modern tanks, how can their lineup be competitive with what the others are fielding?

"Go ahead, Kinuyo." Ami gestured to the rack of cards containing the bracket numbers. Nishi hesitated briefly, before thrusting a hand into the rack and whipping a card out with lightning speed, panting slightly as she held the card face up towards the crowd.

"Bracket Number 12!" Chi-Ha-Tan's slot was dutifully filled on the digital wall overlooking the stage for everyone to see as Nishi slowly descended the steps off the stage and went back to her school's delegation.

"Bracket Number 4!"

"Bracket Number 7!"

"Bracket Number 11!"

One by one, each school drew a slot, and slowly the brackets filled up. With only three slots remaining….

"St Gloriana Girls Academy gets the next draw!" The call drove through Darjeeling's conflicting emotions like a stake through the chest. Standing up, she pushed the thoughts aside and started the long walk up to the stage.

Each step felt like a mile. Her palms were slick and cold with sweat, and she hoped nobody would be keen enough to notice. She felt eyes following her every move and step, judging her.

There goes that stuck-up Darjeeling. Never had a hard day in her entire life.

What a prissy bitch. She has no idea what real work even is.

Sure, she's a good tactician. Sure, she defeated the little Nishizumi twice. But other than that, can you name another positive about her?

Her existential crisis paused long enough for her to ascend the steps of the stage, turn, and face the crowd. Ami Chono stared into Darjeeling's eyes, as if trying to read her emotions. Chono's eyes were blank slates, unreadable. Darjeeling could only hope hers looked the same.

"Go ahead, Darjeeling." Came the call. Slowly, methodically, measured, she pulled a card from the now-noticeably thinner stack.

"Lot Number 2!" Gloriana's name filled its respective slot on the digital wall as Darjeeling felt her stomach sink. Lot number 1 was Kuromorimine, and despite all the new shiny armor Gloriana now had she wasn't sure if they could pull it off, and in the first round too?

She barely felt herself walk back down the aisle. Her mind was racing, her skin clammy and cold. Darjeeling barely felt the sunlight on her as she sat back down with her friends and mentor as the last few lots were drawn. The digital bracket at the front glowed green as the selections were locked into place. Chono brandished a baton at the board enthusiastically.

"Alright everyone! Selections are in for all schools, now go! Go and plan, train, and do your very best! We'll see you on the battlefield!"

With a tumultuous scraping of chairs, everyone seated at the lot drawing stood up nearly in unison, shuffling around and mingling. Darjeeling stood up numbly with the others and was about to ask Assam where she'd parked the car, but then Rosehip came running from the street, her hair all frizzy and messy and eyes wild.

"Assam! GI6 managed to intercept some emails before they were sent to the schools!" Rosehip choked out between breaths.

"It was completely out of the blue! Nobody expected this, the battles aren't taking place in Japan-"

Assam gaped. "What do you mean, not in Japan?! Tournaments have always taken place domestically, why would this one be any different-"

Chono's voice erupted again over the rowdy crowd of teenage girls. "Oh, yeah. There is one more thing!"

Everyone froze and fell silent, some in hilarious positions while mid-sentence.

"Kuromorimine and Gloriana, we'll see you both at the battle location on the Hawaiian archipelago in two weeks time! Everyone else, more information will be sent to your schools shortly! Goodbye and good luck!" With that, Chono nearly ran off stage as the crowd came alive again, surging towards the stage full of questions and confusion.

But the JSDF had been clever and hidden a Eurocopter EC635 behind the bulk of the stage, and now its engine was revving up, the blades spinning faster and faster. Chono boarded it and closed the door as the crowd ran into a wall of policemen, barring any further advance as the chopper went airborne. Chono waved and waved until the chopper was but a dot in the sky and still it grew smaller until it faded out of Darjeeling's vision.

Earl Gray turned to face Darjeeling. Her voice was deadly serious, but she still managed a snicker. "Well, things just got interesting. JSDF always seems to throw a spanner in the works." She tutted.

Now Darjeeling spoke. "Assam, get the car."

"Yes, ma'am." Assam and Rosehip left in a hurry to retrieve the car as the crowd finally started to filter their way out of Sumida Park.

Eventually, they had all piled into the long-wheelbase Jaguar XJL and begun the trip back to Gloriana campus in Yokohama. The radio was abuzz with news of the bombshell reveal by the JSDF, but the volume was turned low by Assam to allow for planning and conversation between them all.

"Leaked details of the upcoming tournament indicate that not only will it be the first time a sensha-do competition will be using cold war vehicles, but that it will be an American tour of sorts….."

"In lieu of the expected travel expenses this new tournament will create, some of the more financially challenged schools such as Anzio Academy have reportedly asked the JSDF for financial assistance or have proposed mergers to split costs…."

"The American public is divided on the idea of a Sensha-Do tournament on their soil, some say it advocates warmongering, others are fearful of possible environmental destruction, and the fans are ecstatic that they'll finally get to see a real battle in their own backyard…."

"Domestically, public excitement for the tournament was already at a fever pitch, and now with this bombshell of an announcement it's safe to say that if executed correctly this event will be remembered for years if not decades to come…."

The Jaguar made its way through the heavy Tokyo evening rush hour traffic near Haneda Airport with Assam at the wheel, Rosehip and Pekoe following close behind in the Mini. In the back of the Jag, Darjeeling and Earl Gray were making frantic preparations.

"How soon can the Ark Royal make port in Negishi Bay?" Darjeeling asked, thumbing through papers.

"Ark Royal is on route to Negishi as we speak, making twenty four knots. She'll be in port in less than sixteen hours." Came the reply from Assam as she clicked the turn signal on.

"Darjeeling." She turned to face Earl Gray. "Yes."

"I want you to pick up your training regiment the moment Ark Royal is resupplied, refueled, and leaves Negishi en route to the Hawaiian islands. You must be in tip-top shape when the match starts. It's Kuromorimine. Make an example of them, give the world a taste of that empire-building strength, let them fear us." Darjeeling could only nod mutely, but despite everything, she was excited and looking forward to what this tournament would have in store.

Gloriana Campus, Yokohama

The Gloriana campus was a beehive of activity following the announcement in Tokyo. Lorries left the school in long convoys heading for the Ark Royal's dock on the shores of Negishi Bay chock full of supplies for a transpacific voyage. So frantic was the activity that the normally airtight security and secrecy afforded by Assam and GI6 was compromised.

The lapse in security meant that a certain girl with brown, carefully styled and pressed hair was able to sneak onto one of the last Leyland lorries to leave the campus. A sentry noticed, but seeing that she was wearing a Gloriana uniform, decided it was too much effort to report her. Probably missed the shuttle to the docks, he thought.

The girl breathed a sigh of relief. The light of the setting sun combined with the distance meant that the guard hadn't recognized her outfit as being a fake. A very good fake, but still a fake. She stared out the back of the lorry as it raced along the Fukuura Expressway towards the docks of Negishi Bay. Reflexively she felt for her video camera in her usual pocket, rubbing its familiar bulge for reassurance.

The lorry raced north along the expressway into the light of the setting sun.