-15-

Ambush

The small St. Gloriana column strolled over the grassy plain with a Churchill flanked by two Matildas on both sides. The grassy expanse slowly grew a forest to the column's left. The Matildas on the left turned their turrets to scan the woods. All was quiet. Naturally, some of the crewmembers were drinking tea, and others were unbuttoned. Assam was not one of them. The gunner's expression was something her crewmates saw countless times before; the sharp blue eyes on her doll-like face and her straight posture as she sat in her seat. Her calm demeanor failed to hide her statuesque pose with only slight twitches giving away the fact that she had not turned to stone.

An explosion rocked the Churchill and the tank ground to a halt.

"Ambush!" Rukuriri shouted. "Contact at nine. In the tree line."

The small St. Gloriana force was engulfed in small arms fire. The unbuttoned crewmembers quickly ducked inside and closed their hatches. Bullets pinged and dinged off the infantry tanks' thick armor.

Runhuna, the driver of the Churchill, shifted gears and stepped on the pedals, but to no avail.

"Darjeeling, your engine has been hit," Nilgiri said.

The Matildas on the right joined the other two on the left of the Churchill. All the guns were aimed at the tree line and were ready to fire on command. Darjeeling caught sight of their aggressors.

"Those…are people?" Darjeeling pondered.

Without waiting for orders, Assam reached up and fired the coaxial Besa machine gun.

"Load high-explosive!" Assam ordered over the slow chug of the Besa.

Orange Pekoe hesitated.

"Load high-explosive!" Assam repeated.

Assam followed the silhouettes of the Black Knights and continued to spray bullets. She saw a Black Knight rest a rocket launcher on its shoulder. A horrendously loud CLICK! echoed in her ears when she pulled the trigger on the Besa.

Come on!

Assam stood up and opened the top cover of the Besa. She dragged a new belt over the feed tray and slammed the top cover down. But it did not latch. She opened the cover again and saw two dented cases in the belt sitting on the feed tray.

"Come on!" Assam bellowed as she yanked the dented rounds from the belt.

Assam heard the Cha-CHUNK of the breech closing on the 75mm and got back behind the gunsight. She stepped on the trigger and witnessed a messy disappearing act. The Matildas quickly followed up with their 2-pounders and machine guns. Assam carefully aligned the belt on the feed tray and finished reloading the Besa. Looking through the gunsight to reengage, white smoke had obscured the tree line.

The turrets of the tanks slowly scanned the smoke.

"Contact 12!" Runhuna shouted.

Assam swung the turret to the front and saw a Black Knight get knocked off the Churchill as the barrel came around. She continued to turn the barrel past 12 o'clock to knock off any more potential boarders. Assam did a double take when she saw Rukuriri's Matilda crawling with infantry.

"Rukuriri, stay down!" Assam shouted. She started blasting the Besa, washing the infantry tank with bullets. Bodies slumped over and Assam fired an HE round into the Matilda's side.

Rukuriri popped her head out.

"Are you out of your mind?! You're trying to get us all killed?!" Rukuriri jabbed an accusatory finger at the Churchill's gunsight. Rukuriri's fury jumped to panic.

"Darjeeling, above you!" Nilgiri shouted.

One of the Churchill's turret hatches were opened. An arm holding a handgun was thrust into the turret and began firing wildly. One round exploded by Assam's ear. The gunner flinched and held her right ear as a ring sliced through her eardrum. There was an explosion outside the turret hatch and the shooter's severed arm fell into the turret. Assam gritted her teeth. She the intense ringing slowly faded and muffled shouting made it into her ears.

"-Pekoe!" Darjeeling said.

Orange Pekoe nodded her head.

"Assam!" Darjeeling. Darjeeling shook her gunner's shoulder causing Assam to look at her commander. "Assam, are you alright?"

"Yes," Assam said. She felt her voice come out of the left side of her face but bounce around in the right.

"Chrysanthemum?" Darjeeling asked the assistant driver.

"Chrys has been hit!" Runhuna said.

A torrent of tracer fire whizzed around the St. Glorianna tanks, coming from their front. Four Crusader cruiser tanks flashed passed the standing infantry tanks and pulled a 180-degree turn, kicking up dirt and mud as they skidded around.

"Darjeeling-sama, I have returned as you requested, desu-wa!" Rosehip declared.

"Rosehip, keep an eye on our perimeter," Darjeeling ordered.

Rosehip confirmed her order. Her Crusaders surrounded the infantry tanks, moving positions in a counter-clockwise motion every few seconds.

The Churchill crew dismounted and carefully pulled Chrysanthemum out of the tank. Chrysanthemum's head was rolling around her neck like a tensionless ball joint and her red coat was darkening in the area around her left shoulder. She was laid gently on the ground.

"Runhuna, first aid kit!" Darjeeling ordered. Her driver went to fetch it. Nilgiri had approached with a first aid kit from her Matilda.

"Chrysanthemum, are you still with us?" Darjeeling asked.

"Yes…" Chrysanthemum said.

"Do we have trauma shears?" Nilgiri asked. "Scissors, anyone?"

No confirmation from anyone in earshot.

"Damn. Okay, Chry, this might hurt so please hang in there."

Nilgiri unbuttoned Chrysanthemum's jacket and, with the help of Assam and Darjeeling, slipped the injured crewmember's arm out of the left sleeve. She also moved the snapped strands of the bra strap away from the open hole which poured out blood with every heartbeat.

"Broken clavicle. Bullet went straight through," Nilgiri said to herself, then added loudly. "Keep her wound off the ground."

Darjeeling was supporting Chrysanthemum's shoulder, so Assam removed her jacket, leaving her white undershirt on, and opened her jacket beneath Chrysanthemum, making sure the inside of the jacket was facing up. Runhuna returned with a first aid kit in her hand and a pistol in her waistband.

Nilgiri instructed Runhuna to place pads on the entry and exit wounds and hold them there while she applied the gauze. Nilgiri then took off her jacket, revealing she had a green shirt beneath it, and made a makeshift head rest for Chrysanthemum.

"An ambulance helicopter is on its way," Rukuriri informed.

A Centurion Mk I pulled up to the outside edge of the group of St. Gloriana tanks. Its driver got out, and the remaining crew of the Churchill headed towards it.

"Will she be okay?" Darjeeling asked as she passed Nilgiri.

"She should be," Nilgiri responded. "It seems the bullet missed her major blood vessels."

Darjeeling nodded. She climbed into the Centurion, making sure to lock the turret hatches this time. Darjeeling ordered the Matildas and one Crusader to stay behind while she, in the Centurion, and three Crusaders (commanded by Rosehip, Cranberry, and Vanilla) head towards the battle.

Once the tanks motored off towards the city, Nilgiri turned her attention back on the wounded. Chrysanthemum peacefully lay on top of red jackets, and her bandages were already soaked. Nilgiri rushed to Chrysanthemum's side and witnessed the iron liquid seeping through the soaked rags.

Why isn't it clotting?!

"I need more bandages!"

~o~

The group of four tanks raced towards the city. The Centurion maintained a relatively constant speed while the Crusaders took turns to scout ahead. When they got near the city, a huge cloud of smoke, dust, and fire erupted from basin.