Greth'narq let out a hellish scream as his White Tiger was destroyed.
"Enemy vehicle knocked out!" exclaimed Thalberg, the one who fired the killing shot.
I opened my eyes.
I just couldn't believe it!
Sitting just a few meters away from Goliath, the white Porsche Tiger that was once Greth'narq's armored chariot was now a burning hulk.
This was it!
The self-proclaimed god and the Old Masters who attempted to carry out one of the largest schemes of world domination were all blown to pieces!
Knowing this, almost everyone started cheering.
The cheering was cut short, however, when they saw the wreckages of tanks that had once been their allies.
In particular, I was sad to see Tregubov go, but my hopes returned when somebody informed me of a tanker still alive.
Immediately, I climbed back up the hill to see the Mladshiy Leytenant still alive, but crawling on the ground.
"Comrade!" I cried. "Comrade, are you all right!? Somebody get a medic over here!"
"No," said Tregubov. "D-don't bother, comrade. My…mission…is complete. Yours…has just…b-begun…"
With that, he drew his final breath.
I started to cry, now knowing the pain of losing a dear comrade.
However, amidst this sadness, I was mystified by his last words.
What did he mean that my mission had just begun?
As far as I was concerned, Greth'narq's plan was foiled, so I was done with this crap, especially now that I've witnessed another horror of war.
As usual, we dealt with the bodies as per the requests of the deceased and cleaned up the blown-up tanks.
However, after a little negotiation, I convinced Yayax Squad to leave the White Tiger alone so that it would stand as a memorial to the fallen.
Speaking of that tank, I tore a chunk of metal from it as a souvenir, specifically, part of the turret with the logo.
This tank, like the other tanks of the Old Masters, had a pyramid with an eye at the top for its logo.
Weirdly enough, when I went to look at the inside of this tank, there were no bodies in it, not even any ashes of the dead!
Curious…
After the ceremonies, I had a few words for my comrades:
"Thalberg, I want to say I'm sorry."
"Why is that?" he asked.
"Because, I've held contempt for you and a few other guys just because you were German." I replied. "However, I saw what you guys did in battle, and I must say, you Germans aren't so bad after all!"
"Hmmm…I can't say I approve, but I understand the feeling. I sort of felt the same way about Soviets when I joined this organization, but after a while, I got over it! Maybe there's something about the squad that makes men less hostile towards each other you know?
"Could be."
I then turned to Boyesen, Lambert and Deveraux:
"Major Boyesen, Captain Lambert, Captain Deveraux, I want to say thank you very much for discovering me!" I said. "I also want to thank you for saving my life and for rewarding me with new toys! Most importantly, I want to thank you for paying attention to the Warlord Greth'narq! Without your assistance and command abilities, none of us could ever have triumphed against him!"
"Hey, it was no problem, man!" said Lambert.
"You're very welcome, friend!" said Deveraux.
"Thank you too," said Boyesen. "You've helped this clan grow and you've helped to clean up this mess! Without you, neither of this would be possible!"
"It was no problem, comrade!" I replied.
I then turned to Starshiy Leytenant Polyanski:
"Oh, and Mila…" I said.
"Yes?" she replied.
"Thank you for listening!"
I gave her a hug, which she reciprocated despite my hardened steel armor.
"That was very kind of you!" she said. "Can I come along with you?"
"I'd love to have you come with me," I replied, "but I've got someone else waiting for me. I'll let you know if things turn out different, though!"
"OK, it was nice seeing you!"
"Bye!"
I turned around and started walking back to Goliath.
"Oh, and soldier…" added Boyesen.
"Yes?" I replied.
"We heard about the mischief you made at Live Oaks…" he began.
I froze.
At this point, I thought, "Oh crap, he's found me! What's going to happen now!?"
Boyesen then said: "…However, because your discoveries saved the world, we're willing to let that go. Just don't do anything like that again, you understand?"
I breathed a sigh of relief.
"It's OK," I replied, "I'm all done with this tank business! You don't have to worry about it anymore!"
"Well, OK," he said. "I'm going to be a little sad to see you go, soldier. Everyone is. You've been a valuable asset to our organization, and we'll never forget that."
"Hey, if anything happens, I'll try to find you again!"
"OK. Good bye, and good luck to you!"
Boyesen and I saluted each other, I said bye to everyone and then drove off with Goliath.
I kept driving in a random direction until I got to a sandy beach.
At this beach, I shut off Goliath and parked it here.
I also removed my armor and left it by the tank, along with my other equipment.
I then hobbled along the beach, fatigued, wishing for a normal life.
After a while, I just sat down in the sand and started reflecting on everything that happened to me ever since I'd joined the Red Army.
I also reflected on the meaning of everything.
Suddenly, in my semi-hypnotic state, I was brought to my senses by a familiar face!
It was Mia!
She was alive!
She looked almost as beautiful as the day I first met her, too!
She asked me, "Are you all right? What happened to you?"
Elated, I jumped up and exclaimed, "MIA! I'm so glad to see you!"
I gave her a big hug, which confused her.
"I-I don't understand!" she said. "Do I know you?
"Mia, it's me!" I said, "Remember? The guy with Goliath? The guy who saved you at Redshire?"
Initially, Mia still seemed confused, but then, it hit her, and when it did, she was hit with the same level of surprise that I was.
"Oh, it's you!" she exclaimed. "I never thought I'd see you again!"
We both stood there locked in embrace for what seemed like eternity.
"Mia, I'm sorry I left you!" I said. "I promise I'll never leave you again! Do you forgive me?"
"Oh, of course I do!" she replied. "Now that you're back, let's go exploring!"
"Why not? I'd love to go for a long walk with you!"
And so we did, exploring the European countryside.
A good chunk of it was still burnt out from the war, but it was otherwise peaceful.
While we were sitting down in a sunny meadow, Mia asked: "Do you think there will ever be world peace, my love?"
"It certainly is possible," I replied.
I did believe it was, but it would take some time.
It would probably take even more time, too, because a couple of fighter planes zoomed over our heads shortly afterwards.
I just shrugged it off.
"By the way, what is your name?" asked Mia.
"Aleksandr."
And so, the saga of the Steel Soldier has come to its conclusion...for now. Thank you all for coming along on this unique journey to the World of Tanks! Until next time, gl hf!
Criticism is gold. Negativity and nitpicking are pyrite.