Iced muggs clattered against the tables as ice cream sloshed within. Lt. Reece smiled as she looked around at the fourteen other tankers at the table. Four were from her own crew, Three were the crew for for Claudia's Pz B1 EWT, five more were the reason they were all here Cpl. Mari's Pz III crew, the other two were boyfriends. One was her with Ellie's loader the other, the the B1's driver, both were from the mechanics pool. Ellie's girlfriend and gunner Spc. Hawkins, was sitting on her right squeezing her hand, Hawkins didn't like crowds. But tonight wasn't about either of them.
Cpl. Mari Itou watched the Lt. stand up and raise a hand for quite. The conversations around the table wound down. The pride was obvious in her eyes as well as her voice.
"Most of you have worked out the details of our victory today already, but I intend to set the record straight. At 1400 our main force met the our opponents at wooded river bank. At 1430 squad 1|3 disengaged to reinforce our flag tank. The enemy then charged across the river to engage us whilst we were weakened. " She paused to take a sip.
"Of course that went rather poorly for them, as the lovely ladies of Squad 3|3 promptly reminded them that an M6 heavy is powerful not unstoppable and white flagged it before it was up up the bank." She nodded to the other restaurant across the street where 3|3 was being treated by the Cpt. herself, the normal reward for a flag tank kill.
"However, at this table now is the reason we got that chance, the reason the enemy sending DD shermans through the lake didn't work is sitting right here." Her gesture included the entire crew of the Pz III.
"This is your third match and the first time in combat, your first time firing a shell with your blood hot. Who knows maybe next time you will even get an elimination." The jibe was fair and ment in good humor, all three M4s had been eliminated by 1|3 when they met up with the retreating Flag tank, the Pz B1. Ellie continued.
"With courage and conviction you engaged superior numbers at close range to by time. As of today you are ture Orcas, hunt with pride, hunt with your pack." A chorus of approval met the LT. as she sat back down drawing the short speech to a close.
Ellie looked over at Hawkins to see if she was ready to leave, but the speech had emboldened her to stay out and about so she buried her head in ellies shoulder instead turning her head to avoid catching her ear protectors on Ellie's combat jacket. With her SO content for the moment Ellie chugged some more Root beer and chatted with her tankers swapping old stories, and even older tech details, This she thought, was the good life.