The night had finally fallen upon them in which they'd make their final, desperate stand against the White Fang's deadliest weapon. Needless to say, nobody was sure what to think, and nobody was REALLY sure just how things would play out. If they had more forces, more tanks, more resources, more time, then this battle wouldn't have been the worst either Rommel or Patton had seen in their lifetimes… but as it were, they were so few. Merely a few hundred infantrymen, a handful of field guns, none of which being strong enough to actually affect the Maus, a few artillery guns, their crews, four tanks, and a Superheavy Tank Destroyer. The only one with a gun strong enough to actually do anything to the Maus was the last one, and even then, the battle would begin before the Maus was inside it's effective range.

The radio chatter was sporadic, from scouts reporting the strength of the enemy force, other things of note, and officers ordering troops and supplies around. The three most consistent reports were of the White Fang attack force growing in numbers, something big just off the coast twenty kilometers away from their location, and large amounts of supplies being escorted along the coast to an unknown destination via railroad. They could only imagine just what it was they had in the water, and just what exactly they were transporting supplies to, though being completely honest, both Rommel and Patton had a good idea what they were, given the White Fang's apparent knack for acquiring superweapons.

"Scheiße… they're really pulling no punches, das ist sicher." Rommel sighed as he looked out from the cupola on his Panther out towards the growing mass of White Fang armor. "I'm counting at least 300 panzers, not including the Maus and it's own heavy escort to boot."

"300 tanks? Well, let's hope our tactical know-how and better experience will make the difference. These are good folks we're defending… though if those things in the background are what we think they are, things are gonna hit the fan real fast." Patton replied, before lighting his cigar and taking a second look at the enemy. "I've got a relatively clear line of sight on the escort. Looks like Tiger IIs, five of them…" He moved down into his tank, grabbing the radioman by his shoulder and leaning in to speak into the radio. "This is General Patton to the Ironhide. Ironhide, do you copy?"

"Loud and clear General. Belladonna is chewing some gum right now, rather loudly I might add, but we're all ready to do our part." The response from what sounded like a young boy came back.

"Relay orders to Belladonna, target the escort before you target the Maus itself. Der Vertediger lacks the firepower to punch through their frontal armor from the engagement distance, but you do."

"Yessir! I'll relay the orders down to her immediately!" And just like that, there was silence over the radio again. Sighing, he looked back over the cupola of his Sherman and over towards the location of the aforementioned tank. True, the Vk 4501 P was a beast of frontal armor, but what it really lacked was firepower. Don't mistake his analysis for bias, the 8.8 cm was a devastating gun against medium, light, and some heavy tanks, especially at long range from a concealed position… but the Tiger II's frontal armor was just too tough a nut to crack. Sure, precision fire to specific areas would still wreak havoc on them, but the conditions were far from optimal.

Then, after all that, if what was on the coast was indeed what he and Rommel thought it was, when the attack began, they were gonna be facing down some serious punishment. The guns from a normal battleship leveling down on them would be devastating, but this..?

"Rommel, this is Patton. Get over to Der Vertediger and commandeer the tank, have our boys on the ground scrounge together as much spare infantry ammo and equipment as they can and bring it up there."

"Was? Warum?" Came Rommel's response, though he shut up as soon as he realized what Patton had in mind. Within a minute, he saw forces back at the battlements racing to scrounge up what supplies they could spare and race it up to Der Vertediger's location.

That shape on the horizon, he was certain, it was a battleship, and he was fairly certain he knew just which one it was. He didn't wanna give it a chance to fire, and he knew that Rose was fast and skilled enough to make it to the ship and wipe out everything that moves before it can shoot… that being said, he also knew that the White Fang wouldn't take such an action sitting down. They'd throw a lot of bodies towards retaking the battleship, and he knew that against the full weight of the White Fang's manpower, even someone as skilled as her would not last long.

He sighed as he put the odds to thought, knowing well that this might just be sending her to her death. Make no mistake, he knew this was a suicide mission. She probably knew too. He always hated having to make such decisions, but he knew that he could command both the Panther and the Sherman without much issue, the crew in that Panther was also experienced enough to make decisions independently, Rommel is a far more experienced commander than Rose, so he knew he could command Der Vertediger better than she could, and with her being unnecessary to the course of this area of the battle, he knew that this would be the next best objective for her…

"This is Patton to Der Vertediger. Rose, Rommel is commandeering your tank, and troops are rushing to bring up as many supplies for your mission as they can spare." He ordered with a near monotonous voice.

"General, I'm not sure what you're saying. What mission are you talking about?" Rose replied with evident confusion in her tone.

"You're the fastest one here, the most skilled in gunplay for cqc. You're going to equip yourself with as much as you need, and then you're gonna board that battleship on the coast, and make sure it's guns stay quiet." He said, only getting silence on the other end for about a minute. Finally, he heard a sigh, followed by the Commander's monotonous voice.

"Yessir, I will prepare myself for the mission." He knew that she realized this would probably be her last. If they won the battle, they still wouldn't have the forces to hold a corridor to the coast, and that jammer was preventing them from receiving reinforcements. She'd be on her own, with no support, no backup. There'd be no escape route for her, in the midst of enemy territory with all guns trained on her. She knew this, and he knew that the mission had likely left her without any hope left… but the needs of many outweigh the wants of few.

"General, we've delivered all the supplies we could spare. She's preparing herself for her mission as we speak, and the Field Marshal has taken command of Der Vertediger." It was a Sergeant's voice, he thinks. He'd heard the man before, but shrug off the thought in favor of a simple 'thank you' in response before sitting back in his tank, wondering if this might be the last time he and Rommel see the girl they were sending off alive…

She knew that this was war, that sacrifices had to be made to achieve victory. She knew that eventually she'd be called to make sacrifices for it, perhaps even pay the ultimate price for it. She knew that this mission she was being assigned was of utmost importance, as even if they took down the Maus, the battleship could continue to bombard them, unaffected by the superheavy tank's defeat. There was no longer any objective more important than putting that battleship out of commission… but she knew what she was getting into. There would be no support, no reinforcements, no escape. She knew that against the entire might of the White Fang, she wouldn't last long. She knew that chances were, she would die aboard that battleship, alone, unsupported… she knew that as the chances stood, she wouldn't live to see her friends' victory.

It was a feeling that made her feel cold, almost feeling like she'd been betrayed in some way or another, even though she knew that was hardly the case… but Ruby had never imagined that her end would come in the form of a suicide mission.

"Well… if I am to die today, I will deny them their battleship." She thought as she stuffed her bags with explosives, ammunition, all the equipment she could carry. She'd taken an MG42, a StG 44, an MP40, an M1A1 Thompson, an M1897 shotgun, her C96, an M1 Garand, several combat knives, a M1911, a M1903 Springfield, bountiful supplies of ammo for all guns, and a ludicrous amount of high yield explosive ordinance. Overkill? Perhaps, but if this was gonna be her final battle, she'd be damned if she didn't drag as many of the White Fang down with her as she could.

She knew it wouldn't do to exhaust herself before she even arrived, so, hopping on a R75 motorcycle they'd spared for her, she took off around the enemy with all speed, departing with little more than a small salute and goodbye to her friends…

Not five minutes had passed following Ruby's departure did they hear the distant gunfire, and they could only hope she made it to her destination, though upon order from the Generals, they refocused themselves towards the still-approaching mass of enemy tanks, still 300+ strong. With grit teeth, they lied in wait, ready to spring the trap. As soon as the enemy returned fire upon the Ironhide, the rest of the tanks and the battlements would open fire… though the enemy wasn't due to step into effective range for another ten minutes…

"Hmmm… just enough time for Rose to reach that ship, given the approximate speed of the R75… give or take another five or ten minutes on account of weather, enemy resistance, and the fact she's taking the longer, safer route…" Rommel mused, before looking out his cupola toward the ever closing enemy force. He'd be lying if he said the odds didn't phase him. Quite frankly, he, just as much as anyone else here, was rather scared. He, like Patton, was just a lot better at hiding the fact that he was scared. Unlike the boy and two girls in the tank, he wasn't shaking in his boots or anxiously fidgeting, but his eyes were glued to the incoming enemy force.

The tanks weren't the only forces in the brush. He and Patton had personally overseen a complex of man-made caves made through the surrounding hills, areas with dense foliage, that sort, and had several squads of soldiers armed and trained for tank-hunting lying in wait, with the extra firepower of a few 88mm field guns. He didn't intend to just face the White Fang with their own, tiny force of tanks. On top of all of that, they'd had what they dubbed "the vault" built beneath the town hall, and had all the civilians relocated there. It wouldn't be hard to blow through, but it would protect them if the fighting moved into the town.

"All forces, this is Field… nein, this is Rommel speaking. Make no mistake, this battle WILL get ugly, aber du bist bereit und unsere Feinde unterschätzen uns! Remember what you all fight for this day! We do not fight for honor, nein, this is not for glory, or even to make our foes bleed. We fight because this is our home! We fight because this land is ours, and they are thrice damned invaders who wish to kill us, rape and murder our women and children! We fight so that all we have worked so long and hard to build might stand another day! We fight so the sacrifices of those who've already paid the ultimate price to get us this far will not have been in vain! Wir kämpfen, weil dieses Land uns gehört! Reißzähne raus! Brüder! Schwestern! Wir werden heute keine Niederlage kennen! Stell dich zu uns, stell dich zusammen und vertreibe diese Dämonen zurück in die Hölle, wo sie hingehören!" He yelled into the radio, and immediately heard reinvigorated cheers of jubilee and confidence from over the radio and reverberating from the battlements in response to his speech. It would be just it time for the true battle, as upon looking back out his cupola, he saw the Maus and it's escort had entered well within the T28's effective range.

Looking out of his cupola, he looked over to the location of the Ironhide. It was tucked into a fine little sniping position well above the battlefield, and was angled just so that any incoming fire would only hit the most densely armored locations, and it in turn would have an unobstructed killzone with the whole of the enemy force in its sights.

"Belladonna, the White Fang do not advance in any coherent way, rather a massive mob of armor. Ignore the numbers, and focus on the Panzerkampfwagen VIII and it's escort. You're cleared to fire at will, do us proud." Patton's voice resounded over the radio, and sure enough, within two seconds, the flash of her barrel and the crack of a 155mm shell firing split the night, with it one of the five Tiger IIs being consumed in a ball of flames as it ground to a halt. The first strike resounded through the night, and battle had begun.

"She detonated the ammunition rack! Tolle!" He exclaimed with wide eyes, before shielding his eyes as the combined weight of 300 guns flashed towards the Ironhide, consuming the entire area in a great cloud of smoke and dirt.

"This is Ironhide, our tracks are out but our armor is holding strong! Reloading the 155mm, give us 10 seconds!" With that, Rommel nodded down to Mercury, who gave a thumbs up before yelling into the radio.

"All forces, fire at will!" He yelled, before popping back up into the gunner's position and leveling with a distant panzer IV. With a nod from the Field Marshal, he took the shot with a High Explosive shell loaded, striking the engine behind the turret and rendering the tank useless.

At the same time, several other guns from the tree line flashed, each one halting or destroying a tank, before the battlements in turn joined the firefight, their massive guns pounding the field and scattering the enemy even worse, even if not claiming many kills.

Observing the field more closely, he watched as two Matildas met their end, the guns from his own Panther and Patton's Sherman making short work of the inferior tanks. He grimaced. Though the battle might be looking good initially, this firefight hadn't lasted a minute yet, and they'd only destroyed four tanks total outside of the escort, with the other hits all being either bounced off or just disabling something.

They'd just loaded in the nick of time to take another shot before backing up, just barely managing to back up enough to mitigate the volume of incoming return fire that actually struck their armor. The round ripped through a Chaffee's frontal armor with ease, the APHE (Armor Piercing High Explosive) shell detonating within the tank and killing the whole crew in a single shot. Rommel gave Mercury a nod of approval, before motioning for Weiss to bring them back into position.

"Black, your priority list for now stands: Target Medium and Heavy Panzers excepting the Escort." He said, and as if on cue, another Tiger II was struck, exploding in the same incredible fashion as the first one.

"This is Patton. I have my Sherman and your Panther prioritizing medium and light tanks, and the Panzer IV is providing fire support to our boys in the brush. Fifteen seconds until the enemy has entered their effective range, twenty five until they've reached the minefield." He said monotonously, before they watched his tank back up to avoid incoming fire, a 122mm just barely grazing the front of his tank. "Additionally, while I can't make out exactly what's going on, I see small flashes aboard the battleship. Rose has boarded the ship, I repeat, Rose has boarded the battleship."

The declaration brought them all a small sigh of relief, though all present wiped away the momentary feeling in favor of resuming their part in halting the onslaught…

She had to ditch the R75 as she sped off the cliff towards the ship she could now clearly make out the name of. It was named Bismarck, and easily dwarfed any Atlesian capital ship she'd ever seen. She was pleased as she kicked off her motorcycle to get the extra distance and make the jump onto the ship as it looked like she'd caught the Fang completely off guard. Breaking into a roll as she landed, she leveled her StG 44 on the few hapless terrorists before her, before spraying them with lead.

The five Fangs fell down with unison screams as they were riddled with bullets, each shot easily punching through their weak auras and ripping apart their organs, their blood swiftly washing off the decks with the storm's waves. Not paying them any heed, she hopped over their bodies while reloading and stowing the sturmgewehr back on her back in favor of the shotgun, before ducking into the ship and blasting a confused crewman in the face. His head practically evaporated into a cloud of red mist, and the wall behind him looked as though someone threw a bucket of red paint at a spot.

She didn't waste any time, setting a trap on the doorway, before bolting down the hall, mercilessly blasting her boomstick at anyone who dared cross her path. Not fifteen seconds after bolting, she heard a loud explosion back from where she came, accompanied by gurgled screams from the trap's victims. Turning a corner, she deftly ducked under a dust blade, before lunging up and striking her assailant under her chin with the butt of her gun, yanking a knife out from her harness and slashing her across the abdomen, and following the strike up with a swift stab into the girl's heart.

Hearing footsteps from behind, she twisted the blade and spun the dying girl around, using her as a huma- faunas shield as four dust rifles blasted her back to pieces. Dropping her empty shotgun for a moment, she swiftly drew her C96 from it's holster and blasted the few fangs that had come around behind her, ending the fight with one shot to each Fangs' temple.

"No pity, no remorse. My friends are depending on me, and I don't care how many of these damned terrorists I have to kill if it means my friends live to fight another day!" Ruby though as she ripped her blade out of the fang, bashing the girl down with her shoulder before holstering the knife and her C96, almost picking up the boomstick before hearing more footfalls further down the hall from both ways.

Gritting her teeth, she yanked her Thompson and MP40 out, one in each hand, before letting rip down the corridor, the sharp roar of the guns letting loose eliciting agonized screams as another eight of the crew fell down, blood gushing from their many wounds, some instantly killed by a lucky shot to the head or heart. Sighing, she quickly dropped the empty magazines and reloaded, before stowing them and finally retrieving her M1897, reloading it as she brought it back to shoulder, and dashed once more down the corridor.

It didn't take long for her to find the first area for a gunnery crew. She couldn't quite enter, due to the defense they'd set up, but after pulling the pin and tossing a frag grenade inside, all there was to do was finish off the remaining injured. Growling as she felt one Fang grab her ankle, she turned around and kicked the boy in the face, before stepping over him and kicking his head at just the right angle to snap his neck. She would say she felt awful for ending so many lives so quickly, for so mercilessly butchering anyone who got in her way… but that would be a lie. For now, all she saw was red, and everyone around her was nothing more than another target…

KABOOM!

Another tank blew up in a cloud of fire as it rolled over one of the magnetic mines, the others among the horde swerving around it with little care for the loss. Patton gulped as they continued on, still just as fast as ever despite what losses they'd already suffered. The Escort for the Maus had been torn to ribbons under the weight of the T28's attacks, and that left only the Maus itself.

Further away, Der Vertediger was preparing another round, this one an AP shell with the intended target being a Tiger I's engine. The enemy force was scattered, with no evident formation, but still formidable. Rommel knew, however, that even with all their guns, the enemy would stand a chance in hell at scratching the Maus if they commandeered it… Rose's idea in that regard was a risky one, one with a high chance of failure… but the potential payoff was just far too great to ignore.

"This is Ironhide, the escort has been neutralized. Field marshal, the Maus is our target now, anywhere specific you want us to put these shells?" The boy's voice came back once more across the radio, getting a nod out of him.

"Relay the orders to the Ironhide, hit their tracks first and immobilize them, then destroy their turret ring." He ordered calmly, and Black relayed the order before climbing back up to operate the gun. Looking back out towards the incoming enemy force, he grit his teeth. Despite what losses they'd inflicted upon their enemies, there was still over 280 left, and the Ironhide was no longer their only priority target.

He'd heard reports that the Panzer IV had to retreat for emergency repairs. From what little he saw as they were retreating, he had to say, he was genuinely surprised that the Panzer hadn't exploded yet. Never before had he seen a Panzer moving at all after such damage…

"This is Lieutenant Mira, enemy infantry are advancing through the forests behind us. We're diverting troops to deal with them." Rommel swore under his breath at that, before looking back towards the battlements. They were battered, but holding strong. He supposed the situation could be worse, after all, they were finally starting to crack the enemy's ranks. Now, it'd only be a matter of time before this whole situation blew-

KABOOOOM!

His eyes widened in horror as something struck the center of the town, raising a massive explosion that rattled the battlements and washed over them with a massive shockwave.

"Scheiße! Lieutenant Mira! Panzer IV! Report! What just happened?!." He yelled into the radio himself, his composure temporarily broken.

"Artillery fire! Massive Artillery! It must've been a-" She was cut off by another three rounds striking the town, each one's explosion markedly smaller, yet still massive. "Sir, this is second Lieutenant Peterson. Lieutenant Mira has been knocked unconscious, and we're rushing her to the medical bay right now. We're trying to figure out just what hit us, but the Panzer IV isn't responding."

"Dammit… Don't bother, I know what just hit us, and it doesn't take a genius to guess what's become of the Panzer IV." Rommel said, punching the side of the turret.

"Sir… what just hit us? Don't tell me… It couldn't have been-"

"The first one was, beyond a shadow of a doubt, exactly what you think it is, Schnee." He growled, before looking back out his cupola towards the town. "The Schwerer Gustav…"

A/N: HELLO MY CHILDREN! No? Eh, was worth a shosh.

SO, sorry about this taking so long. It's been done for awhile, just forgot to upload... well, that, and the fact that looking back at it now, I read through it and wasn't quite satisfied. Since last I updated this, I've been rather busy, and eventually I kinda forgot this story was actually here. I actually was just reminded that I had it when a guest reviewed telling me to update not that long ago soooo... yeah. Sorry about that folks. Anyways, here's the finished product.