Chapter Three: Tigers From the East

Savoia-Marchetti SM.81 Pipistrello Transport Aircraft, somewhere in central Honshu

Anchovy sat alone, in the plane compartment, looking outside. All she was was rolling clouds and the occasional mountain. Am I really making the right choice? She thought to herself. Could this be a mistake? She trembled from the cold. She wished she could have some hot pizza around now.

The turbulence caused the plane to shake, and Anchovy clung to the sides tightly.

"Sorry, Duce. We're almost there." A smooth, calming voice said from the intercom. "Enjoy the view?" The voice asked. Anchovy nodded. She hasn't been on a plane for years and this was surely the ride of her life. She rested her head against her arm.

The plane began descending, and Anchovy saw the outline of the city in between the clouds. As they got closer, she could differentiate between the buildings, and even saw cars drive down the streets. As the SM. 81 turned, the airport where she was going to land came into view. She noticed the unusual amount of military aircraft, from dive-bombers to fighters lined up on the runway. "We're going to land in a minute." The pilot's voice announced. Anchovy quickly combed her long hair and wiped down her uniform. She wiped her face with a handkerchief(with the logo of Anzio, a pizza on it).

The plane bounced as it made contact with the asphalt runway. The plane slid across the pavement, eventually stopping at the edge. The door slid open, and Anchovy stepped out.

She was on a platform with stairs that led to the ground. She glanced to her right, and saw a tall girl with long blonde hair, holding the door open. She wore a dark green uniform similar to those of the Arditi. "Duce." She said.

"Thanks, Carpaccio." Anchovy replied. She looked at the ground, and saw Maho standing there. With a big grin on her face, she strolled down the stairs.

"Maho!" She shouted.

"Chiyomi!" Maho replied. Anchovy turned a little red, being called by her real name. When Anchovy reached the ground, Maho embraced her with a hug. "Thanks for coming." She said, patting her on the back. Anchovy beamed with happiness. Maybe she did choose the right path after all.

Both of them began walking towards a black Volkswagen, followed by Carpaccio. As they approached the car, Erika came over and opened the door. She nodded at Anchovy as she climbed in.

The Volkswagen sped down the street, past large fields and small villages. Erika was at she wheel, with Carpaccio next to her. Maho and Anchovy sat in the back.

"So, how's life?" Maho asked. Anchovy smiled. "Oh, it's the same old crap from before. I have to micromanage the entire school, and it's getting really tiring lately." She replied. Maho laughed. "Yeah, we don't have time like we used to," She looked right at Anchovy. "I'm glad you took time out of your tight schedule to come out here." Anchovy shrugged. "It's nothing." Erika glanced at Maho. "Isn't Nishi supposed to be coming later also?" She asked. Maho nodded. "I wanted to talk to her as well," She waved her hand around. "You could say I'm gathering supporters." She admitted. Anchovy looked at her weirdly. Kind of strange...she thought, but put that aside for now.

"The inn you're going to stay is going to have an all you can eat buffet." Maho said, and Anchovy's eyes lit up. "All you can eat?" She began to drool. Maho nodded. "All you can eat." She repeated. Erika scoffed, and Carpaccio began to chuckle.

The car drove up to the entrance of the inn, and everybody got out. Anchovy gaped at the sight before her. The inn was large, the front door itself towering over her. Large white pillars stuck out from the ground, holding up the veranda above. The roof of the inn was a huge smooth dome. Murals spanned across the walls above the door. When Anchovy opened the door, she found the floor covered with colorful mosaics. More marble pillars lined themselves at the sides of the reception hall. Statues of Roman Gods and Goddesses stood at the rear of the room, glaring intently at whoever was at the front entrance. Anchovy looked back at Maho, who smiled. "This was based off the Romans. There's also a garden out back and a Roman bath." She said. Anchovy ran around like a little child, looking at everything the inn had to offer.

"This is so….wonderful!" Carpaccio exclaimed. "I wish Pepperoni was here to experience this as well."

"Glad you two enjoy it!" Maho boomed. "Take all the time in the world to enjoy it!" Her voice echoed in the large chamber, and Anchovy and Carpaccio shouted in response. Erika looked at Maho. "I don't think we should waste time…" She started but Maho interrupted her. "Let them have this. I haven't seen somebody so happy in ages." She told her.

All of them sat down in the lounge room, surrounded by arcade machines. Erika passed cups of coffee for Maho, Anchovy and Carpaccio. She didn't get one for herself.

"Is Anzio doing well?" Maho asked. Anchovy sighed. "We aren't doing bad, but things are slowing down. Because of a lack of parts, we can only build cv 33s, and a very few at that matter. There's not enough people to work too, so a lot of jobs are empty. We're pretty low on fuel too. The last few shipments from Saunders hasn't been cutting it."

Maho nodded. "We Don't have enough work. Too many people, not enough jobs. And we have so much material it's rusting." She said irritably.

She thought for a minute. "We can help each other out. Say, what would say if I can hook you up with oil from Count High School? I can also send you workers and parts." Anchovy nodded. "I can give you all the Anzio cuisine you can dream for!" She offered. "Our forces can train together as well."

"We'll become a combined army," Maho agreed. "Steel from Viggens High can also be offered. We have a border between our two schools, so things are so much easier." Anchovy nodded. "Indeed. If we had someone like St. Gloriana in the way, we couldn't have such a discussion." She said. Erika scoffed. "As if they could stop us." She muttered. Maho glared at her, and Anchovy caught that. "What are you planning?" She asked. Maho looked down guiltily. "We're getting ready for war against Bonple, St. Gloriana, Maginot and BC Freedom." She mumbled.

Anchovy jumped from her seat. "What?" She shouted in surprise. "How the hell are you going fight so many schools?" She demanded. Maho glanced up at Anchovy. Regret was clearly in her eyes. "I was going to have you attack BC Freedom." She confessed.

Surprise and confusion overwhelmed Anchovy. "You put me in your plans without even telling me?" She yelled, understandably upset.

"Wait, I'm sorry!" Maho shouted. "I know it was horrible of me, but I knew you would come to me anyways-"

"So you took advantage of my trust?" Anchovy hissed.

"Duce…" Carpaccio whispered in worry. Maho curled back. "Don't say it like that! I thought you would understand." She clasped her hands together. She was on the verge of tears. "I thought you would understand what I was going through. We're both surrounded by enemies, so we need to band together. Please forgive me!" She begged. Erika grabbed a hold of her commander and glared at Anchovy. "Don't talk to commander Nishizumi like that! You don't know how many nights she spent awake, worrying for all of our sakes? She worked without rest for days, not even for eating. Do you know how much being separated from her family is affecting her? Don't you ever-" She screamed, but Maho held her hand. "I understand if you don't want to stay anymore. Go to Darjeeling if you wish. I don't care anymore. You're still a dear friend to me." She whimpered.

Anchovy got up, and to the surprise of Erika and Maho, walked up to Maho. She sat down next to her and hugged her.

"Thank you, and I'm sorry!" Maho dug into Anchovy's uniform as she cried. Anchovy sighed. "It's alright. We only have each other." She whispered. Erika scoffed and Carpaccio was smiling in the background.

"How were you planning to attack Maginot and Bonple at the same time?" Anchovy asked, apprehensive. Maho looked up. "I made an alliance with Pravda." She informed Anchovy.

"Wait, Pravda? But they're…" Anchovy stuttered.

"I know. But as they say, 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend'." Maho finished. Anchovy chuckled. "Jesus, what else do you have to surprise me?" She asked a joking tone. Maho shrugged, laughing.

Just then the door opened. A girl with wavy brown hair stood at attention. "Oh, Koume, what is it?" Maho asked.

"Nishi Kinuyo from Chi-Ha-Tan has arrived." Koume replied sternly. From behind her the face of Nishi popped out. "Maho-dono! Anchovy-dono! Hello!" She shouted enthusiastically. Maho waved her in. "Come on in!" She said. Nishi bowed, and turned around. "Fukuda, stay outside in case of any messages come in." She ordered.

"Yes, Nishi-dono!" Fukuda's cheery voice replied. Messages? Anchovy and Maho looked at each other. Must be something she always does, she is a strange person after all.

"What were you talking about?" Nishi inquired. Maho chuckled. "About how I made an alliance with Pravda."

Nishi turned from ecstatic to immediate panic. "How..why would you? Pravda is the one school you should avoid becoming friends with! They're going to…" She couldn't finish her sentence as she was getting too nervous. Erika guided her to a chair, where she sat down. "How could you…" She muttered. Maho took a sip of coffee. "I wanted to tell you personally. We're going to split Bonple in half. Anchovy and I will get the western and southern schools, while Pravda will take the eastern and northern schools."

Nishi was sweating hard. "They didn't mention United Front at all, did they?" She asked slowly. Maho looked confused. "No….they didn't." She replied, and Nishi sighed with relief.

"That reminds me, what's going on with you and Zhejiang?" Anchovy prodded. Nishi groaned. "They are doing the same thing they've been doing for months. They get away with it because Saunders and St. Gloriana cover for them every time. Not only that, they're letting Pravda take over their school. Soon they will become a satellite for Pravda." She said. Maho nodded. "So the Red Dragons are still alive. I thought with all the weapons I gave them, the Blue Tigers would destroy the reds. Zhejiang's a personal friend of mine, but she's pretty inept. I guess United Front is going to remain fractured."

"I will clean them up before Pravda and Saunders can do anything to them!" Nishi exclaimed. Maho and Anchovy looked at each other.

St. Gloriana high school

Orange Pekoe was pouring tea for several people; a dangerous tea party was about to take place. She got out several cakes and scones. She looked at the dish Darjeeling made; eel jelly. She sighed. Was Darjeeling planning to turn everybody against St. Gloriana? She casually took the plate and shoved it into the first cabinet she could find.

There was a knock at the door. She dropped everything and ran to get the door. She opened it and saw the figure of Naomi towering over her. She grabbed Orange Pekoe by the collar and leaned down to her face. "Hey beautiful." She whispered.

Orange Pekoe stepped back, face flushed red.

"Miss Naomi, please stop it with the jokes." A voice barked. Naomi shrugged. "You are just boring, you know that?" She replied. From behind Naomi stepped out a short, buxom girl with light brown bangs glaring at Naomi.

"Formosa-san, good day to you." Orange Pekoe bowed. Formosa bowed back. "Orange, good to see you too."

"No Dragons today?" Orange Pekoe asked. Naomi shook her head. "They're hiding in the jungle as usual." She said. Orange Pekoe sighed. "They're just making things complicated. Why won't Pravda force them to negotiate?"

"Because they want to overthrow Generalissimo Zhejiang and establish their student's paradise. Utter lunacy." Formosa muttered.

"They do have a lot of support from the first years, don't they?" Naomi inquired. Formosa nodded. "They're too impressionable. And it doesn't help that a lot of the Generalissimo's allies aren't even loyal to her. Guangxi has a lot of influence over the third years, and she barely listens to the Generalissimo," She deeply inhaled. "Our entire school is fucked up right now." She groaned.

"Whatever, let's sit down." Naomi guided Formosa to the chairs, who walked with a loud huff.

The door opened again, and Fondue entered. "Hey." She said. Orange Pekoe waved and Naomi gave a firm nod with her head. Fondue sat down next to Formosa.

Then waltzed in a girl with long black braided hair, tied with a white ribbon. She wore the brown uniform and skirt of Chi-ha-Tan.

"Thank you for coming, Tamada-san." Orange Pekoe said. Tamada bowed. "It is an honor to represent our school." She said in a matter-of-factly tone. She sat next to Orange Pekoe, across Naomi and Formosa. "Since they are ready to negotiate as well, we have deemed it beneficial for all parties."

"Darjeeling couldn't come today, she had something important to attend." Orange Pekoe informed them. Stupid tennis classes...She thought to herself. "Anyways, we're all here to discuss the current situation between Chi-ha-Tan and United Front," She stated, and everyone else nodded. "We all acknowledge that there's a problem going on here."

Tamada stood up and pointed at Formosa. "They are the aggressors. They've been attacking our outposts for months!" She shouted. Formosa scowled. "Those were members of the Red Dragons." She claimed. Tamada grunted. "No evidence for that. Besides, if you would even try to defeat them this problem wouldn't be present, if what you say is even true."

"It's obvious Chi-ha-Tan is trying to expand in our territory." Formosa said. Naomi turned her head. "Our allies are being threatened as well." She added.

"Tategoto has claimed troop movements on your side of the border as well," Orange Pekoe piped up, glancing at Tamada. "Tategoto is under our protection, if you haven't remembered."

Tamada glared at all of them. "So you do the same thing as us, yet we are the ones at fault here?" She growled. Fondue adjusted her glasses. "I don't think we are comparable, madam-Tamada." She said. Tamada arched her eyebrows. "Really? You forced the schools around us to go under your wing. You crushed all resistance against you, and are trying to take over United Front!" She accused.

"What? What are you saying? We helped them become functioning schools, that's what we did," Naomi replied. "You are threatening them."

"You mean threatening your interests." Tamada corrected. Naomi glared at her. "Watch what you say. You are overstepping boundaries that shouldn't be crossed." She warned.

"Now now, let's calm down." Orange Pekoe interrupted. Tamada sat back down. "If you are so afraid for your little friends,how come you aren't hammering down on Pravda? They are supporting the communist Red Dragons up in United Front after all," She gave a heart-piercing glare to everyone around her. "That's because you are all weak. Even if you try, Pravda will destroy you so you all gang up on Chi-Ha-Tan so your bruised egos can heal." She hissed.

"Merde! How dare you!" Fondue shouted. Orange Pekoe looked down at her lap uncomfortably. Naomi chuckled. "You're almost as funny as Key." She grinned. Formosa frowned deeply. "I don't think I can agree with that." She commented.

"Please, we don't want to escalate things," Orange Pekoe said. "We don't want to have to use force."

Tamada spat. "Like hell you're trying not to escalate things. If you keep treating other schools like shit, it will come back to haunt you!" She shouted. Fondue laughed. "And what are you going to do about it? Your forces are nothing compared to ours." She told her. Naomi smiled. "There are paper tigers, but Chi-ha-Tan is just a paper hare." She joked. Formosa joined as well. "you will probably charge all of your troops into a minefield." She exclaimed, bursting into laughter.

Orange Pekoe looked over at Tamada, and gasped. Tamada was looking down, but her gaze was right at the three girls before her. She was trembling, and her face was red, but Orange Pekoe was drawn to her eyes. Tears had formed, and she saw the rage and anger that had welled up inside of Tamada. Her malice filled eyes were narrowed at Naomi in particular. Her teeth gnashed together, making a bone-crushing sound.

Orange Pekoe tried to stop the three girls, but no noise came out. Desperate, she got out a cup of tea and offered it to Tamada, but she shook her head. Orange Pekoe began to sweat. Oh, dear. What am I supposed to do? I wish Assam or Darjeeling was here. She thought as she stared at the mess of affairs before her.

Chi-ha-Tan-United Front Border

Two girls stood in front of a platoon of tanks, ranging from Type 89 Chi-Ro Medium tanks, Type 92 Jyu-Sokosha Armored Cars, Type 93 Kokusan Armored cars, Type 95 Ha-Go Light tanks, Type 97 Chi-Ha Medium tanks and Type 97 tankettes. The crews of the tanks stood next to them, standing silent. Beyond that in formation were hundreds of young girls, holding rifles, submachine guns, machine guns and grenades. One of the girls, a tall girl with a ponytail tied with a huge white ribbon waved a shin guntō in her right hand. "Girls! Today is the day we will embark on the greatest adventure of our lives!" She shouted. The girl next to her, a girl with her hair tied up at the top of her hair nodded. "Indeed. Chi-ha-Tan's moment of glory has come! For too long have they mocked us, insulted and attacked us! We will show them who the real cowards are! They will cower at the assault of ten thousands steel lions leading the great charge!" She yelled. "We will destroy all enemies, and emerge victorious!" The girls cheered and yelled in excitement. The girl with the white ribbon got ontop of a Type 97 Chi-Ha. "Girls, man your tanks!" The crew scrambled into their tanks, and the infantry filed into their trucks and cars. A wing of Nakajima Ki-27 fighters flew over them, followed by dozens of Mitsubishi Ki-21 Medium bombers. The girl with the white ribbon got out a radio. "Ikeda to all divisional commanders, Ikeda to all divisional commanders; commence Operation Nishi-Go!" She ordered. The tanks and trucks roared to life as they gunned forwards, into United Front territory.

In a large village, a single United Front soldier sat in a foxhole, reading through a magazine. Her Vz.24 rifle and binoculars were thrown to the side, lying uselessly by the edge of the foxhole. She flipped through several pages of the magazine. The latest gossip, a scandal of a celebrity, a new murder, and so on. She was so engrossed she almost failed to notice the distant buzzing in the distance. "What the…" She muttered as she looked up. In the sun the silhouette of three planes could be seen. Is that ours? I thought we didn't have enough fuel...thoughts raced through her head, but eventually she decided that they were friendlies.

Until they dove towards her. As the first plane aimed it's nose at her, she yelped and curled up in a ball. The Ki-27 fired its Ho-103 machine guns; they made katchachacha sounds as yellow and Orange tracers bit the dust in two perfect lines. The other two planes followed suit, flying close to the ground. The girl glanced above her, and gasped in awe when she saw the fuselage of the fighter pass over just meters above her head. The three Ki-27s rose up to the sky again, turning around to strafe any unfortunate soul outside. There were already several casualties, bullets tearing through their flesh and bones. Blood seeped through, staining the ground below.

By now the civilians and soldiers were panicking, running outside and attempting to escape. The Ki-27s came for another run, this time dropping their type 94 100 kg bombs. The bombs fell with a high-pitched whine, and landed in the mass of people in the village streets. Limbs, heads and were torn away from each other, and chunks of concrete were launched away from the earth, eventually falling back down and crushing panicked people. Screaming, the people got on the ground as the Ki-27s made their last strafing run. Bullets arced down, finding their targets stuck on the ground. They spat bursts of 12.7mm rounds from their Ho-103s, plastering people with hot lead.

The soldier peeked out from her little hole and saw the carnage. Several houses had gaping holes in them, the roofs and walls reduced to nothing more than dust. Countless people were on the ground, some jerking around as they took their final breaths. There was the screams and moans of pain all around her. Blood was everywhere, as were lone body parts, with bone and cartilage sticking out. The soldier fell down, hyperventilating. A fellow soldier, an officer ran up to her. "Are you alright?" She asked. The soldier nodded her head once. The officer grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her up. "We have at least 30 casualties. I have no fucking clue to what just happened, but I need you to be on your guard." She said. "Was it the damn reds? Blast it if they acquired planes from Pravda." She mumbled.

They heard the low rumble of tracks and wheels. The soldier turned towards the woods, and her knees almost buckled. From the treeline she saw at least a dozen Type 97 Chi-Has quickly moving towards them.

"Shit! Enemy tanks, two o'clock!" The officer shouted, waving a Colt M1911 around in the air.

The Type 97s began firing their 7.7mm machine guns at the infantry, who began to crack under the attack. Dirt flew up as bullets landed near the soldier. She ducked down in her foxhole, trying to live. Her hands quivered as she took out a Model 24 grenade from her pocket. As a Type 97 came into full view she pulled the cord and threw it with all her strength.

The Model 24 rolled underneath the tank, and exploded. The Type 97 began smoking, and shuddered to a halt. The soldier scrambled out of the foxhole as more Type 97s began to converge on her. Now infantry, riding trucks and motorcycles were appearing out of the forest. Bullets whizzed by the soldier as she ran to her comrades, who had set up a Type 24 Maxim machine gun by a street corner and was firing at the Chi-ha-Tan infantry. A short girl fed the belt feed, while another girl assisted the gunner in spotting enemies.

"We're overheating, we need more water!" The gunner shouted as the gun sputtered and died. The spotter grabbed the container of water and poured more in. The Maxim resumed firing, forcing the Chi-ha-Tan infantry to get down.

A squad of Chi-ha-Tan troops slowly crawled through the dirt, inching towards the machine gun position. One girl took out a Type 97 grenade and chucked it the machine gun. The grenade landed, and within seconds exploded. Thousands of shrapnel dug themselves into the girls, causing them to shriek in pain before dying. The Chi-ha-Tan troops stood up and ran forwards, pushing the beleaguered United Front soldiers back. Some troops tried to fight back, firing their rifles at the invaders from on top of houses, but accurate fire from the Chi-ha-Tan tanks and infantry took them down.

The remaining United Front soldiers, around a dozen, ran for miles until they got to their regimental hq in a suburban town. The senior of them, a junior NCO stumbled onto the steps of the hq doors. The two soldiers guarding the door rushed over.

"Soldier, what happened? Are you alright?" One of them demanded. The Junior NCO groaned. "Chi-ha-Tan aircraft and armored forces attacked us…" She sputtered, before going unconscious. The two guards looked at each other in surprise. Then one of them dashed inside the hq, while the second one walked over to the cluster of soldiers.

"They slaughtered us!" One girl wailed.

"Their planes bombed us, before their tanks and infantry assaulted us while we were disorganized." Another one cried. The guard trembled. Chi-ha-Tan is attacking us now? She thought in despair.

She heard in the distance a faint noise-that of the roar of engines, ground being crushed by treads, and the buzzing of propellers. Staff officers and soldiers looked in the direction from where the noise was coming from with confusion.

"They are coming!" The group of soldiers howled. The guard watched with horror as the storm of steel thundered closer.

United Front capital

Zhejiang was sitting, drinking green tea in her garden. Today, was a nice day to be out, there was little wind and the skies were clear. She ought to have invited someone to join her. Well, it's nice to be alone sometimes.

She was interrupted, however, when her aide stormed into the garden. "Generalissimo! Something terrible has happened! Something truly horrible!" She shouted. Zhejiang looked at her, tea in hand. "Are you over exaggerating again, Hubei?" She looked at her doubtfully. Hubei shook her head. "No, not at all!" Zhejiang gave a puzzled look. "Then what?" She demanded. Hubei gulped. "Chi-ha-Tan has launched an attack all across the border!" She reported.

Zhejiang turned white. "What?" She mumbled, eyes wide. "How many divisions do they have? How many do we have?" She demanded. Hubei looked at the ground. "We don't know for sure, but we estimated at least nine divisions. We have only four guarding the border." She said hesitantly.

"How are they?" Zhejiang questioned, clearly afraid of the answer. Hubei sighed. "At least one has already disintegrated. The other three is resisting as hard as they can."

Zhejiang jumped up. "Deploy the 8th and 11th armies!" She ordered. "We will crush their forces and launch a counterattack!" She bellowed with anger. Hubei shook. "Yes, ma'am!" She replied and ran off.

St. Gloriana High School

The three girl continued to laugh, while Tamada glared at them, not saying a word. Orange Pekoe sat silently, looking at both of them nervously.

There was a knock at the door. Orange Pekoe looked towards the door. "Come in." She said. The door slammed opened and a young girl stood, trembling.

"What is it?" Orange Pekoe beckoned her with a sweet voice. The girl nodded and practically tripped over herself trying to run over to Orange Pekoe. "Here." She glanced at Tamada before giving a folded up letter to Orange Pekoe. She unfolded it and read it, her eyes growing wide and emitting a small gasp. The three girls stopped laughing and stared at Orange Pekoe.

"What is it?" Naomi asked.

"Is something wrong?" Fondue questioned. The three girls walked over to the trembling Orange Pekoe. Naomi took the letter, and the three girls read over it.

Formosa crumpled to the floor, hands covering her mouth. "No…" She whimpered.

"Oh my god…" Fondue said in disbelief. Naomi turned towards Tamada. "You two faced liar!" She growled.

"What?" Tamada said, confused.

"You know what you did! You treacherous bastards!" Naomi screamed as she raised her fist and stomped towards Tamada. She stumbled out of her chair, while Orange Pekoe and Fondue had to restrain Naomi.

Tamada picked up the letter. A look of confusion, surprise, and then glee came over her face. She looked up. "I did not know of this. This is a surprise to me as well." She said, sounding very genuine. She then broke into laughter. "You were laughing at us-now look who is laughing! Your luck had already begun to run out!" She hollered out as she strolled out of the room.

However, as soon as she was out of reach of the other girls, a slight frown appeared on Tamada's face. "Why did commander Nishi not tell me of this. There is no reason to keep me out of the dark, no? Anyways, I have suffered an immense embarrassment for myself and Chi-ha-Tan as a whole. I will not let commander Nishi hear the end of this." She mumbled.

Kuromorimine High School

Maho, Anchovy and Nishi were talking when Fukuda burst through the door. "Commander Nishi!" She shouted. The three girls looked up.

"What is it?" Nishi inquired.

"Operation Nishi-Go has commenced and is successful!" Fukuda reported. A large grin appeared on Nishi's face. "Good! Wonderful!" She explained. Anchovy and Maho looked at each other.

"Uh...what's going on?" Anchovy asked. Nishi turned to her compatriots and emitted a confident grunt. "Ladies, I have embarked on the greatest invasion. I have launched a wave of steel into United Front!" She announced. Anchovy and Maho's jaw dropped, Maho's less so. "You invaded United Front?" She asked. Nishi nodded.

"Oh, uh...good luck!" Anchovy said.

"Zhejiang was a poor candidate for a leader anyways," Maho muttered somewhat sadly. "Don't you think that will gain the ire of St. Gloriana, Pravda and Saunders?" She asked more loudly. Nishi shrugged. "Darjeeling is occupied with you, Saunders is busy with the election, and Pravda will not sacrifice it's troops for United Front, seeing as how their support is minimal." She replied. Maho gave a small chuckle. "So you used the situation to your advantage."

Nishi nodded. "I thought it would be the best time to strike when Kuromorimine is the center of attention."

"But now the attention is on you. But don't worry; we're are going to move out soon too." Maho said. Anchovy sighed. "I guess I have to mobilize too." She moaned.

Nishi got up. "Well, I guess this is my cue to leave." She said. Maho waved. "Nice talking to you." Anchovy nodded. "See ya later."

Nishi and Fukuda left, leaving the rest of the room in silence. "Wow," Carpaccio exclaimed. "That escalated quickly, really that got out of hand fast!"

St. Gloriana High School

Darjeeling and Eclair were drinking tea while Assam and a red haired girl were playing tennis.

"Rosehip! That is not how to play tennis, play properly!" Assam shouted, and the red haired girl laughed. Assam looked over at Darjeeling with an annoyed look. "Darjeeling-sama, would you please tell Rosehip to do things properly." She moaned. Rosehip dashed behind Darjeeling. "I do things my own way desuwa~." She said, and Assam groaned. Darjeeling chuckled. "Watching them play tennis is always so entertaining." She said. Eclair agreed. "Indeed. We should do this more often." She said.

A girl with long brown hair in a braid ran up to Darjeeling. "Darjeeling-sama, a message from Pravda." She exclaimed. Darjeeling chuckled. "What news does Katyusha bring us this time, Rukuriri?" She asked. Rukuriri frowned. "Uh, Pravda and Kuromorimine signed a military alliance." She reported.

Darjeeling dropped her teacup, and it shattered on the tennis court. Eclair doubled down, grabbing her stomach. "My stomach!" She groaned in pain.

"No no no this was not supposed to happen!" Darjeeling shouted. Then the revelation hit her like a stone wall. "Bonple! They are trapped!" She realized. "They've been planning this all along, haven't they. Maho, Katyusha, what clever girls you are." She grinned, despite being furious at being tricked.

Bonple High School

Jajka stood at the kitchen, making some zur soup. She served it in a bowl brought it to the table, where a tall girl, with short jet black hair sat. She wore a dark green dress uniform that flowed all the way down to her knees. Her black jackboots clicked as she tapped on the tiled floor. A light grey field cap rested firmly on her head. On her chest was a patch with a black falcon in front of a red, white and green background emblazoned onto her uniform. Bright yellow epaulettes were sewed on to her shoulders.

"Here you go." Jajka placed the bowl in front of the girl. The girl took a spoonful and put it in her mouth. An audible moan of pleasure escaped from her lips. "The stuff you make is always amazing, Grandmaster." She exclaimed. Jajka beamed. "Thank you, Admiral." She replied. The girl grinned. "No problem. Now you gotta come to my place. We have some of the best cuisines, good enough to match Anzio!" She boasted. Jajka smirked. "I doubt that, Géza."

Géza raised her eyebrows. "Really? In terms of armor and food, we are superior." Jajka sat down next to her. "If you say so, your school barely even did Senshadou or Tankathalon in the past." She jabbed. Géza shrugged. "So? A Toldi can smash a C.V. 33 in a second." She retorted.

"You have a point." Jajka agreed. Géza leaned back in her chair. "I'm kind of glad we get to stay in the shadows. Nobody really paid any attention to us." She said. Jajka sighed. "You are absolutely right. I'm in the damn spotlight. I can't take it." She complained. Géza had finished half her bowl at this point. "Well, things can't get anymore crazy." She said with her mouthful of soup.

A girl entered the kitchen and saluted. "Grandmaster Jajka!" She said. Jajka nodded. "Yes?" She noticed the girl was on the verge of crying. "Is something wrong?" She questioned. The girl nodded. "Pravda and Kuromorimine have…" She composed herself. "They have just signed an alliance together. They announced it this afternoon." She sputtered out.

Géza glanced at Jajka. She had put her head down onto her arms. "How could this have happened? Kuromorimine and Pravda should be ideological enemies," She cried out in anguish. "Why?" She wailed.

Géza patted her back softly as she got up. "I'm sorry." That was the only thing she could say as she turned to leave.

"Wait!" Jajka shouted, and Géza froze. "You're not going to abandon me, are you?" Jajka asked desperately. Slowly, Géza turned her head to face Jajka with a frail smile. "Of course not." She managed to say, and Jajka smiled with relief. "Thank you." She muttered, and Géza nodded in response.

As Géza walked away from the kitchen, tears began welling up in her eyes. She covered her mouth with her hand as she choked out a sob. I'm sorry. I truly am,She thought to herself, her cheeks wet with tears. There's nothing I can do. I don't want to watch you die, but what else can I do?

"Admiral," A voice made Géza to wipe her tears and look up. Her adjutant stood there like a statue. "There's a message from Kuromorimine. They want to schedule a-"

"Okay, tell them that I'll come." Géza interrupted. She adjusted her hat, and walked out with a look of grim determination on her face.

Saunders High School

Key was surrounded by stacks of papers and posters. Alisa came running in with a fresh stack of papers. "This is for the baseball and science clubs!" She shouted. "And you need to schedule a rally for the football team! They're crucial for the polls!" Key threw her hands in the air. "I hate this time of the year!" She explained. "Why does democracy demand such labor?"

"Do you want to become worshipped like a living god, like Katyusha and Anchovy?" Alisa asked. Key groaned. "No, but still." Alisa shoved the papers in Key's face. "Then work. You do want to be re-elected, don't you?" She leaned in close. Key nodded.

"Then work." Alisa hissed.

"Why are you so bossy when it comes to this?" Key moaned.

"Because you are the best person for the job!" Alisa answered in a huff. "You care for the school!"

Just then Naomi came storming in, her usual cool mood now replaced with anger. Key and Alisa looked up in surprise.

"What has your panties in a twist?" Alisa asked with a wide grin. Naomi glared at her. "Chi-ha-Tan invaded United Front." She told Alisa, who immediately dropped her grin. "Oh." She lowered her head. Naomi nodded. "Yeah."

Key scowled. "What do you want me to do about it?" She inquired. "I'm busy!"

"Send them more arms and tanks. They need it," Naomi shouted. "Please, they won't survive if we don't do anything." She begged. Key thought it over. "Fine," She said after a while. "Send them the older shit we don't need."

Naomi smiled. "Thanks." She said. Key shrugged. "Don't mention it. I don't want any of my friends to be sad." She replied.

"Then work god dammit!" Alisa shouted. Key and Naomi looked at her before bursting into laughter.

Chi-ha-Tan High School

Nishi walked down the wooden corridor in high spirits. Finally, something wondrous! She thought as she slid open the door to her room.

To her surprise, there kneeling was Tamada, facing the wall. "Tamada!" Nishi said in surprise. Tamada turned around. She had an annoyed look on her face. "I have waited for three hours, commander." She said in a somewhat bored tone. Nishi trotted over to Tamada. "What? What is it?" She asked.

Tamada immediately broke into her tirade. "Why didn't you tell me commander? Why did you keep me in the dark of the attack? I have been embarrassed immensely!" She cried. Nishi clasped her hands together. "Forgive me, Tamada! It had to be a secret! Nobody would be expecting an invasion while negotiations, would they? I figured that if you did not know of it, there would be little chance of them finding out!" She explained. Tamada brightened up. "Of course, what a genius idea!" She said. "What brilliance you have, commander!"

Nishi blushed. "I'm not that…" She muttered.

"So, what happened in Kuromorimine?" Tamada questioned.

"Maho told me they had made an alliance with Pravda." She told her. Tamada nodded. "I did know that. Anything else?" Nishi brought her finger to her lips. "Sorry, it's a secret."

"Another one? How mean of you, commander!" Tamada pouted, and Nishi laughed. "I am sorry, Tamada, but some things must not be revealed until it is time!"

Kuromorimine High School

Anchovy and Maho sat in the Roman bath, soaking in the glory of the statues of cherubs that were spouting out water. "Sure feels nice." Anchovy moaned.

"Yes, it sure does." Maho agreed.

"Say, what do you think of Nishi and her decision to attack United Front. You are friends with Zhejiang." Anchovy asked. Maho shrugged. "Nishi can do whatever she wants. I support her." She replied.

"Yeah, same." Anchovy said. "That did come as a surprise, though. Really."

"I didn't think Nishi would actually…" Maho trailed off. Anchovy pointed her finger at Maho. "But," She started, "It's the same for you. You're actually planning to attack Bonple-with Pravda no less. This day is full of surprises." She pointed out. Maho smiled. "I guess that's true." She conceded.

"Why did you invite the commanders of Arrow Cross, Count and Yogurt over here?" Anchovy inquired.

"I figured they would be good allies to have." Maho replied, her voice confident. "I believe they will come." Anchovy shrugged. "Well, they are right next to Pravda, if that means anything."

"I also invited Viggens and Keizoku too." Maho added. "With Gallipoli and Blue Division."

Anchovy gaped. "That's a lot of schools." She said. Maho nodded. "I know, that's the point," She raised her hand. "The more schools we get, the better our position will be," She explained, while Anchovy listened. "I doubt even Darjeeling will have the stomach to deal with so many schools." Maho finished.

"Wow." Anchovy said.

"When we get out, I'll show you the togas this inn has, instead of the usual yukata. You'll get to feel like a Roman emperor." Maho said.

"Hooray!" Anchovy shouted.

Oh boy, it's finally here! The first instance of combat! Chi-ha-Tan has begun its fateful invasion that would only churn the gears of war even faster. To be honest, the love of history is running so deep in my blood I didn't realize I was following the order of events in the 1930s even more that I thought I was(How the Second World War begun earlier in Asia, while shit was only getting intense in Europe). I was following the Second World War to a certain degree, but the decision to have Chi-ha-Tan to invade United Front had nothing to do with following history.

Of course Saunders would have elections. They are a democracy, after all(Thx to RedSS for the idea, from his suggestion about different Government types, and I got the idea for Saunders having elections. Other schools will be democracies as well, like Keizoku, but most will be led by a one person dictatorship(Duce Anchovy for example) or a council of 'elders'(Like Darjeeling and the Tea Garden)).

More OCs and Original Schools! Hurrah! Anyways, I hope you enjoy as always.