Chapter four: Calm before the Storm

Ooarai Girls High School Carrier

Kadotani Anzu was eating her daily ration of sweet dried potato, which was specially adjusted for her, when she got a call down to the Commander's office. "Kawashima, Koyama, finish up work will ya?" She called out as she left the student council room.

"Yes, president." Both girls answered enthusiastically.

Anzu strutted down to the office, and knocked twice.

"Come in," A man's voice drifted through the door.

Anzu entered and saluted. " Is there something you need, sir?" She asked.

The man at the desk laughed. "No need for such formalities, ms. president," He said.

"Ah, I'm sorry, Hijikata-dono." Anzu quickly corrected herself.

General Hijikata Takayuki, the JSDF commander of the Ooarai Girls High School Carrier, got out a glass and a bottle of wine. "Don't worry about it," He said again, "But I don't know about him…" He glanced at the man next to him. He had glasses and parted hair, and turned away when Anzu looked at him.

"You! You tried to close down our school twice!" Anzu pointed at the man.

Hijikata chuckled. "Oh, you met Tsuji-kun. I guess you were the bearer of bad news, so you can tell her this time as well," He nudged Tsuji.

Tsuji adjusted his glasses. "This is different…" He tried to object, but was interrupted by Anzu.

"Are you going to close down Ooarai?" She nearly yelled.

Tsuji flinched. "The Ooarai Senshadou team is one of the best in Japan, so that's not possible. The prime minister has ordered the creation of at least a Battalion's worth of infantry for each school carrier," He quickly dished out.

"What!" Anzu dropped her bag of sweet dried potatoes in surprise. "As in, to use in combat?" She asked in disbelief. Tsuji nodded.

Anzu pounced on Hijikata. "You can't be serious. Sending Girls into ground combat?"

Hijikata poured a drink of wine and drank it. "You are correct. I am against it, but if you have any complaints you will have to go to the prime minister himself,"

Anzu picked up the bag and started munching on the sweet dried potato in anger.

Hijikata sighed. "Don't get mad at me, I'm just following orders. I hope you understand of what is happening right now," He passed a stack of papers to Anzu. "These are registration forms for the Ooarai Infantry battalion. If there aren't enough volunteers you'll have to conscript students to meet the quota."

Anzu trudged towards the door, weighed down by the papers.

"Oh, you need up to 300, so choose only the best," Hijikata's voice floated by as Anzu slammed the door angrily with her foot.

Kuromorimine Girls High School Carrier

Maho stood by her Panzer X "Angriffstiger" in awe. She knew this was an upgraded version of her Tiger I, with the newest Advanced Modular Armor Protection(AMAP) and Rheinmetall 130 mm L/51 chrome lined-smoothbore barrel, but wondered if this would be effective in combat.

A JSDF mechanic walked up to her. "Don't worry," He patted Maho on the back, "These are based off the most recent German tank designs, being used in Eastern Europe as we speak." He reassured her.

Maho looked at him. "How about the Panzer XII 'Igel' and Jagdpanzer 'Hornisse' as well as the others?" She asked about the other upgraded tanks-the "Igel" being the Tiger II and Jagdpanzer "Hornisse" being the Jagdpanzer IV.

The mechanic chuckled. "Don't worry. They're in perfect shape to go out fighting in the real world," He turned around and walked away. "The tanks will protect you, so stop worrying too much. Oh, you were called down to the colonel's office"

Maho walked over to Erika, who was checking the supplies. "How is everything?" She asked, forcing Erika to jump up.

"Oh, commander. We have full stock of APFSDS ammunition, AMP rounds, HESH Rounds, and ammunition for the coaxial weapons," Erika reported. "We also have medical supplies for any injuries, fatal or nonfatal. And we have enough side arms for all tank crews." She looked down. "You've heard about the infantry decree, haven't you, commander?"

Maho sighed. "Yes, I was authorised by the colonel to create an infantry regiment for use along with the Senshadou team," She sat down on a crate of shells, "I get to name them though, if that's something."

"Have you thought up of a name?" Erika sat down next to Maho.

"No, not yet. It's pretty hard." Maho replied.

"How about the Landsknecht?" Erika offered.

Maho thought for a minute. "Nope."

"Shutzstaffel?"

"Kuromorimine SS? Might be interpreted the wrong way."

"Werewolves?"

"We're not partisans."

"Freikorps?" Erika said. Maho smiled. "Kuromorimine Freikorps? I think that just might work."

Anzio Girls High School Carrier

Anchovy sat by her desk, listening to a record of "Giovinezza", eating pizza and reading spaghetti recipes, when there was a knock at the door. "Come in," She yawned.

A girl with long dark hair, wearing a blue uniform entered.

"Oh, it's Asparagus," Anchovy looked at the girl who entered.

"Actually, it's Eclair," The girls said.

Anchovy waved her hand. "Whatever. So, what do you want? Oh, grab a chair, will ya?"

Eclair took out a chair and sat down. "Thanks, this will help with my stomach pains," She felt her stomach.

Anzio raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah, I forgot you had those. Take some gelato home with you, then. It'll help,"

Eclair shook her head. "Gelato makes it worse, just like Darjeeling's eel jelly,"

Anzio groaned. "Why did you eat Darjeeling's stuff? Are you asking to die or something?" She got out some Anzio (non-alcoholic) wine. "Is that why you came here?" She offered some to Eclair.

"Is it wrong to talk to a friend in a tumultuous time?" Eclair accepted and took a glass.

Anzio took a drink. "You're forced to join the military too?"

Eclair shook her head again. "I was exempt from the draft because of my stomach pains. But I was forced to quit the Senshadou teams and Fondue took over as captain." She sighed. "Senshadou has become another tool to force people to join the military."

"Then you got the infantry decree? What did you name them-oh wait, let me guess. Old Guard, isn't it?" Anchovy guesses.

Eclair nodded. "Yup. What about you, did you name them after the blackshirts?"

Anchovy laughed. "No no no, I named them after the Arditi." Anchovy finished her glass and was filling it once more. She looked out the window. "What times are these." She muttered.

"Neesan!" Pepperoni crashed through the door. "We, we found some pasta!" She sputtered out.

Anchovy jumped out of her seat. "Really?" She shouted. She glanced at Eclair, and grabbed her arm. "Come with me!" She followed Pepperoni, dragging Eclair with her.

"My stomach…" Eclair groaned.

Ooarai Girls High School Carrier

Miho stared at the TV in shock, following the events in Okinawa: "Currently North Korean forces have pushed the JSDF away from Naha, and are currently advancing towards Nanjo. They have also taken Motobu and Nakijin. The JSDF has fortified themselves in Uruma and Kunigami, and are currently wait for reinforcements from the Kuromorimine Carrier."

Saori patted her on the back. "Don't worry. Maho will be fine," She assured Miho.

Miho looked up. "But.." She started but was interrupted by Yukari.

"Your sister is the commander of the Kuromorimine Senshadou team! She will do a fine job under fire!" Yukari confidently told Miho.

"Are you sure?" Miho said.

"Your sister is calm and collective, and is always decisive when making a decision," Hana chipped in.

"And if she does die, you'll get a strange feeling in your head because she's your sister, so that's a plus," Mako rose up from a pile of blankets, to which Saori karate chopped her in the head.

Miho stood up. "Yeah, your right. Why was I worrying. Thanks," She smiled brightly.

They heard a loud groan from the hallway outside. They looked outside, and saw Kawashima Momo and Koyama Yuzu carrying heavy stacks of paper.

"Momo-chan, don't give up," Yuzu said, the weight of the papers dragging her down.

"Don't….call...me….Momo-Chan!" Momo gritted through her teeth, and she almost toppled over.

"Student council? What are you doing?" Saori asked. Momo looked over, her face slightly red. "Could..you...help?" She ordered.

They distributed the papers between the student council and the Anglerfish Team.

"Thanks a lot." Yuzu panted.

"What are these papers?" Miho asked.

"Take a look for yourself," Momo growled.

Miho looked at the paper on the top of the stack. It looked like a recruitment poster, with a picture of a girl in a military uniform, and patch with the Ooarai High School's emblem sewn onto the shoulder. She looked at the text: "Join the Ooarai Special Infantry Corps! Defending your country is defending your school! (Students that will join the OSIC will receive over 1,000 credits, all lates and detentions will be rescinded. Senshadou members need not apply.)"

"Is this a recruitment poster?" Miho enquired.

Momo groaned in frustration. "Yes! We have no choice in this matter, so don't go complaining to me," She shouted.

Miho cowered. "Sorry," She apologized.

Yuzu chuckled. "Don't worry about it. She's just stressed, just like all of us," She looked at Miho. "We're all in this together, so we need to stick up for each other. So don't sulk now, we need you now more than ever." She stated.

Miho beamed. "You're right," She skipped down the hallway, and almost fell forwards.

Yonabaru, Okinawa

By 5:P.M. the town was was in ruins, by the fighting and by the victorious North Koreans who razed the half the city to the ground. The North Koreans gathered up 4,000 civilians and placed them in temporary camps.

Ryuk Mi-jing was sitting in an abandoned house, indulging in some Soki. "Mm, this stuff is good!" She exclaimed in happiness. "Maeng, want some?" She asked her driver, who was standing behind her. The driver shook her head politely.

Mi-jing went back to her dish. "Those Japanese are barbaric, but their food sure is good!" She yelled.

" ?" A voice rang out from behind her.

Mi-jing quickly whirled around and saluted. "General Ryang! Good to see you, sir!" She shouted.

The man before her saluted back. "Nice work out there, taking out an entire company in just an hour. It's to you that we were able to take Yonabaru in just over an hour. It's unbelievable that you're just a schoolgirl," He commended.

Mi-jing nodded. "Thank you. I am just doing my duty for the glorious leader, and am willing to sacrifice my education, time, body and life for the ultimate victory," She shouted.

"Good, I hope you will continue to serve our glorious leader successfully. In a few hours you're going to be redeployed to Uruma to lead the attack," General Ryang announced.

"Nuruma, sir?" Mi-jing asked.

"Yes, there are over 5,000 enemy troops garrisoned there. We need to break through to meet up with the Northern Force."

"Any reinforcements, sir?"

"The harbor is getting fixed up as we speak. We'll be getting over 28,000 troops by June 8th."

"That's good, this is our real fight ever since unification."

"And unlike unification, we will no doubt take few casualties and deal deal a heavy to the enemy!"

Mi-jing thought of something. "Sir, if I may ask, are there others like me?"

"And what do you mean?"

"Well, Senshadou-" Ryang glared at her. "Er-Special Tank Corps like me. You know, there's lady Wu from China, I am sure there are others like her and I."

Ryang raised his head in realization. "I'm sorry, I forgot to mention this all together until you mentioned it. It seems the Japanese are sending their own Special Tank Corps ace, Nishizumi Maho from the Kuromorimine Girls High School," He said apologetically.

Mi-jing yawned. "I hope she'll be more of a fight than my counterpart from the South. She was just a whiny little brat. Now that I realize it, where did she go? I'm positive I made sure she was put in solitary confinement," She shrugged. "Oh well, I guess."

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but this Nishizumi never seemed to have been in actual combat. She'll be an easy egg to crack," Ryang informed her.

Mi-jing groaned in frustration. "That's boring," She complained.

Ryang patted her head. "Don't worry. After we defeat Japan you'll be redeployed to Nepal, and you and lady Wu will play a big role in the biggest offensive in history," He told her.

Mi-jing beamed in glee. "Okay!" She shouted.

Ryang turned around. "Now get some rest," He left the room.

Mi-jing looked at her driver. "You heard him, Maeng, get some rest." She ordered, and Maeng rolled her eyes.

Saunders Girls High School

Key, Alisa, Naomi and Seo-yeon were at a cafe, eating ice cream.

"Hey, you doing okay?" Key asked Seo-yeon.

Seo-yeon nodded. "I think I'm doing a bit better,"

Key laughed. "Great to hear! You're doing better than Alisa here," She poked Alisa in the head, who sighed in annoyance.

"Can you stop it already?" Alisa moaned.

Naomi leaned in close to Alisa's ear: "I can replace Takashi whenever you want," She whispered.

Alisa scooted away from her, face bright red. "What is wrong with you?" She shouted.

"Naomi can't chew her bubblegum anymore, so she needs a replacement. I think both of you will have a positive experience from this." Key winked as Naomi picked Alisa up and dragged her away to the rear of the cafe.

"Those two are perfect for eachother." Key said through tears of laughter, much to the confusion of Seo-yeon. Key wiped her tears away, and watched dozens of girls, all in uniform, running along the streets in column, rifles slung over their backs.

"Strange seeing young girls training for war," She said to herself, her head resting on her arms.

"You got that right," Seo-yeon whispered to herself. "What did you name them?" She queried.

Key perked up. "Hm? Them? I named them after the minutemen. Well, they're the minutewomen to be exact. I don't like it, but you gotta do what you gotta do," She explained.

Seo-yeon leaned back in her chair. "My country didn't have the time to enact such measures to stave off defeat," She breathed out. "This is becoming a rerun of World War II." She said, and Key and looked at her. "The entire nation is being transformed into a military machine. Children and students-" She looked at the marching girls outside, "being trained in war and brainwashed to believe it's a good thing." She stopped and scooped up a spoonful of ice cream. "I've seen it personally. All my friends, family dead and gone. The entire country was burned down, nothing could have been left alive. To defeat a country would be to destroy the people."

"What does that mean?" Key asked nervously. Seo-yeon looked at her. "This isn't just a regular war. Not even Total War. No, what is happening is a war of extermination."

Kuromorimine Girls High School Carrier

Maho yawned, looking out at the sea.

"Ready for the fight, commander?" Erika placed her arm around Maho's shoulder.

Maho nodded. "We'll be in Okinawa by seven O'clock. We'll most likely be sent to the front lines tomorrow," She breathed in deeply. "It will be tough, I know it will. But if this will bring peace to Japan, and to the world, I am perfectly happy to join in the fray. I'll do whatever it takes to protect my friends and Miho." She turned and stared at Erika. "You're with me, right?" She smiled lightly.

"Yes, commander!" Erika shouted. She hugged Maho tightly. 'We'll survive this together, promise?"

Maho hugged her back. "Do we really need to promise such a thing? I thought it was normal for us to live, but if you insist, I promise. I promise we will all live through this ordeal,"

Panzer X (Original Vehicle): A Tiger I upgraded to modern standards in 2022

"Angriffstiger"- "Attack Tiger"

Advanced Modular Armor Protection(AMAP): Modular composite armor developed by the German company IBD Deisenroth Engineering. It is a 4th generation composite armor, using nano-ceramics and steel alloy

Panzer XII (Original Vehicle): An upgraded version of Tiger II

'Igel'- "Porcupine"

Jagdpanzer VII (Original Vehicle) : The most recent tank destroyer designs developed in 2020

'Hornet'- "Hornisse "

APFSDS-Armour-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot: Type of kinetic energy penetrator ammunition.

AMP: Advanced Multi-Purpose rounds.

HESH: High-Explosive Squash Head: A type of explosive ammunition against tank armor. A thin metal shell filled with plastic explosives and a delayed action base fuze.

Landsknecht: A German mercenary group that operated in Europe and between the 15th-16th centuries. They used pikes and supporting infantry, and fared well against the Spanish Tercios and the feared Swiss Pikemen.

Schutzstaffel: Originally the personal guards of Adolf Hitler, they quickly became a major paramilitary organization, getting rid of the SA and competed with the Wehrmacht. They were known to be the elite, brutal Nazi army of Germany. They became synonymous with the Holocaust.

Werewolf: From the book "Der Wehrwolf", about a German peasant during the Thirty Year's War who gathers up an army to defend his home. Became famous in Nazi Germany, and Adolf Hitler planned to create a guerilla unit called the "Werewolves" who were to sneak into Allied lines and create havoc.

Freikorps: Mercenary groups that operated from the 18th-20th centuries, serving in infantry and cavalry units. The name took up again after WWI when Germany was in a Civil War, Communist militias was taking territory, right-winged paramilitary organizations generally called the "Freikorps" fought the communists and killing people with left-wing ideals. They became the model for the SA and SS, with several important members of the SA and SS being part of the Freikorps, including Himmler and Rohm.

"Giovinezza"- "Youth": A popular tune in Fascist Italy, being the unofficial anthem until 1943, when it became the official anthem of the Italian Social Republic.

Old Guard: The elite veteran members of Napoleon's Grande Armee. They were used in a moment of victory, or as in the battle of Waterloo, as a final, desperate trump card.

Arditi: The elite stormtroopers of Italy in WWI and WWII. They used mobile tactics to destroy the static trenches. They influenced the Blackshirts, and many joined Mussolini's Fascist movement.

Soki: Okinawan cuisine

Special Tank Corps: The North Korean term for Senshadou, as the North Koreans detest Japan and will not use Japanese terminology.

War of Extermination: A war in which the opposing forces do not question their motives, actions and consequences for war. They will try to wipe out the enemy entirely without remorse.