You guys thought I was gone, didn't you? Well, fret not, I'm back! Sorry it took so long though.
Six: Goodbyes
It had been some time since Lou had returned to the mess hall along with the other girls, and while Alisa and Naomi split from the group to do their own things, Kay and Darjeeling wasted no time in bringing the newest addition to the Saunders family around to meet up with the others. Among the new faces that Tuckerman met were, of course, the commanders of the other two teams; even at this side of the planet, despite the fact that it's Europe of all places, the Nishizumi name was still known to a certain extent, and Lou was astounded, albeit mostly cluelessly, to meet Miho herself in the flesh. That lack of knowledge on how significant her family name was seemed to please the Ooarai team commander, however, even allowing her to warm up to Lou quickly; the French-American brunette figured that, inferring from her family's supposed fame, she was glad to not have herself set on that high pedestal. Louise also found herself easing up as she had fun talking about tanks with the Ooarai girls too, something that she would have spent more time doing had a certain black-haired, overly-stuck-up girl came swooping down with her two similar-looking companions to chew both her and Kay out for their previous escape from them. That put an end to the time with the Ooarai girls, and the two Saunders girls quickly noped out of the area, regrettably leaving the St Gloriana commander behind.
Finding refuge at the Pravda side, Lou met up with Katyusha, and that team commander definitely stood out in her own way as well. Well, more like "sat out". On Nonna's shoulders. Despite the intent staring from both that dark-haired girl and the escorting Klara, it was impossible for the French-American girl to hide her sheer amusement at the scene, but it only took a short while for the two Russian-speaking girls to be certain that she was not being mean-spirited about the whole thing. Unlike what popular belief would lead others to believe, they were not without humor; they could see the amusing side of their commander riding on Nonna's shoulders. Much like Ooarai, the Pravda girls were great to be with as well, and Louise found herself easing up once again talking about tanks. Though, with more people to meet and with Darjeeling reunited with the two Saunders girls, the brunette had to move off to meet more people.
And last but not least, St Gloriana was up. Assam was cool and Pekoe was sweet, and the French-American girl was about to go on and meet the others. Unfortunately, though, Kay had to split up and head to somewhere quiet; her girlfriend had probably woken up and it was time for her morning call. Lou still had no idea what that girl's name was; for some reason, every single time she was about to find out, something just had to happen to completely and utterly interrupt it. Though, judging from what she knew about the name, Louise had a hunch of what it was. Sounded like the best fit so far would be Tal-
"Louise, this is Rosehip," Darjeeling gently poked Tuckerman out of her thoughts as a certain redhead sprinted up to the two. "She's the leader of our Crusader platoon."
"Eyo!" the energetic speedster grinned widely as she patted Lou hard on the back.
"(Oof!)"
"You're the new girl, eh? Nice ta meetcha, I'm Rosehip! Welcome to sensha-do!"
"T-thanks! Louise Tuckerman, just call me Lou. Nice to meet you too!"
Watching as the two girls interacted with each other, one evidently going off the rails while the other followed along, Darj raised her cup to take a sip…
… of air.
"It seems like I have run out of tea," the St Gloriana team commander announced. "You two can chat on, I'll go look for Pekoe for a refill. Au revoir~"
And with that, the blonde girl left.
Lou raised an eyebrow. "... That's a bit too heavy, considering the context. Using 'au revoir' like that. She's not actually leaving. Like, you know, leaving leaving."
"Well, that's Darjeeling-sama for ya," Rosehip shrugged. "She's still so awesome, though~!" the redhead immediately followed up, swooning happily. "Anyway, I'm the fastest in the team!" she grinned proudly. "Also, leader of the Crusader platoon! You won't find anyone faster!"
"I see…" the brunette nodded in awe and curiosity. "Really?"
"Yeah! Though, I did hear about someone from your school that claims to be the fastest. Is she here…"
Looking away, the St Gloriana speedster swung her head around. "Nope! But yeah, I'm the fastest! I tested it out myself!"
"That's nice!" the brunette smiled.
"You bet it is! Hey, what grade are you in? You look like a First Year to me!"
"Yeah, I'll be a First Year. At least that's what they've been telling me."
Rosehip's eyes lit up. "Nice! You're the same as me then!"
"Ooh, really?"
"Yeah! We've both got plenty to learn, plus we're gonna run into each other in the field for the next three years! Well, two and a half, but you get me!"
"Y-yeah, that's cool!" the young Tuckerman beamed. "I'll do my best!"
"Well, if it isn't Kombucha!" a braided brunette, dressed in the St Gloriana uniform, suddenly greeted as she walked up to the two girls.
"And that one right there's Ukulele," Rosehip pointed at the newcomer without missing a beat.
"'Ukulele'...?" the French-American pondered in confusion just as the braided girl slapped the redhead on the back of her head. This first strike was what instigated the bickering and horseplay that quickly followed, with various retaliations of the verbal and physical kind over the course of several seconds as the Saunders newcomer watched on quietly.
"I'm gonna kick your sorry ass!"
"Do it, bitch! I fucking dare you!"
"(U-umm…)"
"Oh, sorry! Where are my manners?" the braided brunette finally took notice of the waiting Louise and stopped, giving Rosehip one last shove before dusting herself off. "Hello, you must be the newcomer!" she smiled. "I'm Rukuriri! Nice to meet you!"
"Nice to meet you too…" Lou responded cautiously, slowly brushing aside the scuffle she had just witnessed aside. "I'm Louise."
"Oh, so you're the new girl 'round the block!"
"Y-yeah."
"Nice, welcome to sensha-do!" the St Gloriana brunette grinned warmly. "You'll love it!"
"Heh, thanks!"
"Yeah, thanks for repeating that for me," St Gloriana's redheaded speedster rolled her eyes.
"Sod off!" the taller girl barked back before turning her attention back to the new Saunders girl, her scowl instantly returning to a warm smile. "Anyway, when we meet on the battlefield you'll find me commanding one of the Matildas!"
"Those are the small, slow ones, by the way."
"Shut the hell up! Matildas are great!"
"Not! News flash, this is sensha-do! What bloody infantry are you supporting?!"
There they went again. All Lou could do was watch as the two St Gloriana girls began to bicker and shove each other again.
"I'll show you 'slow' after I break your legs!"
"Oh, you're more than welcome to try! Every single girl I've met with a braid like yours crew small and slow tanks! Like that other redhead that thinks she's hot and fast and trying to beat me for some reason!"
"'Other redhead'…?" Lou asked curiously.
"Yeah, she's in your school!" Rosehip replied to the French-American girl as she pushed against Rukuriri's arms. "Go look for a Tal-"
"We're not done here! Don't you dare change the subject!"
"Piss off!"
"Besides, you lost to her earlier this year, remember?"
"That was a bloody fluke! They gave me the wrong cunting engine! You know this!"
"Excuses, excuses!"
"Yeah, fuck you too!"
"(Umm…) Ru… Rukuriri…?"
"Yeah?" Now it was the braided brunette's turn to turn her head to the Saunders newcomer.
"What year are you?"
"I'm a First Year. And you?"
"Same!"
"Oh, that's nice!" the Matilda commander immediately turned to the ponytailed brunette, stopping the fight between her and the Crusader commander. "Seems like we're going to be running into each other for the next three- no, two and a half years!"
"Wooow, how original…" Rosehip snarked.
Rukuriri rolled her eyes, choosing to ignore that remark. "That reminds me; hey, Louise, now that you're in sensha-do, what do you have in mind next?"
"(Huh…?)"
"As in, what are your goals from here onwards? Well, beyond getting into a tank too, for that matter. The overarching picture, the longterm plan!"
"W-well, uh…" Tuckerman stammered as she looked for her words. "I-if I'm being honest, I don't quite know… I never thought I'll make it this far, you know…"
"Heh, and that's fine!" the Matilda commander beamed as she patted the other brunette encouragingly on the shoulder. "It's not something many people know from the get-go, but we'll find it in time! Speaking of finding…"
Stepping closer, the braided brunette's eyebrows furrowed as she leaned in to take a good look at an increasingly-nervous Lou.
"Oh blimey, come on Ruku, stop being a weirdo for once!" Rosehip groaned.
"Look who's talking!"
"Yeah, but you're scaring her!"
"Oh! Sorry!" Rukuriri immediately pulled back, smiling sheepishly. "I tend to get lost in my own thoughts, is all."
"I-it's no problem, heh…" was the reply from Louise as she meekly returned the smile.
As her smile relaxed, Ruku folded her arms as she looked at the new Saunders girl. "I think you'll make a good commander."
"(Huh…?)"
"Oh, Ukulele here, being a weirdo," Rosehip began to explain, earning a momentary glare from the girl in question, "likes to observe and tell what people will be good at. What's surprising is that as much as I don't wanna admit it, she's quite good at it."
"Yeah, and you're giving me commander vibes," the braided brunette nodded. "Granted you're still, well, introverted and all, but if you break out of your shell you'll do great! I think. All of these are just hunches, y'know."
"I see…" the ponytailed brunette nodded quietly, thinking about what the St Gloriana girl had just said.
"But of course, it's just a guess!" Rukuriri immediately followed up. "I've been wrong many times! Don't take my word as the truth, I only do it for fun!"
"Okay… Got it!" Lou nodded happily.
"Yeah, and you know what she also does for fun?" a cheeky smirk came to Rosehip's face. "Getting herself nailed by her giiirlfriiiend~"
Immediately, a hot-red blush found its way on Rukuriri's cheeks. "W-what?! A-anyway, I'll go get some drinks for us! What do you two want?"
"Uh… Well, Coke will be nice. I saw some at the fridges." "Same as her!"
"Gotch- Wait," the braided brunette stopped mid-step. "Rosehip, you sure?" she frowned as she turned to face the redhead. "I really don't want to deal with your sugar high."
"Baaah, it'll be fine!" the St Gloriana speedster immediately waved it off. "I won't go ham with that stuff! I promise!" she smiled sweetly
The Matilda commander stared at the redhead for a few seconds, distrust evidently written all over her face. "... Ookay then…" she finally replied as she slowly turned away, walking off to get the drinks.
"Bleh, just ignore what that Ukulele said," Rosehip commented to Lou. "Everyone likes to exaggerate about me."
"They do?" Lou asked.
"Yeah! Sure, I do get a bit energetic after some sugar, but it's not that bad!"
As it turned out, however, whatever Rukuriri had pictured that made her hesitate turned out to be right; barely a few minutes later, a hyperactive Rosehip, shaking with energy beyond excess, was thundering about her Crusaders at a breakneck pace, with Rukuriri trying in futility to calm her down as Louise watched on, amused.
"BUTIWORKONMYTANKMYSELFSOOFCOURSEIKNOWHERBEST!" the redhead barreled on uncontrollably as she ran circles around the two girls, passing girls looking on curiously. "HELLI'MABLOODYCRUSADERMAINMECHANICMYSELF!"
"O-okay, calm down, calm down!" Rukuriri sweatdropped. "Goddamn, I knew this was a bad idea! Yes, it's this bad!" the braided brunette turned to the ponytailed brunette momentarily. "And this is a sorta-common occurrence for Rosehip here! By 'sorta' I really mean every! Single! Day!"
"Is that girl always on a sugar high?" Naomi asked Assam as the both of them watched Rosehip grab and shake Rukuriri violently, the taller girl still unable to do anything as the redhead barreled on, practically unopposed. "Everytime I see her she looks like she's about to jump to space or something."
In response, the St Gloriana vice-commander sighed. "Yeah, that's Rosehip for you. When we get back we really need to limit her sugar intake. Again."
"Oi! Noriko! Help! Save meeeeeeee!"
As the night went on, the girls dispersed from the mess hall, and soon enough they retreated back into their rooms, preparing to turn in for the night. This was no different to Lou as well, who, with towel, soap and new clothes in hand, headed over to the showers on her own. There was nobody else around; the brunette figured that she should wait till most of the other girls were done first, and thus had waited for a while for the crowd to disperse before making her move. She was tired; waiting in line and then being rushed in her turn was not something she wanted to experience.
As she walked down the corridor, she could see the bathroom on her floor ahead, its lights still on; as expected, the crowd that was once there was no longer present. And as she get closer, she noticed that there were no sounds of any of the showers running.
Tuckerman smiled to herself.
Lucky me!
Certain that she managed to get the entire bathroom for her own, Lou stepped inside…
… just as a girl walked out of the stall right in front of her.
Both girls stopped dead in their tracks, having caught each other by surprise. Silently, they simply stood and stared at each other for a few seconds.
As it turned out, the showers were not empty after all.
That was just one thing, however.
The other, more pressing matter was something that Lou soon noticed as her eyes looked down; the taller, dripping-wet brunette was…
Silence.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
The other girl promptly rushed back into her stall and slammed the door shut. "G-Get out!" she yelled from inside. "What the fuck are you doing here?!"
"I-I'm just here to take my shower!" Louise stammer-shouted back in response, her cheeks beet-red. "What the hell were you doing walking out like that?!"
"It's none of your bloody business! There wasn't anyone else around!"
"It's a public space!"
"I- Ugh! Just fetch me my stuff! At that sink!"
"What?" Tuckerman turned to look at a fresh set of clothes and a towel hanging at the sink.
"Well get on with it! Don't tell me you're blind!"
"W-why are they out here?!"
"I forgot to bring them in, alright?!" was the reply that was hollered back. "I didn't walk out in my bloody birthday suit for fun, you know! Now hurry up!"
Louise stared at the shut stall door in a mix of incredulity and embarrassment, but she sighed, walking over to retrieve the girl's belongings, hanging them over the stall. They immediately slid inside in an instant.
"Thanks!"
"You're welcome…"
"I've not seen you around before, you must be the Saunders newcomer!" the girl commented cheerfully. "Name's Roselle, I'm from St Gloriana! What's yours?"
"I-it's Louise…"
"Ooh, nice to meet you, Louise!"
"Nice to meet you too…" was what the shorter girl could only say as she slid into the stall beside Roselle. Less than a minute later, she heard the other stall door open. "See ya later!" the girl from St Gloriana bade goodbye as her footsteps quickly paced away.
"Yeah…"
Stopping her slow, uncertain wave that went unnoticed anyway, Tuckerman sighed and shook her head. Well, that was a thing.
Now that she thought about it, though, that girl seemed fairly familiar…
Wasn't she one of the St Gloriana girls? Lou vaguely remembered seeing that girl with Rosehip earlier in the evening.
No matter; shaking that incident aside, she continued on. The shower proceeded just as planned; there were no more surprises as she finished up and returned to the room she shared with the Saunders Command Trio. As it turned out, Kay and Naomi were no longer present; from what Alisa said when Lou asked her about it, the both of them had went to talk with some of the other girls, and that the not-currently-pigtailed vice-commander was too tired to follow them. Thus, Lou joined the older girl in the room, preparing for bed.
As the young Tuckerman adjusted her alarm clock, a thought floated into her head. "Hey, Alisa?"
"Yeah?"
"Can I take Ace out for a spin early tomorrow?"
"Oh?" the brunette took her eyes off her phone and looked at the younger girl. "What for?"
"Well, it's nothing much, I just have some unfinished business."
"Woah, Tuckerman, I never thought you're that kind of person," Alisa snickered jokingly. "Who are you taking out?"
"Huh? N-no, I didn't mean that!" Lou immediately refuted, stammering. "I-it's something else!"
The vice-commander laughed. "Yeah, I'm just kidding! Seriously though, what do you want to do? We could help too, you know!"
"We're back!" the familiar voice of a boisterous blonde echoed throughout the room as Kay and Naomi stepped in. "What did we miss?"
"Not much," Alisa responded. "Lou was just asking whether she could drive Ace to somewhere tomorrow morning."
"Oh?" Naomi raised an eyebrow curiously. "What for?"
"She was just getting to that. Lou?"
"O-oh, well…" the French-American girl scratched her cheek timidly. "I figured since s-she's leaving, I should b-bring her to that battle site o-one last time. I c-can park her where she once stood, maybe take some pictures, those kind of things…"
"Ooh!" Kay's eyes lit up. "I don't see why not! In fact, I'll join you!"
"R-really?" Tuckerman's eyes lit up.
"Yeah! I can help you take those pictures and all!"
"Count me in too," Naomi raised her hand.
"I'm coming along as well," Alisa smiled as she nodded. "Hell, I've brought along something that can help us with the photography!"
Lou beamed happily. "(W-wow, I…) Thanks, you guys!"
"No problem!" Kay gave a big thumbs-up. "It's settled then! We'll all get up at five, I'll say!"
Three different voices of agreement and acknowledgement responded. Finished with adjuisting her alarm clock, Lou set it down in her locker, next to her hairband. "So, are you guys going to bed now?"
"Oh, of course not!" the blonde girl replied cheerfully from her bed. "None of us sleep early!"
"We're all night owls," Naomi continued as she sat down on hers. "And you?"
"W-well, I… I don't usually sleep this early too, heh…"
"Sweet, you fit just right in!" the Saunders team leader beamed. "Insomnia gang!"
"Y-yeah, insomnia gang!" Lou chuckled.
"Our princess is the odd one out, though," the Saunders sharpshooter quipped, looking at the other vice-commander lying on her bed. "Are we sure she's one of us?"
"Shut up…"
And thus, the resulting conversations went on into the night.
Several hours later, it was morning once again. The beautiful morning sun, bright as always, shown down from the clear blue sky, the dew of countless blades of grass reflecting the natural orange light off the ground.
Once again, the French countryside was peaceful. And this time, there were no other noises to break the tranquil silence.
Having its fill of nectar, a butterfly took off from a flower and fluttered into the air, to destinations unknown. Wherever it was, though, it flew across the rusting hulk of Teddy, the orange-brown wreck of the M4 still sitting peacefully at her final resting place, as she had over the past near-seven decades.
Of course, Teddy was not alone. Nearby, Wolf, Peaches and Snowball had been her constant companions, as well as the remains of the King Tiger that was responsible for their demise, resting in relative isolation, a short distance away from the group. But of course, there was the missing piece of the puzzle; the one that had made it out alive, only having rested with them for the first several years since the skirmish before being whisked away to safety. The one that had not returned to the area for decades.
On this day, that changed.
Right behind the small memorial cross erected in the field loomed the aged, battle-scarred but otherwise pristine and well-kept hull of an Easy-Eight, the M4 having been accompanied by four girls.
Ace was back.
Inside the survivor, Louise manually traversed the turret to the right and adjusted the elevation of the 76 mm M1A2 gun. She did not know what her grandfather had exactly seen that day, but with all recounts, the brunette definitely had some idea.
Satisfied with the result, the young Tuckerman got out of the gunner's seat, climbed back and popped her head out of the open commander's hatch. "It's done! I did my best!"
"Nice!" Kay grinned from outside, giving a thumbs-up as she stood on the hull of the M4, above the bow gunner's position. "Come on out, we're almost done! You two, is the drone ready yet?" she called out to her two vice-commanders on the field.
"It's ready!" Alisa called back, busy watching the screen on a remote control in her hands. In front of her, a drone mounted with a camera slowly took off from the grass as the two vice-commanders observed it intently. "Alright, all's looking good!" the pigtailed brunette affirmed as she brought the drone higher into the air, beginning to take sweeping video footage of the former battle site.
"Why did you bring a drone along in the first place?" Naomi asked as she watched Alisa do her work.
"Isn't it obvious?" was the reply she got. "It's for area scouting. I brought it along just in case, but apparently it wasn't needed after all."
"For a friendly exhibition match?"
"Hey, you know me!" the pigtailed brunette protested, momentarily glancing over to the short-haired brunette. "It can come in handy for us?"
The Saunders sharpshooter raised an eyebrow.
"I'm not trying to spy on the others! Besides, drones are considered aircraft! I wouldn't be allowed to use them, if I wanted to in the first place! Which I didn't!"
Naomi only smiled and patted the shorter girl's head in response. "I know. Just checking~"
"I already promised I'd stop…" Alisa quietly grumbled to herself in indignation as she continued with the drone's navigation.
Meanwhile, having decided to sit on the turret of the Easy-Eight, Kay had whipped her phone out and was busy taking pictures around. As she went on, she glanced aside at the brunette at the commander's hatch. Louise had a distant look in her eyes as she gazed upon the wrecked tanks from her position.
"Stuff on your mind?" the blonde girl asked.
"You can say that," was the reply as the brunette nodded. "Ace hasn't been back at this very spot for decades, and this is the first time I'm seeing this field from this spot. She's in the exact place and position, but I can only imagine what it truly looked and felt like for Gramps back then. It's just… surreal, even if this is just a tiny glimpse of what Gramps actually went through here all those decades ago."
"I getcha," the Saunders team commander nodded. "Goes without saying, but that was shitty for him."
"Yeah. Though, of course, he made out alive, and that's something to celebrate. Plus, I wouldn't be here if he wasn't, would I?" Lou smiled as she turned her head to Kay.
"Yep!" the blonde grinned. "Your grandfather's a good man, I'm sure."
The ponytailed brunette, the smile on her face now of longing and reminiscence, turned back to the scene. "Yes. Yes, he is."
Noting that, Kay smiled as well, remaining silent.
The two of them gazed around in silence for several seconds.
"Hey, let's take a picture!" the blonde girl suggested as she readied her phone.
"H-huh? O-okay then…" the brunette smiled sheepishly.
The Saunders team commander giggled in response as she brought her phone up. "Smile!"
Snap!
Heheh, we'll whip that shyness out of her when we get back, Kay thought to herself as she looked at the photo. Of course, it was good.
Over the course of the next several minutes, Alisa completed her drone flight, and the four girls huddled together for several group photos with Ace. The last one was a simple selfie in front of the Easy-Eight; behind Kay, Alisa and Naomi put their arms over Louise's shoulders as the Saunders team commander took the picture, the M4 in clear view behind the girls.
"Done!" the blonde girl smiled. "Now, shall we proceed with that one last thing?"
"Ready when you are!" the young Tuckerman smiled as she held up the shovel that was part of Ace's set of pioneer tools.
"Looks like someone's enthusiastic!" Kay laughed. "Proceed!"
And with that, the ponytailed brunette commenced the digging in front of the cross. "It's not that deep down, actually," she huffed, trying her best to dig without losing her breath. "At least that's what I remember. I helped bury it, after all! (Oh Jesus Christ this is fucking-) I'm just worried about any leaks into the box and all, corrosion too."
"Yeah, that'd suck," Alisa nodded as the Command Trio watched on. "Do you think someone could've discovered it and taken it out, though?"
"Well, that'd be a surprise," the new Saunders girl replied, sweating fairly profusely as the hole slowly progressed deeper. "But considering how everything looks, I doubt it. But that's not impossible, maybe someone got curious and dug down to see if anything's-"
A sudden bump from the shovel hitting something interrupted her mid-sentenced. "Well, that answers that."
Within a minute, with the help of the other two, Lou brought out something tightly wrapped in plastic out of the hole, setting it down on the ground beside it.
"(So that's what he meant by more protection…)" Lou muttered to herself as she unwrapped the protective layers. "This outer layer wasn't there when we initially put it in," she explained to the other three girls as the metal box inside, sealed by latches and secured with tape was revealed. Having been well-protected, neither wear nor tear was found on it.
"(Oh hey, it's stil fine,)" the ponytailed brunette quipped as she proceeded to pull the tape out. WIth that out of the way, she smiled and handed it over to Kay. "Here, go ahead. I don't mind."
"Ooh, alright!" the Saunders team commander replied cheerfully as she held the time capsule in her hands. As the Command Trio went ahead to open it, the Saunders newcomer stood by the side.
"Interesting…" Alisa muttered as she looked at the contents. "It's your grandfather's crew! And some…"
"Photos taken after that skirmish," Kay looked on in awe. "Wow, there's quite a bit… Hey, Lou," she turned around, "don't you wanna look at them?"
"Oh, don't worry 'bout me," Tuckerman waved away. "I helped bury this box. There's nothing inside that I haven't seen already."
"Not even this envelope for you?" Naomi asked.
"... What letter?"
Stepping over, the ponytailed brunette was handed a plain white envelope by the Saunders sharpshooter.
The words "For Louise." were written on the front.
"This is my grandfather's handwriting," she muttered softly as she unsealed the envelope. What she managed to pull out was a folded piece of paper.
"Want us to give you a minute?" Kay asked.
"Yeah…" Lou nodded. "Thanks."
Moving a few steps away from the three other girls, the girl unfolded the letter and began to read its contents.
"Hey Squirt,
If you're reading this, that means I'm no more, heh. I have ceased to be, I rest in peace, I am no more, I am an ex-Tuckerman, I have kicked the bucket, hopped the twig, bit the dust, snuffed it, breathed my last, am six feet under, gone to meet the Guy up there, you get it."
The young Tuckerman couldn't help but huff a smile at that blatant reference.
"Point is, I'm dead. Obviously. Else you wouldn't even be reading this, unless you dug the box up early or someone else got to it before you. Hopefully not. But anyway, I thought I should at least write this early, in case you need some advice after I'm gone. If you've got everything sorted out already, that's great, but if there's a roadblock somewhere, now's about the time to listen.
Look, kiddo, you probably feel like shit because I'm gone, not to mention you worrying about Ace as well. Now, you're probably expecting me to tell you to keep my other baby well and up and running, but I know that'll be useless for me to say to you of all people. So, I'll tell you this instead: go do whatever you want, and never stop chasing after your dreams. Everyone knows you want to be in a tank, just like your mother and I. Well, go do it. I know it'll be rough, I know you don't believe that it'll work, that it's a pipe dream that'll never come true, with the odds always stacked against you. Worrying about being too old for tankery, worrying about Ace, worried about not living your life, all of that. Just relax, kiddo. Along your path somewhere, no matter how bad it may look now, I'm sure there will always be people to help you. And I'm also sure that you will make it when you set your eyes on it.
And as for Ace, I've always got a feeling you and her are connected, and I'm not talking about the 'It's my Gramps' tank!' type of thing. That's why I'm sure she'll be just fine, and still be with you too. Who knows, she may follow you as well, and even if she won't she'll still definitely be safe with David, perhaps in the vineyard. If not with him, then perhaps someone else would be nice to her. I know France is shitty with stuff like her, but there are just as many people, if not more, who will love to see her up and running somewhere. So don't worry 'bout it.
Hey, I know you're making that face. I'm not good at writing stuff like this, so cut me some goddamn slack, would you? But just reach for the stars, Squirt. I know you can touch them, even if you can't see that yourself.
Above all, I'm very proud of you. Don't ever forget that or tell yourself otherwise.
I'll go see the guys, your grandma and your mom now. I'll say hi to them for you, of course, and I know they're all proud of you too.
Love,
Gramps."
"Damn it, Gramps…"
"Hey, you okay there?" Kay's voice called out from behind.
"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm alright," the brunette nodded, wiping a few tears from her eyes before turning to face the blonde with a reassuring smile.
"Aww, c'mere!" the blonde grinned as she walked over and threw the young Tuckerman a hug.
"O-oof-… t-too-… tight-…"
"Uh, her face is turning blue…" Alisa commented concernedly from behind the Saunders team commander.
"(Oh, sorry!)" the blonde smiled apologetically as she released her strong grasp on the girl. "But if there's anything you need to tell someone, you can count on us," she said as she patted Lou on the shoulder. "Don't hesitate."
The young Tuckerman nodded. "I will. Thanks."
"Anytime!" was the cheerful reply from the commander. Rejoining the rest of the group, Lou smiled shyly as Alisa and Naomi came over to comfortingly pat her on the shoulder.
"So, I guess we get to keep the box?" the pigtailed vice-commander asked.
"Yeah, we do," Louise nodded, getting rid of the last remaining remnants of her tears. "It's fitting for you guys to have it, I think."
"We'll preserve it!" Kay determined confidently. "Put them somewhere safe, make copies of it!"
"I can digitalize them!" Alisa nodded.
"And put them into the school paper, too," Naomi added on. "We've got everything covered."
"Sounds great!" the brunette beamed happily.
"Oh, looks like we've gotta go soon," Kay noticed as she checked her phone. 'What else do we have to do?" she asked as she looked at the other three girls.
They pointed at the mould of dirt.
"Right, forgot that was there. Well," the commander cracked her knuckles, "let's get to it then!"
And a few minutes later, with the hole filled, the four girls climbed into the Easy-Eight, Alisa settling in the driver's seat. With the rumble of the V8 revertebrating across the ground, Ace reversed slowly with Alisa settled in the driver's seat. Making a two-pointer, the M4 drove slowly back across the field back towards the camp.
From the commander's hatch, Louise looked back forlornly as the survivor past and left her fallen sisters and adversary in their final resting places, the cross the only indication left of the Easy-8's past presence there.
It only took several seconds before Ace left the site of the former skirmish. And as far as Louise was aware, this was going to be the last time, for the both of them.
It was nearly time to go. With Ooarai and Pravda having said their goodbyes and left sometime earlier along with the various auxiliary vehicles of the JSF, the only remaining vehicles were the ones from St Gloriana and Saunders. The British tanks were the first in the column that had been neatly lined up, followed by the M4s, which were then followed by the American-themed school's Jeeps. There was much activity, of course, with various girls running around and checking on various things, with some tanks already started up while others remained silent at the moment. Outside the camp, escorting police motorcycles waited patiently for the green light to be given.
With the hustle and bustle going around her, Louise creaked open Ace's commander's hatched and poked her head out, observing everything that was happening around her grandfather's tank. At the moment, the brunette was alone; with the Easy-Eight parked at her current spot, Kay had told her that she was going to assign a temporary driver to the team's newest addition, and now the Saunders newcomer was patiently waiting for the blonde to return with the aforementioned new driver.
And there they were in the distance. At least Tuckerman thought that other girl was her driver.
"Well, we're not allowed to fly out of Japanese airspace like that," the young Tuckerman overheard the Saunders team commander as she approached. "Besides, the JSF planes are perfect for the job anyway! We don't need to spend any effort on that!"
"Ah, I see." the girl nodded. "Oh, look over there, my commander's asking for me! See ya!"
"Take care!" the commander waved back as the other girl walked off, passing by Ace entirely.
Right, that's not her… Lou mused as she pushed her hatch out, the metallic squeak still present. "What was that about?" she asked curiously, needing to raise her voice over the outside sounds as she leaned over the turret.
"Oh, Liz was just asking me why we're not using our Super Galaxies." the blonde replied from beside Ace.
"What's a Super Galaxy…?"
"C-5M. It's a big plane," Kay grinned proudly. "A very big plane."
"Woah, really?!" Tuckerman looked at the blonde in wonder, astounded.
"Well, specifically it's a strategic military transport aircraft, the air club got three of them as surplus from the USAF some time ago. Somehow."
"You have three?!"
Kay laughed, seeing the utter disbelief on Louise's face. "Yep! I'll show you when we get back. Anyway, that aside, here's your driver for the day! Hey, Reiko!"
"Hello!" a girl waved as she walked over to Ace. "Oh, you must be Louise!" she noticed as she looked up. "Hello!"
"Y-yeah, nice to meet you…" Lou waved shyly.
"Nice to meet you!" Reiko smiled. "Kay told me I'll be driving your tank today, so here I am! Don't worry, she's in good hands!"
"Sure thing!"
"Well, I'll leave you two then," the blonde commander smiled. "We can talk on the radio while we're underway. You've got Ace's radio tuned to the correct frequency already, right?"
"Yeah," the brunette nodded.
"Sweet! See you two later then!"
And with that, the blonde was off on her way.
"So!" Reiko broke the silence, starting up a conversation with the young Tuckerman. "What can you tell me about your tank? Kay said it's different from ours."
"O-oh? Well, for starters, this tank has a Ford GAA…"
It took a while, but just as the Saunders newcomer and her temporary driver had just gotten comfortable and ready in the Easy-Eight, the clock struck ten. The signal was given, and St Gloriana's Crusaders first drove through the gates, followed by the Churchill and Matildas. And with the last Matilda having started off, the first of Saunders' M4s followed closely behind, and soon enough the Jeeps rolled out of the camp.
The journey home had begun. Accompanied by police escort, the British and American tanks rolled on, and soon enough the long column started at Sainte Marie. As expected, a massive crowd had been waiting there in anticipation along with the local media, ready to send the girls off.
What was not expected, however, was a little thing they had planned up their sleeves.
To the shock of the St Gloriana girls and the great amusement of the Saunders girls, the locals had apparently decided, out of jest, that the idea of allowing British tanks to quietly pass through a French town was completely unacceptable. Therefore, they have all banded together outside on the streets that the column will use, put up French banners, and as soon as Rosehip's Crusader came into view they began to shout patriotic French phrases while waving French flags of various sizes.
"Vive la France! Vive la République!"
"Liberté! Égalité! Fraternité!"
"Visser les Britanniques!"
And to rub more salt into the wounds of the poor St Gloriana girls, a band that had been set up was now playing French patriotic songs, to the massive delight of the local crowd, which obviously sang along.
"Au pas camarades! Au pas camarades!
Au pas! Au pas! Au pas!
Au pas camarades! Au pas camarades!
Au pas! Au pas! Au pas!
Au pas camarades! Au pas camarades!
Au pas! Au pas! Au pas!
Au pas camarades! Au pas camarades!
Au pas! Au pas! Au pas!"
Every single bit of the massive jest had been caught on camera. Live.
Needless to say, Anglo-French relationships weren't about to get any particularly better anytime soon.
"I knew this was going to happen sooner or later," Assam groaned in the gunner's seat of the Churchill, the singing clearly audible even from inside. "British tanks in France, the joke's far too big to miss."
"They weren't like this when we first arrived…" Orange Pekoe commented quietly in her seat, having stuck her head out of the loader's hatch a few moments ago.
Unlike the two girls, however, Darjeeling looked absolutely calm, simply sipping on her tea. "Have you heard of this saying, ladies? 'If you buy a gift for someone, and that person does not accept it, to whom does the gift belong to?'"
"Well, Darjeeling-sama…" the younger girl replied as she peeked meekly out of her hatch, "apparently we've received an unreturnable gift after all."
"Oh? What makes you say that, Pekoe?"
"Well…"
Lifting the commander's hatch and getting up to take a look herself, it only took a few seconds for St Gloriana team commander to notice what the crowd was laughing and cheering at; apparently, a French banner had detached from wherever it had once been and flown by, getting itself properly stuck on the muzzle brake of the Churchill's QF 75 mm gun.
Pekoe swore she saw a vein on Darj's neck pop out. Meanwhile, Assam simply sighed in defeat.
Of course, to nobody's surprise, Saunders received a more wholesome fanfare instead, the girls waving happily back at the loud cheers as the band shifted from French pieces to American marches. In contrast to the angry grumbling from the St Gloriana girls, their American-themed counterparts were happily busking in the attention, even singing along with the familiar tunes.
And more was to come for a certain newly-acquired M4! It was no surprise that the story of the Easy-Eight found in a local basement had gotten over the entire town, and even more attention was received when it was revealed that the local girl that had been taking care of her was going to go off to that Japanese school with her. It was thus only right that they had to give a proper send-off; Ace may not be a French tank, but she is still their tank nonetheless, and Louise was obviously one of them.
"Quite the attention, isn't it?" Reiko's voice spoke through Ace's intercom. "I mean, that's to be expected, of course! Enjoying everything up there?"
"Y-yeah…" Lou replied as she creaked the commander's hatch open, just enough for her eyes to peek out. People were cheering her and Ace on; some were even waving banners at her.
"Not a crowd person, eh?"
"Y-yeah…"
Though, as the Easy-Eight slowly drove through the road, the brunette noticed someone on the left side.
Well, a few people.
It was Uncle David! And Irene, Carole and Laure!
Her initial timidness vanishing, Lou pushed the squeaky commander's hatch out more as she excitedly leaned out to get a better view, waving happily at the group. With the roaring of the engines, nothing any of them could shout would be heard on the other end, but right now, words were not necessary.
The young Tuckerman could see Irene mouth "Call back!" with a phone gesture as Ace passed them, and the French-American girl gave a thumbs-up in acknowledgement as she adjusted her position.
And just like that, the four of them were rapidly moving out of sight, and soon Louise could no longer see them. The girl wasn't upset, though; of course she was going to remain in contact with them.
Quietly, Lou slipped back into the hatch and sat down. Away from the muffled sounds of the crowd, all that she could hear were the sounds of Ace and Rukuriri complaining over the radio.
It didn't take too long for the convoy to reach the railyard of the city of Évreux, and from there things proceeded quickly. With the tanks loaded up on the train waiting for them before the girls hopped on theirs, it took several more hours before they pulled into Paris. There was no time for sightseeing; by the late evening, the girls were about to board their planes home at the Charles de Gaulle International Airport. Everything seemed to be right on schedule.
Things were about to to take an interesting turn, however. It seemed that the tickets were randomized; this, of course, meant that nobody knew who was going to seat on which seat. A minor bit of chaos set in as everyone tried to swap their tickets with each other before they ran out of time and had to start boarding. For some of them, they were successful, managing to find seats right next to their friends.
For Louise, however, her luck had seemed to have been used entirely on her sensha-do plans.
It was bad enough that she couldn't find herself a window seat. It was frustrating enough that she had found herself in one of the left-center seats in the middle column of the economy section, sandwiched in by seats she knew were about to be fully occupied. But the people she was surrounded with…
She had no idea who those girls were. Overhearing the conversations around her, it seemed that all of them were St Gloriana students.
Not a single Saunders student in sight.
Tuckerman simply sighed as she leaned back and closed her eyes. Well, at least the British-themed schoolgirls were polite-
"You!"
Her eyes popping open, the French-American girl turned her head left, towards the source of the voice that had yelled. It was a girl that she recognized; unfortunately for her…
"What in the blazes are you doing here?" Roselle questioned fairly rudely for a St Gloriana girl. "I thought I was going to be sitting next to Hip!"
"H-huh? W-well, no, I'm on the right seat here…" Lou replied timidly as she took out and meekly waved her ticket in hand.
"Are you sure?" the St Gloriana brunette asked further as she slid towards the Saunders brunette, beginning to reach for the latter's ticket. "Lemme see."
"H-hey, what's up with you?" Lou stammered as she defensively moved her ticket out of the other girl's reach.
"Oh, I just want a look is all," Roselle replied as she pushed on, undeterred, leaning against the seated girl.
The antics of the St Gloriana girl began to annoy Louise. "Jesus Christ, can you not?!" she frowned, her shyness taking a momentary backseat. "This is my seat!"
"I don't believe you!" was the retort from Elle. "Just let me see!"
"Fuck off! Get off me!"
With another lunge, Roselle managed to get her way, snatching Lou's ticket off her hands.
"There! That wasn't so hard, was it?" she pushed herself back as she read the ticket. The French-American girl simply stared at her in disbelief.
Several seconds later, the ticket was handed back to her. "Bollocks. Well, guess I'm gonna be right beside you," the St Gloriana girl shrugged as she took her seat right next to the Saunders girl. "I didn't choose this…" she grumbled to herself.
"Hey, I didn't choose this either!" Lou retorted. "Why would I pick a seat next to an exhibitionist?"
"S-shut up!" Elle flustered, a blush quickly forming on her cheeks. "Do you want the whole plane to know?!"
"You're talking far louder than me! And I'm not the one that walked out of a shower stall stark naked!"
"It was an accident and you know it! Ugh, you bloody Frenchies!"
"I'm only half-French. The other half's American and that's the dominant side."
"So you're half traitor and half Frog, got it."
"I'm going to fucking-"
"Now, now, ladies, let us keep things civil between ourselves," Darjeeling interrupted the conversation calmly as she sat down on Lou's right. "This is a long flight after all, so please try to be civil towards each other, would you?"
The two brunettes just stared at the blonde.
"... You're seating here?" Roselle asked.
"Why yes, I am. I'm sure I will be able to keep you two First Years company," Darj smiled pleasantly.
All the St Gloriana brunette did was slump back into her seat, facepalming. "Well, good bloody luck to you," she muttered to Lou.
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"Ah, Louise, would you like to hear some stories about my experiences in sensha-do?" the St Gloriana team commander offered politely. "I have quite the list~"
"(Oh?)" Lou turned her head to the older girl, her eyes lighting up. "Yes, please!"
Splendid, she doesn't know… Elle thought to herself as she quietly pulled out her headphones, sliding them over her ears. This was going to be a long flight…
