Chapter 2
In Which a New Teammate is Found and a Challenge Issued
Every day after school, Ayako joined Hayley and Liza for practice and drills. By sheer force of will, she was now the de facto leader of the team. She drove them hard and they responded with good-natured tolerance. Liza could complete any maneuver thrown at her, but Hayley still varied wildly in her accuracy. One training session she would hit the target first time, the next she would need two or three tries. Still, Ayako was pleased with their progress.
They needed a loader, though.
Ayako brought up the subject of recruiting after school one day. "We need another crew member. We can do without a radio operator, but we need a dedicated loader."
"Yeah, I asked around my class, but none of them are interested," said Hayley.
"Same here, b'y," said Liza.
"We must cast our net wider," replied Ayako. "We can target second years and freshmen with our campaign. First years would be preferable, since they can carry on the club when we are gone."
"We can put up new posters and banners, and we could send out a blanket e-mail to the student body," suggested Hayley.
Ayako frowned. "That is too passive. We will observe the first years and select one who looks promising. Then we shall win them to us with the promise of a rigorous training regimen designed to Kuromorimine's exacting standards."
"Or, y'know, we could tell her that it's fun and a good way to make new friends," suggested Hayley.
"Did'ja have many friends back in your old school?" asked Liza.
"I had my sensha-dō teammates. We relied on each other absolutely."
"This is a school, not the army," said Hayley. "Did you ever do anything fun with them? Girls' night out? Watching movies in your jammies?"
Ayako gave her a blank look.
Hayley sighed. "Forget it."
The meeting petered out. Ayako was convinced of the way forward, though. She began observing the first years when they played sports, looking for ones that showed aggression and the will to win. Hayley found her one day on the athletic field watching an impromptu soccer match that was going on during the lunch break.
"Jeez, Ayako, people are going to think you either really like sports or you're some kind of stalker," said Hayley. "Maybe you should-"
"Her," said Ayako pointing to a blond girl with pigtails who had just made a particularly vicious sliding tackle. "She's the one."
"Ooookay…"
The game finished and the players began to disperse. Ayako hurried forwards to intercept the freshman she had pointed out.
"You there! What is your name?" she demanded.
Hayley, following behind, winced.
The girl turned around. "Câline! Who wants to know?"
"You should address me as senpai," said Ayako coldly. "I am Ishiguro, of the sensha-dō club."
The girl shrugged. "Sure thing, Ishiguro-senpai. I am Justine."
"I am impressed by your competitiveness," said Ayako. "We are in need of a crew member for our tank, and you are just the kind of person we want."
Justine reacted enthusiastically. "C'est malade! Do I get to shoot the gun and blow stuff up?"
"Hayley-san here is our gunner," said Ayako, motioning towards her.
"OK, I can drive the tank and run over stuff, oui?"
"We already have a driver."
"What do you want me to do, then?"
"We need a loader for the gun," said Ayako, trying not to let Justine's overblown accent distract her. Evidently she had some affinity for French-Canadian culture.
"Tabarnouche! That's it!? Forget it!" Justine started to storm off.
"Whoa, whoa, watch your language, eh?" said Hayley, appealing for calm. "You can try out as the gunner, OK?"
Ayako was torn between being irate with Hayley for rearranging the crew without permission and gratitude when Hayley's words made Justine turn back.
"All right, what the heck, I give it a try!"
"We meet in the hangar over there," said Ayako, pointing. "This afternoon, after classes."
"I will be there! Á tantôt!" said Justine.
Ayako began to have misgivings almost immediately.
Hayley was telling Liza about their new member when the trio arrived at the hangar that afternoon.
"This team is really takin' off, b'y," observed Liza as they entered the building.
"Yeah, but for how long?" said Hayley. "Shooting at one target and rolling around our little field is going to get old eventually."
"So where's this girl?" asked Liza.
"I'm sure she will be here soon," Ayako replied. Justine had seemed very eager, perhaps overly so.
The clang of the Ram's turret hatch opening suddenly made them all jump.
"Yeah, like right now!" yelled Justine, emerging from the turret. "Let's get this party started, by gar!"
"I thought I locked the door," said Hayley faintly.
"You did, mon amie," replied Justine, climbing down. "I went to the office to sign up, oui? They gave me this key!" She waved it around and promptly dropped it. She stooped to pick it up, muttering what sounded like vile imprecations under her breath.
"So you've already made up your mind to join?" asked Ayako.
Justine shrugged expansively. "Maybe, maybe not, we see. I can always return this. But, I have to tell you, I watched some of this sensha-dō stuff online! The battles, the explosions!" She conducted some elaborate hand movements complete with sound effects that suggested a tank getting blown violently apart.
Ayako bowed formally to her. "As commander, allow me to welcome you to the True North sensha-dō team. Sensha-dō has a long and honourable history, beginning with-"
Justine cut her off. "Yeah, yeah, I read about all that junk. Envoye! I want to shoot at something!" She began bouncing up and down on her feet.
See, said a part of Ayako's mind. She shows the kind of drive that Rommel himself would be proud of. What could go wrong?
Liza, trying unsuccessfully to hide a wide grin, began fuelling the Ram. Once the ammunition was restocked, Justine entered the turret and took the gunner's seat while Hayley sat in the commander's position and showed her the controls. Ayako perched on the hatch combing, slightly dazed.
"And to shoot, you pull this, oui?" Justine asked, her hand grabbing the trigger mechanism.
"Not inside!" shouted Ayako, snapping out of her distracted state.
"Ben là, I was just asking! You think I'm crazy?"
Yes! Yes I do! Ayako thought silently.
"It's not loaded," pointed out Hayley.
"I know, but proper safety procedures must be followed!"
"Should we head over to the range, skipper?" suggested Hayley. Ayako nodded. Hayley slid over to the loader's position allowing Ayako to take her spot. Liza took her place and got them underway. The Ram jolted over the sod.
"Oh, sacré bleu! I am feeling the carsickness!" Justine was turning green as she spoke.
Ayako put her face in her hands.
"Hang in there," Hayley reassured Justine. "We're almost there."
Liza parked the tank and Justine quickly regained her normal colour. Hayley began instructing Justine in the use of the gun sights. Ayako half listened to the talk of muzzle velocities and aiming reticules. When Hayley had finished, Ayako picked up her binoculars and opened the hatch. "Load AP!"
Hayley rammed home the training shell. "Loaded!"
"Gunner, prepare-"
There was a loud report and the tank rocked back on its suspension. Ayako looked at the smoke drifting from the muzzle in disbelief.
"Wait! You wait until I give the order! Just! Wait!"
Justine stared up at her. "OK, OK, take it easy, mon amie. Breath!"
Ayako tried to steady herself. She was about to unleash a tirade in her best drill sergeant manner when Hayley interjected.
"So, did she hit it?"
Curiosity got the better of her and Ayako peered through her binoculars. There was no mistaking it: there was a neat hole in the dead center of the bull's-eye.
"Very good," she admitted grudgingly. "Now we'll change location and see-"
She was interrupted yet again, this time by the heavy chatter of the coaxial machine gun. Tracer flew downrange and a flurry of dust erupted around the target marker.
"Ha, this is fun!" Justine enthused.
"CEASE FIRE!" shrieked Ayako.
There was silence. Justine and Hayley were looking at her, Hayley with some concern. She stabbed her finger at Justine.
"If you want to be part of this team, you will follow my instructions. Fire only on my order, is that clear?"
Justine shrugged. "You're the boss."
It was at this point that Ayako gave up on ever being called 'commander' again. "Driver, move to a new position."
Liza obligingly drove a few meters away from their original spot. Hayley loaded another round. "Gunner, you may fire when ready."
"For sure on that!" Justine was already laying the gun. She fired, and Ayako saw the impact, once more in the middle of the target board. They repeated this exercise three more times to be sure. It was no fluke; Justine really was a crack-shot prodigy. Ayako breathed easier until the drive back to the hangar induced another attack of nausea in Justine. This kind of thing had never happened at Kuromorimine.
The next day, Ayako was in the hallway walking between classes when Justine came up suddenly from behind and slapped her on the back.
"Hey, boss! How's it going?"
Ayako tried to get her breath back.
"Listen, I just want you to know that Hayley-san, she have a talk with me about the gun safety, oui? We go over the rules and she say that if I ever shoot without permission again, I am outta here!"
"That's… that's good. See that you remember," said Ayako, gathering her wits.
"OK, boss! See you later!"
Once again, Hayley had gone over her head, Ayako reflected. She would have to have a serious talk with her about the chain of command.
Justine was undeterred by her motion sickness and followed Ayako's orders to the letter in the training sessions that followed. It seemed like they just might have a reasonably functioning crew. It was time for the next phase of the plan.
Ayako stared at her phone. Would they just laugh at her? Kay-san seemed the friendly type, though. And this was the only way forward, unless she wanted to find enough money for a fleet of new tanks. She entered the number.
After a few rings, Saunders' team captain picked up. "Hello?"
Ayako launched into her carefully prepared speech. "Greetings, Kay-san. This is Ishiguro with the True North High School sensha-dō team."
"Oh, hey! I, uh… I don't think I've heard of you," said Kay.
"We are a brand-new team, just starting up. I have a favour to ask of you, if I may."
"OK, shoot!"
"Er…"
"I mean, go ahead!"
"Ah, yes. At present, we have only a single tank. I was wondering if you would be willing to participate in a one-on-one battle with us. It's the only way we will be able to gain experience," said Ayako.
There was a pause on the other end as Kay mulled this over.
"A duel, huh? I don't think I've ever seen a one-on-one fight before. Hey, why not! What are you bringing?"
"We have a Ram Mk. II."
There was another silence. Ayako imagined Kay hurriedly looking up the stats.
"OK, got it! Hmm… looks like you'd be a good match-up with one of our Sherman crews. When do you want to do this?"
"We were thinking of next weekend."
"Great, how about Saturday? I can book us for one of the battlefields. I'll send you the details."
"That's good." Ayako gave Kay her contact information. "Thank you very much. I look forward to this match."
"No problem! See ya!"
Ayako hung up and breathed a sigh of relief. That had been easy. Now she just needed to break the news to her team.
"Seriously? We're going to battle Saunders?" said Hayley.
"Yes, just one of their tanks," said Ayako.
"You know our gunner gets seasick, right?"
"Carsick. I have never been seasick," corrected Justine.
"Sorry, eh?"
Justine waved off the apology. They had just begun their daily club meeting in the hangar when Ayako had sprung this piece of information on them.
"Justine-san has done well keeping her affliction under control for the past few practices," said Ayako.
"It's a flat field! We're moving for maybe five minutes at a time!" Hayley pointed out.
"Nevertheless," said Ayako, holding Hayley's gaze.
"OK, you're the skipper, eh? Don't get me wrong, I'm pretty excited to fight a real battle at last."
Ayako nodded. "Good. I put in a request with the student council and they have graciously agreed to have the ship dock near the battlefield we will be using on Saturday."
"Which battlefield is it?" asked Hayley.
Ayako handed out some topographic maps. "You might remember it from the Nationals."
"Yeah, I remember this one, b'y! First round, Ōarai versus Saunders," said Liza. "They didn't televise it, but someone put the jumbotron feed online."
"Forest map, eh? This could be fun."
"C'est chouette! At last I get to shoot at another tank! They will blow up real good!"
Ayako smiled inwardly. Her crew was willing to battle and all was right with the world.
They hadn't even reached the start area and Justine was already retching. Luckily, Hayley had brought a pile of sick bags from the academy ship's stores with them. Ayako clenched her jaw. She'd been sure that Justine's condition had been improving lately.
Hayley looked at her accusingly. "I told you this would be a problem."
Ayako, tight-lipped, gave her a quick shake of the head. Liza was doing her best to drive smoothly along the track and now here was the clearing where were supposed to meet Kay. Sure enough, Saunders' sensha-dō team leader and a Sherman crew were there with a couple of Ford MUTT jeeps. Kay waved as they pulled up. "Hi guys! Glad you could make it!"
Ayako and her crew all hopped down. Hayley supported Justine, who rapidly improved now that they were no longer moving. In lieu of a proper sensha-dō team uniform they were all wearing their standard school uniforms. Hayley had attempted to wear a hockey jersey over her uniform for the match, but Ayako had immediately vetoed it.
"Pleased to meet you," said Ayako, bowing to Kay. "I'm Ishiguro, the commander. Justine-san is our gunner, Hayley-san our loader and Liza-san our driver."
"Cool! This here is Brittney. She'll be fighting you today!" Kay waved towards a short, stocky girl with curly auburn hair.
"Hey," said Brittney, giving them a casual wave. "How's it goin'?" She was chewing bubblegum.
"It is going well, thank you," said Ayako. Brittney snapped her gum and gave her a thumbs-up.
Standing off to the side was one of the official sensha-dō judges in her black uniform and silver gorget. Once the pleasantries were over, she stepped forwards.
"Attention, everyone! This battle is a one-on-one match between True North High School and Saunders University High School. The teams will greet each other!"
Bows were exchanged. "Good luck!" said Kay. Ayako and the others echoed her.
"Saunders will return to their starting point, at which time the match will commence," announced the judge. Kay's group all piled into the jeeps and drove off in a cloud of dust, Kay waving goodbye cheerfully from the lead jeep. The judge left in a different direction.
They all took their positions in the Ram and waited for the radio signal to begin. The day promised to be warm, with not a cloud in the sky. Justine was abnormally subdued, no doubt anticipating the next bout of nausea.
Ayako's headphones crackled. "Match start!" came the announcement. A signal flare popped in the sky overhead. This was it.
Author's Notes:
Justine is using snippets of Québécois slang in her speech, including the milder versions of the sacres swear words.
Thanks very much for the reviews so far. Theralion, I have updated Chapter 1 to hopefully address your findings. I'll work to keep improving this fic as long as there's feedback.