It was a normal day on the school ship Gerald R. Ford, nothing out of the ordinary as the ship sailed along the coast of its homeport of Washington State. It was the end of the Fall sports season, meaning the start of the Senshado season. And with the start of the senshado season means the start of what's known as "Boom" season. Little did these boys know, under their new team leaders, it would lead them to greatness.

JayPac Training grounds

The noises of the battlefield filled the air as the team practiced. The lighter vehicles track squeaking and clunking loudly as the tanks speed down a course to train the drivers to stop and move around the battlefield under any conditions. The heavy tanks were practicing alongside the tank destroyers at the firing range. Radio communications were cutting the airwaves as the team leader, Jay, was alongside the tank destroyers, ordering simultaneous firing.

"All tanks report in once you are ready to fire. Report when ready." Jay said, sitting atop his M18 hellcat. Over the radio he heard the heavies and tank destroyers. Everyone was soon ready to fire. "Cody, call out the range."

[Range is 900 meters, all tanks elevate to 900 and hold fire, Shield Lead, are your tanks ready?] Cody said over the radio.

[ We're all green on our end. Call the shot, bud.] Jay lifted the radio to his mouth, knowing this was going to be loud, he braced himself.

"Fire at will!" he shouted. The sound of 20 tanks, with guns ranging from 76 to 122mm, all fired simultaneously. The noise was loud enough to be heard all across the 7 mile long ship. The lighter vehicles were still driving along the course, stopping suddenly to listen to the large firing. By this point they had been practicing for a good two hours, and was the second simultaneous firing of the day.

[Christ on a stick..everytime we do that I feel like we've cracked a few windows...And bones]

{I know what you mean, thank goodness we're at the back of the carrier. I'm sure the residents know what they're getting into every season with them here. } Hanz said over the radio.

"Yeah, I think that should close it out. Good practice everyone, let's head back to the garage." Jay's Tank reversed and started to lead the group of tanks back to the garage, an old Airship hangar, that's affectionately called the "Tank Hangar."

Tank Hangar

The Tank Hangar was large and it had been modified for the Senshado team to conduct their practices and start the tanks here in between battles and practices. As soon as everyone was in, the garage doors to the garage closed and large lights illuminated the hangar. The old hangar had a couple of stairs and everyone made their way up either side of the hangar and filled the hallway to a large room, similar to that of a conference room. Everyone, which is well over 150 people packed into the room waiting for the debriefing to start. Jay, Hanz, and Cody not only had the debrief but exciting news for the team.

"Practice was well executed today, so good on you guys. As you know, Shield team, we need to get used to following the trail and sticking with our lightly armored vehicles, of course, that would be easier if someone did not drive too far ahead." Hanz said looking right at Jay.

"Well, as the Scouts for the group we know when to get away from large targets from ourselves. You know agility is our main weapon." Jay said. "But Scout team as always, you did a damn good job today on the field. I expect nothing less." Jay said.

"Sniper team, you guys were on target. I've got nothing else to say." Cody said. It was true, he wasn't really a talker, but he was getting it out there. He was more on the Action speaks louder than words side of life. Though others who were closer to him, like Jay and Hanz, could tell he was a bit of a softie. Though that was a good thing, as it will prove later on. For now, the group of people all waiting for the next part of the debrief.

"With the debrief being shorter than usual, and the increased frequency of practice, you boys must've been suspecting something was up. And you'd be correct." More murmurs and muttering buzzed the room.

"Silence! All of you! Now Jay, please continue." Hanz said, silencing the crowd.

"Thank you, now for those of you upperclassmen you all know that our school hasn't really done anything with the senshado team outside of small battles with other schools and the regional tournament. Well, that's about to change." He turned on a projector and grabbed a clicker.

"For the past ten years, we've sat idly by and watched the US National Senshado tournament take place ever since our loss back in 2002 to Lone Star High in the semi-finals. Now, in 2013, all three of us went to the HQ of the USSF(United States Senshado Federation), in Danville, Virginia and personally signed our school up for the upcoming tournament this year." Jay explained. A hand raised. "Yes, Peterson?"

"What about the headmaster? What did he say about it?" Jay turned to Cody.

"Well, let's just say I had a very convincing argument about how pathetic it is to still be ashamed so many years later. We need to move on. And that's what we did." He said, in a cold tone. He then cracked a smile, which was rare for him. "So let's go do our best and show these other schools who they're messing with. Triple A style."

Jay looked at the group, letting it sink in for them. "Now with that out of the way, we'll need a couple of you guys to come with us to Danville for the order of the tournament. It's only for a couple of days and it's basically like a tank convention." Surprisingly no one raised their hand. "Really? Free hotels and food?" Then everyone's hand shot up, but one was already up, before everyone.

"Hmm...Peterson, and You, Kyle." Jay said. The two walked down to the front. "These two will be helping us three represent Us at the drawing. Not only that, but it will be happening live on TV as well. Now then, let's break, we've been pushing you guys for 3 days straight with no rest. Enjoy it, because we will get right back into it when we get back." Jay said. The crowd answered with a "Yes sir" And dispersed, slowly flowing out of the room. Peterson and Kyle stuck behind.

"Why'd you choose us, Jay?" Kyle asked. Kyle, who was also a long-time friend of Jay, declined the offer of being a team leader opting for the support role of the heavy tank. Although during the interim without a team commander, he assumed the role. He commands JayPac's T34 heavy tank, Shield 3.

"Well, you raised your hand, didn't you? I thought you wanted to come." Jay said, turning off the projector. "Besides, both you and Peterson had your hands up before I said the free stuff.

"Yeah, I just wanted to see the Tank Museum in Danville. I heard it's pretty amazing." Peterson said. Peterson was a walk-on to the team, never having any experience of senshado until joining the team. He commands one of the Chaffees in the Scout team. Scout 2 to be exact.

"Not only that it's convenient for the government in DC. Not too far away so they can keep an eye on the USSF." Cody said. "I also heard this year that there are gonna be a few less teams. 24 instead of the usual 36."

"Really? That's strange..ah well, let's get packing guys. We're wheels up in 48 hours!" Jay said. They then went their separate ways in the fast-approaching evening.

The public transportation system on the carrier was pretty efficient, as most everyone either walked, took a bus, or sometimes the local rail system, which ran to and from one end of the ship to the other. Jay walked to the train station to catch the train to Midships station.

"What's going on the senshado forum." He pulled out his phone and checked it, seeing he had a notification in the PM section. It was from a username he didn't recognize, as it was in Japanese. It was a message in Japanese and when he copied and pasted the message while climbing down the stare to the semi-underground station. In the translator app, the message said.

"We will be watching, good luck JayPac. K." With a couple of emojis. Jay just brushed it off seeing he had more important things to worry about. A train soon came and he climbed on board, taking a seat by the window as the train started to move. Soon the train was passing by the school, not close, but enough to be able to see the lights illuminated. After about 5 minutes the train stopped at its first station, Harrison Park. Some people got on, but not a lot. Jay's mind soon went back to the forum post, wondering who would have sent that message.

He looked out the window of the train, seeing the bright light of JayPac Airport. Some civilian cargo companies fly in and out, as well as some airlines, depending on the position of the carrier.

"Next Stop, Airport Angle Station '' Jay's stop was there. He looked to see the 34 Right diner and a UPS 767 on the taxiway close by. He got up and went to stand by the door, sending a reply to the mysterious person. {Thanks, we're gonna need it.}

He saw that Hanzl was already in his apartment, as his light was on and soon it began to rain. Jay made his way to his apartment, eventually getting inside and plopping down on the couch. He sighed and just lay on the couch, a little sore from the practice, so he just looked out the window at the rain. His symbol of home. He could hear the TVs and voices coming from the other rooms, as his room was silent, eventually, he fell asleep.

46 hours later…

It had been a couple of days since the team meeting, and Jay was waiting for the green light from the pilots and crews since it was going to be a long flight with multiple stops. Most of the other schools had their own means of transportation whether it be by bus or plane, or even train, but one way JayPac High makes money is by chartering flights on small jets. This was one of those flights.

Jay looked at his phone, back to the short two-message chat he had with the stranger. He took a screenshot of it just in case and put the phone away, grabbing his roller duffle bag and waiting under the awning of the apartment complex. It had been raining the whole night, add to that the cold and it was slightly frosty.

"Guten Morgen, Meine Kommandant, " Hanz said, walking up to him. Jay smiled at his friend. He had known him for about a few months, welcoming him to the team a couple of months after they lost a tank crew. He was one hell of a commander, coming from a long lineage of tankers. "I'm ready for this trip to Danville."

"Yeah, I see that. Also please don't call me that, just call me Jay." Jay said, looking over at the end of the airfield and the small terminal that resided on the side.

"Are you wearing your..?"

"Grandfather's cap? Yes, I am. But I'm not gonna put it on until we're in Danville. I want to stand out." Hanz said. He was right in that regard. A Wehrmacht cap would stand out. Jay had something to stand out as well but he was already wearing it. "I see you're wearing your great-grandfather's tank patch on your shoulder, eh?"

"Yeah, I thought about it and I decided why not put this on my senshado shirt." It was the patch of the 761st tank battalion.

"I talked with Cody and Kyle, and they said that they were ready to go," Hanz said, grabbing his bag and popping open his umbrella. Jay popped open his and they started to race walk in the direction of the airport.

Passengers would regularly fly in from places like Seattle and other cities on the west coast, but seeing as it was the largest ship afloat, it does draw in its fair share of tourists. Most of the time small planes like 737's, A320s, and more commonly CRJs and Embraers. There have been occasions when planes as large as the 777 and A330s have landed on the carrier, but those were rare. Except for the School's 777.

Jay and Hanzl went through security and soon were airside, where the small terminal had a good view of the small jets that were on the ramp. By one of the gates, there was an Avro RJ70 with the JayPac school flag on the tail. That would be the jet they were taking to Raleigh-Durham Airport.

"Look who decided to show up before we left," Kyle said, grabbing his bag and heading to the gate. "You guys know the crew wants to leave as soon as possible."

"We just got the message, we're lucky to get here in about 25 minutes," Jay said, walking behind Kyle. Hanz was silent as the three made their way out to the jet. They climbed the air stairs and, and looked to see Cody and Peterson sitting in their respective seats. The plane had about 75 seats, but most would be empty, as about half the seats would be filled up.

Peterson was asleep, snoring a few rows up front, while Hanz and Jay were discussing the arrangements and the competition of this tournament.

"So...who should we be looking out for?" he asked. "I'm new to the way you Americans take to the sport."

"Well, Lone Star is a big one. Um..oh New York High and Portland are both teams we should look out as well." Jay explained. "I wonder what Lone Star is gonna think?" The Jet jolted, slowly pushing back from the terminal, with a flight crew member doing the safety briefing.

"You know, I think your friend would be trying to calm you down. We have a few hours before we meet our competition, so I would take advantage of it. And for me, I'm gonna get some sleep." Jay thought about it and soon the sound of Hanz snoring in his sleep faintly filled Jay's ears. Jay looked out the window as the jet made its way to the runway, wondering where the future was going to take him. The Jet stopped on the runway and Jay looked at the inflight map at the front of the cabin. It stated that they had two stops to make. The first is Cheyenne, Wyoming, and next is Wichita, Kansas.

The jet roared down the runway, soon climbing up into the cloudy sky, shaking a bit from the turbulence, and then as quickly as it had started, it stopped and a clear blue sky could be seen out the window. The sunlight was shining into the other side of the plane. The captain shut off the fasten seatbelt sign and Jay got up, heading to the galley in the rear of the plane. There was a self-serve station, filled with drinks and snacks. He grabbed a can of soda and a bag of pretzels, before going back to his seat. He put the food down and settled in, as they were about 2 hours from landing in Cheyenne. The plane was still climbing to its cruising altitude but soon leveled off. Jay finished his food and soon fell asleep.

Cheyenne Regional Airport

Everyone was woken up from the jolt that was caused by the small jet landing. Jay looked out to see the small terminal with about 10 other students waiting by the ramp with some bags.

"I get that this is a small jet..but they could at least land a bit more smoothly." He heard Kyle groan across the row from him. He had chosen an aisle seat, not really eager to be right by the engine. Once the Jet had shut down and everyone deplaned and they all waited for the jet to be refueled and restocked with food. A shorter girl walked up to Jay, with a small smile.

"I do have to thank you for the lift, Jay." The girl said. "Otherwise we'd be stuck on the roads! Or have to fly with Portland." Jay just huffed at that, knowing she was trying to get a rise out of him.

"I get it, Portland has a better fleet than us...but the only reason they have one is that they wanted to match us," Jay explained.

"Just messing with you. Thanks for the ride." She then left him alone. He began to wonder what JayPac had been missing all these years, but instead, he just moved himself to the outer edge of the terminal to stay cool. He looked out at the jet sitting out on the tarmac and then leaned against the window. He pulled out his phone and opened the Senshado forum. He scrolled down to the Commander's chat, looking at the most active room. Most of it was just the commanders of the different teams talking about the Order of the Tournament ceremony.

He soon got a call, from a familiar number, one he hadn't seen in a few months. He answered the call, greeting the person on the other end.

"I hope I didn't call at a bad time, old friend." The voice said. "I thought I would check in with you, see how you're doin'?"

"I'm doing just fine, buddy. Heard you with the Birmingham team. Still with the A13?" Jay asked.

"Nah, not really. I'm in a bigger tank, but I miss the old girl. I just called to see what was happening, you know that I know the tournament is coming up."

"Yeah, I know Pascal, and I wish you were here. Hopefully, you'll keep up with what's happening."

"Yeah, I know. I'll try to keep up. And make sure the new guy running my units is up to scratch, you hear?"

"Loud and clear, I gotta go. The plane is boarding. See ya." Jay hung up the phone, chuckling to himself. He hadn't heard from him in a few months, ever since his family moved back to Britain, taking him with them. The two had built the team up from practically nothing, and with Hanz, he knew he had to trust the heavies team with the new leader.

He put his phone away as he saw a group of students making their way out to the jet for the next leg of the flight. He walked towards the door leading out to the tarmac, with the rest of the JayPac boys following suit. They were given the all clear and walked out to the jet, climbing up the air stairs and taking a seat in his still empty seat from the first leg. The soft murmur of the passengers in the cabin filled his ears, along with other noises in the cabin. After a short while, the cabin door was closed, and a new seatmate had taken the seat next to him.
"Hello, there seat buddy." She said, jovially. She was wearing their team uniform and had her hair tied up in a ponytail. "I'm Trish, nice to meet you."
"Likewise, the name's Jay," he replied. "First time on an Avro?" She nodded, the smile turning into a more nervous smile. "Don't worry, it's perfectly safe. One of the safest planes in the world actually. Plus the pilots are highly skilled." He said, trying to ease her nerves. Although, all that seemed to do was quiet her down. The safety briefing was made as the engines started up once again. As the jet made its way to the runway, Jay started to realize how much this next hop will actually hit. This was the beginning of something new, something he had kicked off, something he could look back on. The jet took position on the runway and soon everyone was pressed back into their seat by the acceleration, and the jet rose into the sky bringing with it a very nervous and ecstatic JayPac team.