Apologies for the wait it took for this chapter to come about, I have been busy recently. Wanted to thank everyone who read this story (even if you didn't leave a review). Traffic Stats doesn't lie *evil smirk*.
Her eyes opened, and Lupa could've sworn she saw blurry stars in the sky above her, but as her vision cleared, she realized it was still daylight, and the rest of the girls were standing over her. "Are you alright, commander?" one of the girls asked, her tone frantic.
The Reiver commander replied with a groan, the attempt to rub the side of her head blocked by the helmet still rested there. "You did that on purpose!" one of the students bent over her looked up at the 7TP parked next to the knocked out Ansaldo 5(t); the commander looking down on the scene with a cruel, snide expression written all over her face.
"If you didn't want to take a risk, why did you even bother to sign up for tankathlon?" the girl asked, that cruel smirk Lupa decided she instantly detested not leaving her face for a second. "Perhaps you are one of the crowd who think Tankathlon is simply Senshadou with light tanks." her sneer seemed to curve even further, if that was at all possible.
Suppressing another groan, Lupa picked herself up, one arm against the ground, and another clutching at her sore chest. Something felt broken. All she wanted to do was fall back down, but the haughty blood of the Borderers refused. After stumbling for a bit, she adjusted her helmet and glared up at the commander. "Who are you?" she spat out a clot of wet dirt that had found it's way in her mouth.
"Adrianna Maczek, commander of the team that just knocked you out of the match." the haughty girl replied, Lupa suddenly noticed her vaguely Polish accent. "I must say, commander," the way she uttered that word seemed like a taunt at the L5 gunner. "I expected a much tougher resistance than the one I got. Maybe I overest-"
There was a loud metallic clink as a shot from the 20mm Solothurn collided into the turret of the 7TP, sending the commander falling back against the turret interior, and a white flag popping up. "What were you saying?" Gertraud interrupted, standing at the hatch of her L3 cc.
"I thought I told you to take out the tankette with the anti-tank rifle." Maczek hissed at the other 7TP commanders, who stood at their own hatches, stunned by the recent turn of events as their commander's tank was taken out. "Well, what are you -" she was interrupted once again by another blast, this time coming from their other flank, a lone Carro Veloce armed with a 37mm short-barrel gun, the same as the L5's.
"Perhaps, loud mouth, you should actually put your foot in your mouth." Johanna stated, while the remaining 7TP that attempted to flee was easily knocked out by the L3/35 cc. It made no difference as Graham's flag tank had already been taken out.
"Krojanty Academy wins the match!" someone announced, and the confused crowds broke into cheering.
Lupa stood, enjoying the flow of the warm water as it flowed down upon her head and down her neck.
"You sure you're alright, commander?" one of the concerned students asked, knocking on the door. The L5 commander sighed, they still wouldn't leave her alone. She guessed she should've been grateful for such loyalty, but that didn't mean she had to find it necessary.
"I'm fine," she shouted back, gasping and clutching her side in pain.
There was some whispering on the other side of the door, before the classmate spoke up. "Okay, we're sorry for bothering you." she heard them complain as they stepped on one another's feet. Content at being left alone, Lupa grabbed a bar of soap and began scrubbing her arm, intent on removing the layer of dirt that had built up.
If you didn't want to take a risk, why did you even bother to sign up for tankathlon?
Lupa tried to avoid recalling those words and scrubbed harder.
Perhaps you are one of the crowd who think Tankathlon is simply Senshadou with light tanks.
That bloody smirk. What she wouldn't have done to wipe it off that arrogant girl's face. What did she think she was anyway?
"Hey, Warden!" Johanna knocked on the door, using the pet nickname several girls of Graham's had taken to calling Lupa. To the uninitiated, it sounded derogatory, as if implying the commander was a sadist. Lupa knew the true meaning and allowed herself to be called it. She almost viewed it as a compliment. The March Wardens had not had an easy job. "There's someone to see you."
"Be out in a second," Lupa told her vice commander, wringing her hair.
"Oh yeah, walked past Olivia on my way here. Apparently, she and the other girls thought you were teasing the kitty." Joanna chuckled. "You know that'll make you go blind, right?" for the first time since a very long time, Lupa actually fell silent and blushed, before muttering.
"Pervert."
Bloody Pringle, can't keep her mouth shut. Lupa quickly dried off and put her school uniform on, instinctively reaching for her helmet and sword before remembering she had left them outside the bathroom, to avoid getting wet and therefore rusted. She couldn't help but feel exposed without them, like she wasn't wearing a shirt. Putting it into a corner in her mind, Lupa walked out of the room, looking to her right as Johanna leaned against the wall, checking her fingernails for dirt.
"Whoever is here, they're really high-up in Tankathlon." she said aloud, while Lupa motioned for her to lead the way, grabbing the helmet and sword that also lay against the wall. The L5 commander sighed in relief, feeling like she had put panties on, before quickly expelling the comparison from her mind. It felt awkward.
The two walked into the room where a young woman, in her twenties, with long braided blonde hair, green eyes, and freckles, stood waiting for them. "Greetings, Commander Marie was it?" she held her hand out for a handshake.
"It's Lupa." the commander muttered, nevertheless taking the hand of the woman who had come to visit her.
"I saw you in the match this morning," the woman stated. "You did quite a job, it looked like you were going to chase the 7TP to the ends of the earth, possibly into hell." she chuckled, before motioning to one of the chairs. "Please sit down, you must be exhausted." although Lupa felt indignant about being offered a chair in her own damn school, she was too exhausted to offer any complaint and merely sunk into one of them, resting her head against the wall, the brim of her helmet coming down over her eyes and naturally blocking out the light.
After what seemed like forever, the woman finally spoke up. "You have very comfortable chairs here," Lupa didn't know whether or not she had fallen asleep in the short interval. "This could almost be a waiting room." the spacy room had once been one of the ball rooms of the time of the Confederacy, now converted into a sitting room for the girls of the Academy. "I wanted to ask you - what made you do it?"
"Do what?" Lupa asked, raising her head slightly to avoid falling asleep. It was only now, after sitting down and relaxing, that she realized how tired she was.
"Why did you stake everything on the possibility that you would find the enemy flag tank?" the woman asked, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it. "You charged at the enemy forces and chased them down until your own force was incapacitated by an enemy ambush. What brought on this berserk blitzkrieg? Were you afraid the enemy would have time to trap you with their tactics."
Lupa snorted. "Of course not," she replied, crossing her arms and legs. "They failed at tactics so badly, I came close to wiping them out with one stomp."
"Oh really?"
"Yes, really." Lupa said, hesitating a moment before adding. "Could you please put that bloody thing out." she could never stand smoke, it was a wonder she ever got into tankery. "Their entire force broke apart after we reinforced our scouts. They were foolish enough that they didn't even enter into a formation. Their fleeing wasn't due to any tactical value, they were just scared."
"I see..."
"They would have won anyway."
"Oh really," the woman's voice actually seemed surprise. "Why is that?"
"Because they would've." Lupa replied, with some conviction. "They had Providence on their side today, no matter what I did, they would have won." she shrugged.
"You're a fatalist then?" the blonde woman asked, entertained by the younger girl and her answers.
"It runs in the family," Lupa pushed her steel bonnet up, allowing the light that shone through the window to flood her eyes. "When you live in a desolate land forced to plunder and loot alongside Hadrian's Wall each and every day, or work in the coal mines of the mountains, never knowing whether or not tomorrow will be your last, you kind of resign yourself to whatever Fate happens to throw at you."
"Well then," the woman rose from her seat, tossing her cigarette to the ground and smashing it with her feet. Johanna was about to move and say something before standing still and grumbling beneath her breath. "I just wanted to say that you're a talented young tank commander and I hope we'll be seeing more of you at Tankathlon." she offered her hand to Lupa once again, and the commander reluctantly took it and shook.
Arrivederci.