Alright guys, here's the disclaimer: I do not own or claim to own anything with Girls Und Panzer's rights, though I do thank the creator of the series for how amazing it is.
"We showed them! And now we have the writer!" Anchovie grinned as she kept Ald at his computer using the P-40's main gun to persuade him.
Come on, you really think you can keep me here at cannon point… the other story needs work too…
*PSHHHHHHHH!*
What the…
*FWABOOM!*
"WHAT!?" Anchovie gaped as the P-40's flag popped up.
"QUICK GRAB HIM!" A boy yelled as he pointed at Ald while holding an anti-armor LAWS rocket.
"Not so fast!" Erwin yelled as the Stug tore through a bush and fired sending a shot back at the attackers.
Ehh…
"Don't worry we have you Mr. Writer!" several girls from Black Forest Peak pulled him up onto the Jagdpanther "Okay let's go!"
The commander nodded "As always please read, and review the chapter, enjoy while we deal with the other cast!"
"THEY STOLE OUR HETZER!" Anzu yelled over the radio.
"WHAT!?" The commander spun and saw it coming after them at high speed.
xxxxxx
Chapter 4
A battle of Big Cats
The Leopard 1A1 slowed to a halt next to the VK 7201 and Miho popped the hatch as Yukari pulled herself up to look down to her. "So, what now?"
"There are a lot of possibilities right now." Miho paused as she pulled out the map of Ooarai's training field B. "The problem is with only two machines for each team… splitting apart leaves them exposed to attack from the other teams."
Xxx
"So what's the plan Kay?" Naomi asked as she familiarized herself with the gun sights of the T95's 105mm cannon.
Kay sat on top of the T95 near the commanders' hatch "I think I know what the others are thinking… they won't split up, it's too dangerous if we do, because we don't have the numbers to cover each other." She looked at the map for a moment. "We're here..."She gestured to the far north western corner of the training field. "We have a small forest to our direct south that cuts all the way to the southern most corner. Seeing as we don't know where any of the other teams starting positions are… I want to say there is one team there."
Xxx
"Assam darling, I need your opinion... when Orange gets back from recon, what do you think is our best course of action… seeing as we have these machines, they're drastically different from our Matildas, Churchills, and Crusaders." Darjeeling perused the layout of the terrain. "This field certainly suits Miho's strategies…"
Assam nodded. "I believe it would be wise to use the Conqueror's main gun to engage the other teams at long range. The M103 heavy tank being used by the Sanders team has the same gun, so it would be logical that they would choose the same tactic, however considering they have that motorized gun carriage T95... I believe they'll play the role of a mobile spotting unit."
Darjeeling sipped on her tea a little. "Not exactly the plan I thought you'd come up with… ah, here's Orange now."
Orange ran up the small embankment and caught her breath as she leaned on the tank's front. "Black Forest Peak's two tanks are to our east at the far side of the meadow, if we don't move they'll have clear shots on us!"
"What about our north?" Assam looked at her.
"Not sure, I didn't have a way of getting there without being spotted by the two from Black Forest Peak."
Xxx
"Commander, what do you suggest we do?" Erika looked at Maho from the Sturmtiger's commander's hatch.
"We'll pull back out of this meadow for now, and enter that forest to our west to wait to see, if any of our opponents show themselves, the Conqueror, M103, T95, and T-10 are all major concerns if they catch us out in the open." Maho looked at the map for a moment "But the real question is where they deployed Miho?"
Xxx
"Nonna, we need to make a move." Katyusha patted Nonna on the head as she sat on her shoulders.
Nonna glanced up at her. "Where would you suggest, we don't know where any of the other teams are?"
"We'll go diagonally across the map, we're sure to run into at least one team along the way." Katyusha looked at her.
"That's reckless…" Nonna let Katyusha down on the T-10 heavy tank. "We can't even be sure if we'll find another team without being spotted ourselves."
"We have to, or else someone will put us on the defensive!" Katyusha looked at her.
"Would Miho rush into an attack without thinking it through?" Nonna looked at her. "You know none of the others would either..." Nonna looked back at her as Katyusha paused pondering what she had said. "We can't do much with just two tanks…"
Xxx
"Carpaccio, who do you think is to our north?" Anchovie asked as she looked over at her from the hatch of the Lorraine 40t.
"I believe based on the reconnaissance reports that the team from Saunders is to our direct north through the forest." Carpaccio looked at her. "That places the T95 and M103 on that flank, to our east judging by the noise that we heard from that meadow, I'd say it's either Black Forest Peak or Ooarai's team there."
Anchovie paused looking into the woods to their left. "Kay is up there… she may be a flake, but she did have a point…" She looked over at Carpaccio. "We're going to advance north through the woods, before exposing our position I want to attempt to make contact with Kay, if we can get four machines on our side instead of just two, we'll have an advantage."
Carpaccio blinked. "But Duce that will mean…"
Anchovie sighed planted her hands on the turret and looked at her. "This isn't easy for me to admit, but she was right! We can't do this alone!"
Xxx
Miho blinked as she heard a low rumble from behind them. "Turn the turret now!" She ordered as the two tanks began to turn to face the incoming threat.
Yukari gulped as the cannon aimed at the area where a ridgeline jutted out, almost meeting the bend in the road. "Don't shoot until we have a clear shot." She ordered.
Miho blinked as the rumbling suddenly stopped. "Mako, keep us ready to move, if needed we'll draw the fire away from the Lion."
"Miho, we're loaded." Saori nudged her to let her know.
Yukari blinked as she saw a hint of movement from the edge of the ridgeline. "Wha…" She blinked as a white flag slowly was extended out.
Orange Pekoe poked her head out next. "I have a message from Commander Darjeeling, for Commander Miho, I'd like to deliver it if you'll let me…"
Miho looked at her. "Go ahead."
Orange stepped out and walked towards the two tanks, stopping a few feet ahead of them. "We'd like to offer a truce, there isn't much any of our teams can accomplish with just two tanks."
"A truce…" Yukari looked at her and Orange nodded.
"Darjeeling handed me this to give to you, Commander Miho." Orange walked forward and pushed herself up onto the Leopard 1 to hand her the letter.
Miho took it and unfolded it. "I have a feeling it would be best if we work together, your sister is to our south west in the meadow…" She paused. "Is Darjeeling sure about this?"
Orange blinked a little puzzled. "I don't know what she wrote in that letter…" She stopped as Miho handed it to her. "I will defer command to you Miho, with the terms that my team gets to use the British tanks during the Olympics, and are not split up."
"Orange, what's taking you so long?" Assam called out as she rounded the bend to see what was taking her so much time, only to see her on the verge of tears sitting on the Leopard 1. "What did you do to Orange!?" She snapped as she ran towards her.
"Assam, wait!" Orange tried to stop her as she began scrambling her way up the Leopard 1, heading right for Miho.
"You, what did you do to Orange, she's our friend what did you do to make her cry!?" Assam shook the rather stunned Miho by the collar.
"ASSAM!" Orange yelled latching onto her waist and pulling back, getting her off of Miho "Stop, it's not them…"
Assam looked at her. "Then what made you cry? I hadn't seen you like that since the day Darjeeling asked you to replace Nilgiri as our loader when she graduated."
Orange gave her the letter and Assam read through it. "Ah…"
The low rumble came again as the Conqueror and Centurion cautiously made their way around the edge of the corner. "Assam, Orange?" Darjeeling looked at the two of them, now in front of the Leopard with Miho climbing down as Assam struggled to hide her own tears.
Darjeeling quickly clambered out of the Conqueror's hatch and headed towards them. "What's wrong, did someone get hurt?!"
"Nothing's… wrong…" Assam stifled out as she continued to try to keep herself from crying.
"I accept your terms Darjeeling." Miho smiled at her and held out her hand.
Darjeeling took it and smiled, at that exact moment Assam began to let some tears slip down her cheeks as she smiled. Orange patted Assam lightly on the back as Darjeeling smiled at them.
"Commander, we're a little…" Another girl called out from the hatch of the Centurion before being drowned out by a tremendous roar as an explosion erupted from just above and behind the two British tanks, splintering the rocky face of the ridgeline.
"What in the!?" Yukari looked alarmed as they saw the smoke trail coming from the field.
"That was the Sturmtiger! It'll take a little bit to be reloaded, but if it hits any of our tanks we're finished!" Miho yelled. "We have to get to cover!" She scrambled for the Leopard 1 as Darjeeling, Assam, and Orange ran for the Conqueror and Centurion.
Xxx
"What was that?" Alisa asked as she stuck her head out of the hatch of the T95 and looked over at Kay who was in the commander's cupola of the M103 looking towards something across the lake to their south.
"It sounded like a rocket." Kay blinked. "That can only mean the Black Forest Peak team struck first with the Sturmtiger." She looked at Alisa.
"Whatever, it doesn't matter much, from what I saw it didn't exactly hit the target it was aiming for." Naomi opened the other hatch and looked up at Kay. "The Sturmtiger isn't exactly the most accurate weapon at range."
Alisa caught a hint of movement from the woods to their right. "What in the…"
"Buongiorno, I'd like to talk with Commander Kay if possible…" A girl called to them from next to a tree she was hugging tightly in case they decided to turn and go after her.
"Sure, what is it?" Kay looked at her a little puzzled.
"Duce Anchovie sent me to deliver a message." The girl cautiously made her way forward.
"It's probably a diversionary trick Kay!" Alisa yelled as the T95's engine started, causing the girl who had been approaching to freeze.
"Hold up!" Kay gestured to them. "I'll hear her out, so don't go shooting the messenger until she's delivered her message… besides…"
"We're possibly right now being surrounded by them and…" Alisa started.
"I have no intentions of surrounding you, if I did, then I wouldn't have sent a messenger." Anchovie stepped out from the tree line.
Kay blinked. "Then why did you come in person if…"
"I have no intention of letting you shoot at, or chase my subordinate." Anchovie looked at her.
Kay nodded. "Naomi, tell them to kill the engine. We'll talk."
Anchovie nodded as Kay pulled herself out of the M103's hatch and slid down the turret before hopping down to be face to face with her, on a nearly level plane. "Well, what is it Chiyomi?"
"I wanted to tell you that you're still an airheaded, ditzy, flirt who does everything on the spur of the moment." Anchovie looked at her causing Kay to blink. "But, at the same time I'm wrong. You're right, I can't do everything myself. If we want to win, we have to do it as a team. So…" She grimaced a bit as she held out her hand.
"To hell with that Chiyomi!" Kay looked at her, causing Anchovie to blink in shock before abruptly being pulled into a tight hug.
"I never said you could…" Anchovie struggled a little as Kay let her free.
"We all just want a fair fight… now tell me, is what Maho told me true that you used my picture for darts practice?" Kay prodded her a little.
Anchovie grimaced a little. "Uhh… yeah… Maho also kind of scared me when I launched into a rant about Miho…"
Kay grinned a little. "Yeah, she tries not to show it, but she's a little protective of her from what I've seen…"
Xxx
"Quick while they're distracted!" Katyusha looked at Nonna from the hatch of the T-10 as Nonna nodded back, the T-62 began moving and both quickly picked up speed as they darted out, heading southward along the edge of a tree line near the road.
Nonna glanced to her right. "Faster!" She yelled as Katyusha looked from the hatch of the T-10 and saw Alisa pointing at them, before the T95 fired. The 105mm cannon erupted sending a shell whizzing over the engine deck of the T-10 before causing a water spout to erupt in the lake to their left.
Xxx
"I missed!?" Naomi gaped a little in shock, and confused at the same time.
"It doesn't matter, get after them!" Alisa snapped as she looked down from the commander's hatch.
"Roger!" The driver replied as the engine rumbled to life again and the T95 began slowly but surely rolling forward.
"You try to cut them off Chiyomi!" Kay yelled over to Anchovie as she climbed back up to get back into the M103.
"Got it!" Anchovie replied as she ran back for the woods with the other girl from her crew that she'd sent.
Xxx
"What was that?" Orange blinked as she looked over at Darjeeling.
"It sounded like an American gun, probably Kay's team." Darjeeling replied as she opened the hatch and pulled up a set of binoculars.
"It came from across the lake." Yukari pointed through the trees they were hiding in towards the still dissipating ripples in the lake, and the cloud of dust that could be seen on the other side.
"It's Pravda!" Miho announced.
"Shall we respond?" Assam looked over at Darjeeling from the hatch of the Centurion.
Darjeeling looked over at Miho and Yukari. Miho shook her head. "We'll wait a little bit, if Kay gives chase we may have a better chance at knocking out the M103 and T95, which are larger threats at the moment."
Xxx
"Go Kay!" a girl from Saunders cheered as the M103 and T95 began chasing Pravda's two tanks.
"You can take them Miss. Katyusha!" A girl from Pravda yelled.
"Take them out Duce Anchovie!" Yet another girl cheered for her commander.
"They're all pretty loyal to their commanders…" Ami blinked. "This may be harder than I'd thought…"
"You planned to get them all to follow one leader, by having them being taken down in this little battle royal you put them in." Shiho watched from her seat. "It won't work, they don't know each other well enough."
"Perhaps not all of the girls, but the commanders know each other very well." Yoshiko smiled. "The girls haven't noticed yet… but their commanders are coming together slowly."
"I don't see how they could be?" Ami blinked as she looked at Yoshiko.
"Well look at where they are on the map…" Yoshiko gestured. "St. Gloriana and Ooarai are working together by waiting in an ambush after being fired upon by Black Forest Peak, and Anzio and Saunders are performing a pincer maneuver on Pravda at this exact moment, Saunders being the hammer and Anzio the anvil."
"So, the only two that aren't working as a team to win yet are Black Forest Peak and Pravda?" Ami asked a little loudly over the shouts of the girls watching the battle.
"Commander Maho would never work with that little tyrant!" A girl from Black Forest Peak shot out of her seat.
"How dare you say that about Miss. Katyusha!" A girl from Pravda snapped back.
"Your school uses nothing but dirty tactics to win! Like that time at the nationals two years ago!" A girl yelled back.
"Now hold on!" Another girl from Black Forest Peak got up. "Pravda didn't win because of dirty tactics, they won because of an accident out of our control."
"No, they won because Miho abandoned her post, because of a landslide they triggered!" The first girl snapped back.
"Then please point me to the weather control device Pravda owns, so they can control the rain and cause freak landslides." Another girl got up and joined in defending Pravda. "Commander Miho did what she had to, to save her own team's lives in that situation."
"Yeah, so what gives you the right to say our tactics are dirty!?" A girl from Pravda pointed at the girl from Black Forest Peak.
"Now wait…" A pair of girls got up from Pravda. "What we did wasn't exactly fair either… we did take advantage of the situation when their lives were in danger. What we should have done was postponed the match until it was truly safe for both of our teams."
Xxx
"Now!" Anchovie commanded and the Lorraine charged out of the woods just ahead of the T-10 and T-62. Spinning its turret around, it leveled its 100mm gun at the T-62 and fired.
Nonna's eyes shot wide as the second shot came, narrowly missing the T-10. "Quick keep Katyusha safe!" She ordered.
"Nonna don't!" Katyusha yelled as the T-62 picked up speed and quickly pulled ahead of the T-10 firing a shot in response, it struck the rear of the Lorraine damaging the track.
The third shot from the Lorraine came, striking the turret of the T-62 before they roared past it.
"Don't let them escape!" Anchovie yelled as the Lorraine began to turn to go after the two tanks.
"Duce we have three shots left in the clip!" The gunner looked up at her.
"Then use them to disable them, so Carpaccio can finish them off!" Anchovie pointed at the T-10.
"They're too low, we can't get the gun down far enough!" The gunner looked at her again.
"Turn and get moving, don't let them escape!" Anchovie ordered as she climbed down inside while the Lorraine began to turn, before a loud bang caused them all to jump.
"No…" The driver shook her head. "Please… no…" Two more loud bangs caused them to wince. "There go the air cored rubber tire road wheels."
Anchovie sighed. "Well looks like we're going nowhere…"
"Chiyomi, are you alright!?" Kay's voice came over the radio moments later.
"The Lorraine is disabled, some of the road wheels popped, we're not going to be able to move any time soon." Anchovie replied as she lifted the headset to her ear.
"We'll cover you while you get it repaired." Kay replied. "Since by the time we get there, Katyusha will be long gone."
Xxx
"This isn't exactly what I was hoping for…" Maho sighed as she looked at the map. "There was combat to our rear from the sound of where the cannons were firing. But we don't know who it was… Miho and Darjeeling could have pushed north after running from our initial shot and engaged one of the other teams."
"You think they're working together now?" Erika looked over at her from the Sturmtiger.
"I think Darjeeling and Miho are working together, why else would they run in the same direction instead of splitting to divide our fire?" Maho pulled herself up out of the commander's hatch of the Porsche Tiger and tried to get a better view through the woods.
"Commander!" Erika's gunner almost slid into the side of the Porsche Tiger.
"What is it?" Maho lowered her binoculars for a moment before the tremendous crash came as a tree fell, ripped up from its roots as the T-10 came to a halt directly to their rear.
"Turn to face them!" Erika snapped as the Sturmtiger's engine rumbled to life.
"Stop!" Nonna commanded as the T-62 ripped through a bush from the direction that the Sturmtiger's gunner had come from.
The hatch on the T-10 opened and Katyusha pushed herself up. "This is perfect, unless you want to be beaten outright like the finals again, surrender!" She pointed at Maho.
Maho looked at her. "You're kidding… I have a good hunch that you were chased into this forest, which means at least one team is right on your tail."
Katyusha grimaced. "That… That doesn't matter, you have two options, surrender, or be knocked out by our tanks!"
"Bring it you little tyrant!" Erika snapped at her.
"Erika, stop!" Maho ordered, before looking over at Nonna. "Instead, considering how we both know how Katyusha can be… And instead of arguing and getting nowhere before we're both destroyed, how about a compromise."
"What do you propose?" Nonna asked.
"Nonna!" Katyusha gaped at her.
"Let's hear them out…" Nonna looked at her.
"Miho and Darjeeling are working together..." Maho looked at her.
Nonna blinked as Katyusha stopped arguing with Erika. "Wait, how do you know this?"
"We fired on them and they both ran off north, that way." Maho gestured in the direction of the woods near the lake.
"There is a reason they chose to let each team have only two tanks… you can't do much with just two, and even less on your own." Nonna looked at Maho "Anchovie and Kay are working together as well. And chased us down from the other side of the lake."
"Then that leaves us…" Katyusha glared at Maho and Erika.
"Well, if we're going to have a chance against either side, we need to work together." Maho looked at Katyusha. "We're surrounded, unless Miho and Darjeeling decided to try to get behind Kay and Anchovie."
"We didn't see any movement from that direction, though unless they moved after we'd already passed Anchovie and disabled her." Nonna looked at Maho.
"She was driving the Lorraine 40t variant of the AMX 50 correct?" Maho asked and Nonna nodded. Maho climbed out of the hatch of the Porsche Tiger and descended down, passing the gunner who was still shaken up. "Take it easy Ritaiko, it's not like you're being chased around by that Hetzer anymore…"
"That little thing is a nightmare incarnate!" Ritaiko pouted a little.
"Just be glad she didn't blow the track off of the Sturmtiger, it's almost double the weight of the JagdPanther's." Maho smiled.
Katyusha busted out laughing. "I remember watching you during the finals, Ooarai's Hetzer kept sneaking up and tracking you over and over again!"
"I remember a certain tank not being able to take out the same tank before they converted it into that evil little monster!" Ritaiko pouted at Katyusha.
"If we can stop talking about the nationals… I think I have an idea of how we can get out of this mess…" Maho looked at the two of them.
Xxx
"We know three things…" Miho spread out the map on the ground between them. "Anchovie and Kay are across the lake. Maho is in the forest to our south, and Katyusha and Nonna were just chased into the same forest."
Darjeeling sipped on some tea. "We have a few options on how to respond…"
Miho nodded. "We could engage Kay and Anchovie from this side of the lake, and hope to takeout either the T95 or M103 while they repair the crippled Lorraine 40t."
"Or there's the other option…" Darjeeling looked southward towards the larger forest. "Maho, and Katyusha…"
"I can't see them cooperating… I'm surprised we haven't heard them trading shots yet…" Assam looked at the map.
"The woods are pretty large… there is a chance that Maho and Katyusha just haven't run into each other." Hana suggested.
"No, I think we're not seeing what's happened… Katyusha and Nonna were both moving at full speed, they had more than enough time to get through the woods and would have already popped out on this side." Yukari pointed at the map. "I think they've started working together like we and the others have. Bringing now the teams to three teams of four tanks each."
"Katyusha is rash some times, but Nonna is a good foil for her… Much like how Erika is for Maho." Darjeeling sat her tea down on the saucer before crouching down to the map "Knowing how your sister fights, and how Katyusha fights… if they pool theirknowledge, they know they're trapped between both of our forces. So they'll probably attempt something like you did with Pravda." She smiled.
"They're going to try to break through?" Yukari blinked.
"It makes sense… but they don't know where we are exactly…" Miho looked at her "We knew the locations of all of the enemy tanks back then, from the reconnaissance mission I sent Yukari and Erwin on."
"But they do know where the weak point is at this exact moment." Assam pointed at the Lorraine 40t hunkered behind the T95 aimed at the forest. "They're all focused on getting that one moving again. If they decided to break through Kay and Anchovie, it would almost be no contest. They may lose one tank while taking out possibly three from theirs."
"Well either way, they have to come from that direction, right?" Saori pointed southward.
Miho nodded "So I'm going to suggest we set up on the south western corner of this small patch of trees in an ambush, if Kay and Anchovie get their repairs done, they may try to push into the forest. If they do, we'll push in behind them. If Maho and Katyusha attack, we hit them from the side. If Maho and Katyusha attack us… we hope Kay and Anchovie don't take the opportunity to knock us both out of the battle."
Xxx
"Who the heck put the lug nuts on this thing?!" Alisa strained against a breaker bar trying to get it free.
"Probably one of Ooarai's mechanics… I think I remember hearing that they had to torsion them to the original testing specs, so they would perform the same." Kay looked over at her and Carpaccio as they continued changing the damaged road wheels.
"This is my fault…" Anchovie pouted as she sat next to Kay. "I exposed the Lorraine's tracks to being damaged, on top of letting Katyusha get away."
"It's not really all that big of a deal…" Kay patted her on the head. "Even if we had been able to catch up to get a shot, we still would have had to line them up. But none of our gunners are used to these tanks' guns yet, all of them are larger caliber than whatwe're used to. So for Pravda to have even hit you while on the move was pure luck on their part."
Anchovie looked up at her. "I think I could have done something more at least."
"Chiyomi relax, Darjeeling would probably say something like, it's all water under the bridge or something, but it really is." Kay smiled at her.
Xxx
"I think it's risky…" Ritaiko looked at the map.
"It should work though." Erika looked at her, then to Maho who nodded.
"All we have to do is disable one or two of Saunders' or Anzio's tanks. And hopefully it will draw Darjeeling and Miho out." Maho stood up.
"Are you sure the Porsche Tiger can handle them on its own?" Nonna asked.
"Its armor is good, but I don't think it can stand up for very long in an open fight." Maho looked at it. "But at range I think it is more than capable of the job."
Xxx
"What do you think the outcome will be President?" Midoriko looked over at her.
"Hard to say…" Anzu sighed. "Kay and Chiyomi are working together… but as we last saw, so are Miho and Darjeeling. I'd doubt Maho and Katyusha are foolish enough to not pair up when outnumbered two to one alone. So really, until someone makes a move…"
"It'll be Maho and Katyusha, they're cornered. Miho, Darjeeling, Kay, and Anchovie have no reasons to move when they know they have them trapped." Momo looked over at her. "In any case, it won't matter much unless these girls stop arguing…"
"Let me try and mediate…" Erwin slid off of her seat on one of the AMX 13 75's.
Anzu watched as she walked over towards the girls from Pravda trying to calm their side of the room down. "Come on, be a little reasonable…" One girl tried before being tapped on the shoulder by Erwin.
"Erwin, it's you!" The girl beamed.
"Yeah it's been a while, hasn't it Nina… anyway, eh…" Erwin paused as she looked over at the girl trying to calm down the girls arguing from Black Forest Peak. "I have an idea… follow my lead." She turned and walked across the room to the girl with curly brown hair.
"Excuse me, I don't think it's working…" Erwin tapped her on her shoulder.
"I think you're right…" The girl turned to face her. "Ah, you're one of the girls from Ooarai..."
"Yeah, I'm Erwin, instead of trying to get them to stop arguing, why don't you come watch the match with us?" She nodded towards the central area.
Nina nodded. "I don't think I'm having much luck either…"
The girl nodded. "It sounds great. My name's Koume, Koume Akaboshi" She paused and looked up at the monitor. "I'm not exactly sure who to root for…"
Erwin blinked. "You mean it doesn't matter to you if Maho wins or loses?"
Koume nodded. "Not really… Commander Maho is very nice, strict but nice. Erika can be a little quick tempered, but she's also really nice and can be very understanding. But I also got to know Miho pretty well before she left, and in the finals…" She paused. "I haven't ever heard anything bad about Darjeeling, Kay, or Anchovie either so."
"Katyusha can be really nice too… and Nonna is a great person once you get to know her." Nina smiled.
The group of three made their way over before finding seats in amongst the girls from Ooarai. "Sorry I couldn't get them to stop arguing Headmistress Nishizumi…" Koume glanced up at her momentarily.
"Don't worry about it…" Ami smiled at her. "You both gave it your best, they'll come around soon enough."
"Popcorn?" Anzu passed them a bowl full of it.
"Thanks Prez…" Erwin smiled at her.
"Don't mention it… eh… you're that girl that stopped Miho at the finals before the match…" Anzu blinked at her.
"Eh..." Koume blinked. "You noticed?"
"Yeah, I was wondering why someone stopped Miho and she never really told us why." Anzu looked at her.
"I wanted to thank her… I didn't have the chance to before she left." Koume blinked. "In the finals the year before as I'm guessing you heard the weather was bad… well it resulted in an accident, where the tank I was commanding got caught in a mudslide and fell into a river… Commander Miho even though she was commanding our flag tank, ran after us and ended up saving all of us. I was worried that she'd quit because of the bad memories of the finals."
"You were in that tank…" Nina blinked "I remember hearing about that."
Anzu blinked "So, that's why Miho was so zonked out when we pushed her onto the team…"
"Eh…" Erwin blinked.
"The proper way of putting it would be that you pretty much threatened to expel Miho, if she didn't join the Sensha Do team when you formed it…" Midoriko looked back at her.
"Why would you do that to her, if she didn't want to?" Koume looked at Anzu.
"We didn't have a choice ourselves… we had two options, win the nationals, or have Ooarai closed because of cost cutting measures being done." Anzu looked at her. "It may have been a rough start, but slowly Miho began to enjoy Sensha Do again."
Xxx
"Now!" Katyusha ordered.
"Fire!" Erika yelled at the same moment.
"Oh man, this thing…" Ritaiko plugged her ear as she pulled the trigger and the Sturmtiger fired.
Xxx
"WHAT THE!?" Alisa leapt back as dirt began raining down on them.
"They're coming from the woods!" Carpaccio pointed as the Sturmtiger, T-10 and T-62 began their approach.
"Everyone into the tanks!" Kay yelled as she climbed up the M103 again. "Focus on disabling the T-62 and T-10, the Sturmtiger shouldn't be a major problem for a bit!"
The T95's engine rumbled to life as it began slowly plodding its way forward and turning in slightly, putting its armor between the three advancing tanks and theirs.
Xxx
"They've come out, and are trying to push through Kay and Anchovie!" Yukari pointed across the lake.
Miho nodded. "Alright, we'll start then, commence operation Crazy Weasel!"
Darjeeling blinked. "Well that's an interesting name for a plan…"
"It fits their style I guess…" Assam looked over at her. "See you in a bit!" She tapped the top of the Centurion as it and the Leopard 1A1 began advancing out of the woods and quickly picked up speed, as they drove towards the exposed flank of Pravda and Black Forest Peak.
Xxx
"I guessed right…" Maho lowered her binoculars. "Fire!" The Porsche Tiger's 88mm KwK L/56 fired. The shell slammed into the rear of the Centurion disabling it and bringing it to a dead halt, as the first tank knocked out of the battle while its white flag popped up.
Xxx
"From the… they're not all there, Leopon is guarding their flank!" Tsuchiya looked up at Yukari.
"Do we know where the shell roughly came from?" Yukari asked.
"Around that bush, you can still see a small amount of smoke from the gun." Hoshino nodded.
Yukari looked over at Darjeeling. "We'll cover Miho, we can't let her get taken out!"
Darjeeling nodded before entering the Conqueror's turret. "Alright Orange, we have to cover Miho."
Xxx
Miho looked back at the Centurion before looking at the woods. "They split up…" Two sharp cracks echoed from behind her as shells whizzed through the air before entering the woods. "Yukari, and Darjeeling can handle Leopon…"She ducked inside the turret. "Mako, please take the lower edge of the tree line."
"Okay." Mako replied as the she began shifting the Leopard 1's direction to get it over to the other side of the road.
"Hana, please take out the Sturmtiger first, it should be almost finished loading." Miho looked at her.
Saori looked at her. "Uhh, what kind of shell should we use?"
"Load a HESH round." Miho looked at her. "The armor is thin on the rear of the Sturmtiger, our objective is to knock out its engine. HEAT rounds are less effective when used with a rifled barrel."
Xxx
"Naomi quick they're gonna get us!" Alisa began to freak out a little.
"Relax… remember this isn't a Sherman." Naomi lined up the Sturmtiger in the sights of the T95's 105mm. "At this range, if I miss… why is the T-62 turning its turret?" she shifted her aim. "I get it…"
Xxx
"The Leopard 1!" Kay gaped as it roared past the T-62 directly to their rear and fired once, directly into the Sturmtiger's rear plate before disappearing into the tree line.
"Quick, stop the T-62!" Anchovie yelled. As it backed away behind the disabled Sturmtiger and charged after the Leopard 1.
The T-10 fired a shell, slamming into the Lorraine's turret before it could get a shot off.
"Chiyomi!" Kay looked over just as the white flag popped out of the Lorraine.
"Take down the T-10!" Kay pointed directly at it as the M103's turret rotated, bringing its 120mm M58 rifled cannon to bear. At the exact same moment the M103 and T95 fired. Both shells slamming into the T-10 and knocking it out.
"Dang it!" Katyusha yelled as she pounded on the top of the T-10.
Anchovie smiled at Kay before a loud bang echoed as the M103 rocked sideways a little. And right in front of Kay the little white flag popped up, she looked the other way and saw the Conqueror across the lake aiming at them.
"Quick Alisa!" Kay pointed and the T95 began turning to face the Conqueror.
"You won't get a second shot off!" Naomi glared as she waited for the T95 to turn to face it before a loud whining groan and several bangs echoed in the compartment.
"DANG IT!" Alisa yelled as smoke billowed from the engine compartment before the white flag popped out, the 500 horsepower Ford GAF V-8 engine breaking under the strain of the tremendous weight of the machine it had been attempting to turn.
"I've got it!" Carpaccio announced as the AMX 50 Foch quickly turned and lined up the Conqueror.
The Conqueror fired a second shot and it ricochet off of the extremely sloped front of the Foch. The Foch fired, its shell slammed into the Conqueror's lead before it stopped completely. "YAHOO!" Kay cheered as she looked across the lake at it with the white flag popping out of the turret.
Xxx
"Yukari, before they spot us, head for the field where you can take on the Tiger P, the high velocity 105 cannon of the Lion should be more than capable of dealing with its armor." Darjeeling looked over at her.
"Got it!" Yukari replied "Tsuchiya, let's go get Leopon!"
Xxx
"We'll take the Foch as we leave the woods." Miho announced "Yukari be careful on your exit, we're going to use you as a distraction when you go after Maho."
"Roger that." Yukari's voice came over their radio.
"What about the T-62?" Saori asked.
"We'll double back around the lake edge, I think Nonna went to regroup with Maho." Miho looked at her.
"The T-62 is fast, we could cut our travel time by a third if we cut through the lake." Mako looked back at Miho.
"We don't have the snorkel equipment." Miho looked at her. "Saori, please load an APDS round."
Xxx
"There's the Lion! Get it and then we can focus on the…" Carpaccio blinked as a low rumble came from the woods. "Huh…" She turned around to look just as a shell slammed into the rear of the AMX 50 Foch.
The Leopard 1A1 roared out of the woods at full speed, the low rumble of its engine caused the disabled tanks to shake as it turned down and past the lake edge, heading for the other forest.
Xxx
"And there goes the last of Saunders' and Anzio's tanks…" Yoshiko smiled. "Now the question really is…"
"It got a lot quieter…" Ami looked around and the girls from Black Forest Peak, and Pravda had stopped arguing, and were either in disbelief, or amazement.
"I think they're starting to realize it." Shiho looked around the room as some of the girls on the outlying perimeter moved to get a better view of the action, even if it meant sitting with the girls they had been arguing with a minute before.
Xxx
"There's Leopon!" Satoko announced.
"Hoshino, you know its weak points, try to stop it in its tracks!" Yukari yelled down.
The two prototype heavy tanks approached each other before exchanging shots. The Porsche Tiger's shot struck the upper glacis plate of the Lion as the Lion's shell ricochet off of the side of the Tiger P.
A third shot echoed as the T-62 erupted out of the tree line, its shot bouncing off of the Lion's turret. "Maho and Nonna…" Yukari's eyes widened as it closed. "Quick the T-62!"
The low drone of the Leopard's engine roared as it charged over the road towards them. "Now!" Miho yelled as it opened fire on the T-62, knocking it out as it made a b-line for the Tiger P at full speed.
Maho began turning the turret to engage the Leopard 1 as it charged her. "Not this time!" The Tiger P fired nailing the Leopard's track destroying it, and causing it to spin out with the sudden loss of momentum on one side.
"FIRE!" Yukari ordered sending the shot directly into the side of the Tiger P's turret. The light popping sound echoed over the field as the Tiger P's flag popped, signaling that it was taken out.
Xxx
"The winners and commanders of the Olympic Team, are Miho Nishizumi, and Yukari Akiyama from Ooarai!" Ami announced to the girls as they all began to clap.
"No more questioning who is in command then…" Shiho looked at the girls from Black Forest Peak, then over at the girls from Pravda. "Everyone get your rest, tomorrow you get familiar with your new machines."
Xxx
"We underestimated what Miho could do with the Leopard 1…" Erika looked over at Maho, who was on the other side of the half track they were taking back.
"Not really." Maho looked over at her before back at Miho. "If the shot on the T-62 had missed, Nonna would have taken out Miho leaving the Tiger P and T-62 against the Lion. At range it may have the advantage against more than one tank, but up close…"
"The T-62 could drive circles around it." Yukari nodded. "Its armor isn't anywhere near as thick as the Maus', yet it's only a little smaller than it."
"Still, you have to admit one thing… with only four tanks per side, it really was a challenge." Kay smiled. "I think we got a taste of what it was like for Ooarai to face our schools in the nationals."
"The saying "The bigger they are, the harder they fall…" comes to mind." Darjeeling sipped on her tea.
"I think this wasn't to give everyone else a taste of what we were up against…" Miho looked around at them. "I think, it was to show us the weaknesses of our own tanks, and just how little we know about these new tanks."
"She's right…" Naomi nodded. "I missed my first shot on Katyusha… The T5E1 is a completely different gun than I'm used to… I can only imagine the others…"
"The T-62 isn't all that different… the same with the T-10." Katyusha looked at them.
Miho nodded. "I think we just need practice, and a chance to get used to working together…"
"We don't have very long for that though." Maho looked at her sister. "The Olympics are in two months." Miho's eyes widened as she heard the news.
"It's not like we haven't done something similar, we had one practice match, and then went right into the tournament for the nationals." Yukari looked at Maho.
"The Olympics are a different story though… every team will be on par with Black Forest Peak and Ooarai in the final battle of the nationals, and it's almost guaranteed that they will have had more time working together as a single team." Anchovie looked at Yukari. "On top of the matter that they have the backing of their nation… we were told to find what we could and throw a team together… We saw what that West German team looked like in that recording of the finals from the Munich games."
"It's almost guaranteed we'll be seeing girls from foreign schools that have made names for themselves like the commander from the US Military Academy, West Point." Kay looked at Maho.
"The Special Military School of Saint-Cyr, and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst as well…" Darjeeling noted the French and British military academies.
"Everyone is forgetting one thing… every nation has qualifying matches, we were just picked outright because of the shortness of time and that the nationals just finished." Erika looked at them. "We shouldn't be worried about the big name schools so much as the teams that will come from each nation."
"We just need to worry about what's right in front of us at this moment." Miho looked around at them. "There's no point in worrying if we don't see them anyway, right…"
Xxxxxx
"Quick stuff him inside!" one of the boys yelled as the Hetzer left the pack of disabled tanks behind it.
Quit pushing!
"Quit you're whining, we're moving on to extraction!" the one boy kicked Ald into the Hetzer.
How the heck did you guys find me?
"We got a message from Hyper, he used the tracking signal coming from your laptop and we…" Another boy looked at him.
*FWHAM!*
What the hell just happened and why are you upside down?
"They just rammed us with the Leopard! OH CRAP THEY HAVE ONE OF OUR SUITS!?" Another boy yelled from outside.
"GO GET'EM MAKO!" Saori yelled as the boys scrambled into a hasty retreat grabbing Ald and pulling him along as they ran for cover.
"Don't you think this is a bit much?" Miho asked.
"Nope…" Ritaiko smiled as Mako proceeded to chase the boys that had yet again tracked her Jagdpanther.