"More to the left! … I said left!"

There was a big crash that made the tanks all across the base flinch. Some turrets had turned around, either out of curiosity or alarm at the sudden loud noise. A Centurion ARV was staring at the wall that had just fallen over, and if he had had a face and hands, he would have buried the former in the latter. Unfortunately, he possessed neither, so all he could do was blow a frustrated puff of air through his vents.

"Do you not know left from right?!" he asked his fellow TRV, who looked like he didn't understand how his actions could have lead to this result. The assistant was standing up on the scaffolding, the sheet of metal that he should have placed on top of the walls in front of him still dangling from his crane. He made a pensive "Hm", then turned to the Centurion ARV.

"What now?" he asked.

The addressed TRV sighed heavily.

"What do you think?"

There was another "Hm". The Centurion ARV returned the blank look that he was getting for several seconds, before he gave the other TRV a hint.

"The wall isn't going to re-erect itself, is it?" he asked. "Get to work!"

With a subdued - but clearly disgruntled - noise, the assistant climbed back down from the scaffolding and put the piece of roof aside to do as he had been told.

'At this rate, we won't be done in ten years,' the Centurion ARV thought crossly. He watched the other TRV fumble around with the wall for a while, until his attention was directed somewhere else.

The base was surrounded by walls on all sides, with two gates leading in and out. One of these gates was being opened right then. The Centurion ARV had a line of sight, and his optics were immediately caught by the unexpected visitor that was driving through it.

The Leopard 2A1 was painted black, and escorted by two tier 10s. The surrounding tanks stopped what they were doing to salute him. He didn't return the greetings, just slowly let his gaze wander across the base as he drove on. Eventually, his sights met the Centurion ARV's. He drove straight up to the TRV, who had started frowning. Halting as he reached him, the Leopard gave a slight nod of his cannon.

"Graverobber."

The Centurion ARV nodded back.

"Nosferatu … Your visit comes as a surprise," he said.

"He knows of it," the Leopard replied matter-of-factly. He raised his gaze past the TRV when there was a crash a moment later. Graverobber didn't need to look back to know that the wall had fallen over yet again. His assistant was probably too busy staring at the visitor to pay attention to his work. He didn't bother reacting to the repeated display of incompetence, and instead spoke on.

"If I had known, I would have made accommodations …"

"There's no need for that. I will not stay for long," Nosferatu said. He set himself into motion and rolled past the TRV, who turned around to follow him.

"I see the construction work is progressing well," Nosferatu went on, his gaze wandering again. "The last time I was here, it was nowhere near this state of completion." He looked down as his tracks suddenly produced a faint, splashing noise. The two tanks were driving through a puddle of oil-streaked water that originated from somewhere to their right.

"The sewerage needs improvements still," Graverobber explained with a shrug and couldn't help adding a piqued, "Of course that wouldn't be necessary if everyone stopped pouring their used oil into the drain."

"Constructed bases have their disadvantages," Nosferatu replied indifferently.

They drove on in silence, until they reached a hangar that differed from the other buildings around it. Next to its gate, a big "X" with a rhombus underneath it had been painted on the wall. Graverobber drove forward and opened the door, waiting for Nosferatu to enter. The Leopard's escorts waited outside as he drove inside, followed by the TRV, who closed the door again behind them.

The hangar's silent inside was dimly lit, the only light coming from two strip lights in the back of the room. The two tanks slowly rolled forward. They passed five vehicles, two standing next to the left wall, three by the opposite wall — a tank of each class. Their cannons were raised, their hulls completely motionless. Graverobber was so used to the sight that he barely paid attention to it. Instead his gaze was directed at the far wall, which was mostly covered by a big piece of tarp draped across it. It too featured the insignia seen on the outside, just larger.

Below it, a portion of the floor was raised, and another motionless tank was standing on top of it; the dark green parts of its armour appeared almost black in the weak light. This one was emitting a low engine noise. Its shape was distinct, unique amongst the tanks of the known world. They called the model the M1A2; it was the first and only one of its kind.

Graverobber and Nosferatu approached it. Nosferatu drove up to the pedestal, but Graverobber stopped sooner, keeping himself in the background. As soon as the Leopard halted, the tank in front of him spoke to him with a calm, deep voice.

"Welcome."

Nosferatu nodded and the other tank went on.

"What are the news that you bring?" the M1A2 asked.

"Good ones," Nosferatu replied. "We are continuing our advances in the South, with very few casualties. The new fighter planes are giving us a considerable edge."

The M1A2 started smiling.

"Another one of your ideas turns out to be brilliant," he said. Nosferatu didn't respond to the praise, humble as always. The M1A2 went on, still with the content smile on his features.

"I have been told that you've reached the South Peninsula."

"We did indeed, but it is very thinly populated. It seems like the teams have fled, except for a handful. Sustaining our forces proves to be difficult with the little fuel we can obtain from the ones that stayed behind," Nosferatu said.

"We will send supplies from the mainland then."

"The land may not be worth it," Nosferatu pointed out.

The M1A2's expression grew neutral again.

"We can't risk the teams joining forces and striking back. You know well how much trouble the Confoederatio Helvetica is causing us, and something like that clan but with an aggressive attitude … could be a serious threat."

"Of course," Nosferatu said. He made a short pause before going on. "I have nothing else to report."

The M1A2 nodded, then tilted his cannon.

"I see. But these are all things that you could have informed me of via the radio network. So what is it that you need to tell me in private?" he asked.

"There have been …" Nosferatu began to say.

He paused again, but longer this time as he apparently tried to find the right word. Graverobber couldn't see his expression from his position, so the strange tone of the Leopard's voice was hard to associate with any particular emotion as he spoke again.

"... incidents."

###

The lights were on as Nosferatu entered the small building at the very border of the base. He closed the door behind himself, his gaze immediately caught by the tank in the back of the room. He approached the Patton, who didn't move or show any other signs of being aware of his presence. She was silent except for the low hum of her idling engine. Her view ports were shuttered, which gave the impression of her sleeping.

Nosferatu halted in front of her and watched the other tank for a few moments. She looked peaceful as she sat on top of the blanket on the floor beneath her. Her armour didn't have a single dent; her camouflage paint was stainless and even her tracks showed no signs of wear. Since the construction of the new base, she had barely ever left this building.

"Hey. It's me," Nosferatu said quietly.

The Patton slowly opened her optics, but they were staring straight through him. Her features were completely lacking any kind of expression.

With a warm smile, Nosferatu produced a can from his stowage and put it down next to her.

"I've brought you fuel."

There was no answer as she started ingesting the fuel. Nosferatu watched her.

"They are taking good care of you, are they?" he asked. The Patton finished her fuel silently and Nosferatu's smile flaked off his features. He picked the can up again and put it away. As the Patton shut her optics again, he drove to her side and parked himself next to her. His cannon sank as silence continued to fill the building.