Bearing Ozpin's newfound strictness in mind- as well as the fact that the rule had been implemented on Sunday, meaning that the following day was a school day- it should come as no surprise that nothing too terribly exciting happened for the tankers for a while. They got to savor the last bit of their weekend, their time to enjoy their tanks, and then classes started once more and school life continued as it always had. And, despite the promise of the day- the event that RWBY was going to Vale, and the tankers were providing rides- it looked to Gladys, sitting in professor Peaches' classroom as Friday morning drearily began, as if the day would be a usual one.

Nothing unusual did actually end up happening, as other students gradually came into the room, followed eventually by the German tankers. In fact, the issue that eventually came up was simply that something usual didn't happen; namely, Hans didn't shout at Otto until the too-loyal loader wandered over to sit with the Brits. It had become a daily ritual, by this point, but on Friday, it was absent. This was because Hans, in fact, was absent, as was Fritz, leaving the three remaining German tankers to unceremoniously head over to their seats as if nothing was wrong. Staring at them for a moment, though, Gladys couldn't help but think something was wrong, specifically with her ears, as she hadn't heard the killing happen, despite such a thing having been plenty loud merely a week ago.

After a moment, though, she turned away, for one because she thought it was quite rude to be staring, and for another to ask, "Did any of you happen to hear gunshots?"

"What kind of question's that?" Ribbans retorted, "Happen to hear gunshots- think you'd bloody hear them too."

"Well, I couldn't help but notice that the Bosh, over there," Gladys responded, leaning back slightly to try and provide a line-of-sight to the other crew, "Are rather missing their commander and radio operator."

At that, Ribbans paused, while Emma shrugged, "They killed 'em quietly."

"Bit convenient of an excuse," Ribbans said, and Carney asked, "Would you happen to have a suggestion of your own?"

"Jerry's too busy screaming at a cloud looking at him wrong," Ribbans answered, and Gladys pointed out, "Jerry's over there- it's Hans and Fritz who are dead."

"Why're they dead?" Emma questioned, "Maybe they just toddled off without saying anything."

She sighed, glancing around, the memory of getting to actually engage in a tank fight still somewhat fresh in her mind as she quietly added, "Not a bad idea, is it."

Carney noted, "I don't believe that the driver and gunner would be left-"

Abruptly, the bell rang. Carney sighed at the rude interruption, but didn't try carrying on with speaking his point, not wanting to rudely interrupt the teacher as she got started with the day's class. And, after that, the point was simply dropped entirely, as the class began- which, naturally, gave way to the day becoming rather usual despite the brief upset. Eventually, though, the usual-ness of the day gave way to lunch beginning at the normal time, during which Otto wandered over to where the English tankers were sitting. Gladys glanced away from her crew momentarily to raise a hand of greeting to Otto, then instructed, "Emma-"

"I'll get him a cup," Emma cut off, "Should just drop the 'guest' act already."

Ribbans nodded, "Yeah, the bastard should just stick to his own crew."

Emma shook her head lightly at that, while Carney noted, "Quite a bit of that crew is gone today, so I don't suppose we can blame him for seeking us out."

By this time, Otto had finally gotten to the table, and greeted, "Can I have tea?"

"Yes, of course," Gladys nodded. As the loader sat down, Emma passed him a cup of tea, while Gladys noted, "We were just talking about your crew, actually. Specifically, your missing commander- would you happen to know what happened?"

"They'd already been strangled when I woke up," Otto said casually. Gladys blanched slightly at the image that immediately appeared in her head, of having one's hands wrapped around someone's throat, squeezing as the victim thrashed and cried to be let go. Emma, uncaring of such violence, noted, "Least you're keeping it quiet now."

"I, ah, suppose I should be glad, then," Gladys said, "There's a fair bit less trouble being made today, after all."

"Our gunner might still," Otto retorted, "He has been too excited too long."

"You lot really are being a cab for the rest of them, then?" Emma questioned, "Figured it'd be beneath a proud idiot of the SS."

Gladys sniffed in humor at that, while Otto noted, "Hans was never told. That's why the others killed him."

Emma nodded at the realization, and Gladys noticed, "Speaking of those two, it seems as if they've decided to bother the girls before we've set off."

She pointed a bit behind Otto, where, sure enough, the other two remaining Krauts were walking towards team RWBY. Ribbans noted, "As long as they're just bothering each other, that suits me fine."

"I suppose you won't be much bothered at all today," Carney noted, "Since you've decided not to come."

"Best decision I've ever made," Ribbans grinned, and Gladys realized, "There are three of you lot," she indicated Otto at this point, then continued, "And still three schoolchildren, but you've only got space for five, haven't you?"

"We don't have a turret... ah... turret," Otto said, struggling to think of the precise technical term in English. Gladys pointed out, "You have a turret, unless you managed to lift it off."

Otto shook his head, then finally concluded, "Floor of the turret. We don't have one- just the seats. So, we have a bit more room to manage it."

"Ah, a turret basket," Gladys clarified, and Otto nodded, "Basket."

Emma snorted, "Not having a turret basket."

She continued giggling, while Gladys let herself laugh a little.

-Later

Otto sighed to himself, keeping his hands firmly on the steering tillers, pressed slightly forward. He had thought, as loader, that he would end up as acting-commander- that was how things usually went on the rare occasions that Hans died without taking the whole crew with him. But, instead, the last ten minutes had been wasted, as Jerry and Karl bickered back and forth about who should get to be in the cupola, and then, when he lost the cupola, Jerry had demanded to act as gunner. This, then, left Otto with the responsibility of driver- one that he wasn't really trained for at all, if he was being honest.

"HALT!" came a sharp, sudden cry. Otto quickly wrenched back on the tillers, eliciting a series of harsh metallic clangs and thunks. Jerry screamed, "Zerbrich sie nicht!"

Otto sighed in exasperation, glancing behind the driver's seat to look at his two compatriots. Or, really, one- Karl didn't even seem to have waited to stop before clambering out of the cupola. Jerry shot, "Die Mädchen werden kommen, wenn wir es ihnen reinstecken, konzentriere dich jetzt auf dein Fahren."

Otto pointed out, "Wir sind gestoppt-"

"Vor! Mit dem Bremsen!" Jerry fumed, "Benutz die Kupplung, du Idiot!"

Otto asked, "Was ist Kupplung?"

Jerry stared at him a long moment, and even seemed to get a little out of his seat, before quickly settling back in, grumbling, "Dummkopf spielen geht nicht. Eine Schlange zu sein ist deine Natur, aber du bist nicht gut darin."

"Ich weiß es wirklich nicht," Otto informed, but Jerry had already turned away, beginning to fiddle with his hatch. With a sigh, Otto turned away as well, peering through the driver's sight and wishing he had a hatch of his own to stick his head out of. After a little bit, his view was cut off by a boxy shape maneuvering in front of the sight, before heading off and revealing itself to be the rear of the Cruiser IV. A bit more time passed, and Jerry abruptly shouted, "Aus dem Weg, Wurm!"

Otto turned around, to see that the driver had not only gotten back in the tank, but had gotten out of his gunner's seat as well. Quickly, the loader started fiddling with the driver's seat, asking, "Fahren Sie?"

"Jawohl!" Jerry shot, "Weil du zu dumm bist zu verstehen wie!"

Otto said nothing in response, merely finishing his fiddling to get the driver's seat out of the way. While he was extricating himself from the position, though, the actual reason for Jerry getting down was made clear by a girl- Blake- clambering in through the gunner's hatch. Jerry shot, "Funker! Mach dich rar!"

Otto nodded quietly, and inserted himself into the radio operator's position, while Jerry huffed and grunted himself into the driver's position. Blake silently leaned against one of the ammunition bins, while Yang climbed in, then simply plopped herself down underneath the gun, noting, "There aren't enough seats."

Karl, staring directly downward, and down Yang's cleavage, said nothing, too entranced by the sight. Otto informed, "You're supposed to stand, and be ready to dodge the gun."

"Nah, it's all good," Yang said with a dismissive handwave, "It can't hit me down here."

There were, at most, two inches between her and the breech- not enough to prevent her getting smacked if the gun elevated, but just enough to give Karl a clear view. Otto seeing this, simply let out a sigh, noting, "We won't be firing anyway."

"Aw," Yang said, "C'mon, could be fun."

"Absolutely not," Weiss said, finally coming in through the hatch, "It's one thing to make me ride with these hooligans, but we can't be delayed by their shenanigans."

The heiress sat in the gunner's seat with a huff, and Yang glanced over, then, smiling, noted, "I can see up your skirt."

She was promptly met with a boot to the face, as Weiss muttered, "Just get us to the docks, please."

"It's better to come late, ja?" Karl said. Weiss glared at him for a moment, and the gunner met it for about an instant, then shrank away, then, with his head turned away from the girl, murmured, "Jerry, fortfahren."

"Jawohl, Herr!" Jerry over dramatically exclaimed, having not yet had his mood dampened by Weiss yet. An instant later, the tank shot off, causing Yang to tilt forward a bit and for Blake to stumble and fall onto the blonde's back. Weiss let out a satisfied sniff, while Blake quickly stood up and leaned against the barrier between Jerry and Otto. Otto glanced over momentarily, then returned to staring ahead, meanwhile Yang lifted herself up, grumbling, "You guys couldn't have put a seat in here?"

"There isn't time to sit in battle," Karl said, "And that's what we are always in; glorious battle. Why-"

"Why do you have a seat, then?" Blake questioned. Karl stopped, not having prepared his speech for someone interrupting. Yang guessed, "Is it so you could have girls up there, then sit here and look up their skirts?"

Once again, she received a kick to the face. Otto began, "The basket would have been expensive, and it isn't that bad to run between the ammunition and the gun."

"So, you actually do stand?" Blake guessed, and Karl fumed, "Yes, he's such a coward that we punish him by making him stand rather than getting a seat!"

Otto nodded, and Yang shot, "What the hell, why do you get a seat now then?"

"I could give it to you," Otto offered, "It would be safer-"

"He needs to operate the radio," Karl cut off, "Now!"

Otto shrugged, turning ahead and beginning to fiddle with random bits on the radio- specifically, bits that he knew wouldn't actually do much of anything. After a bit, Yang abruptly said, "Hey, Blake, swap me."

Blake glanced askance at her partner, who informed, "I'm not wearing a bra and I think this guy might be catching on."

She jerked a thumb at Karl, who started to sputter for a response. Rather than let the man say anything, though, Yang added, "Besides, don't you wanna see Weiss' panties?"

The blonde received yet another kick, while Karl finally managed, "Das- th-that's what I'm owed! For the ride!"

"Yeah, sure buddy," Yang said as she got up, having to press herself against Blake in order to do so. Blake finally relented, "Sure."

The girl promptly turned herself sideways, squeezing in between Yang and the hull's wall, before sitting down under the gun. Promptly, Blake looked up and a bit to the left, and noted, "You should probably cross your legs."

Barely, she ducked under a kick, then came back up, while Weiss fumed, "You should have let me handle the airship tickets!"

"Nah, that's expensive," Yang dismissed. Weiss sighed, shaking her head in exasperation, while Yang turned away, then leaned over to Otto, asking, "Hey, so my sis is in the other tank."

Otto glanced over to look at the girl while she talked, fully intending to look her in the eyes as one does. Instead, though, his eyes focused entirely on her chest, leaned over as she was, and he heard none of whatever else Yang was saying. For a few moments, at least, before Yang swept her hand in front of him, noting, "Hey, guy, I was talking."

"Uh... I'm sorry," Otto said, "Your breasts are-"

"Yeah, yeah, you guys are a buncha creeps," Yang said dismissively, still not bothering to lean up, "Anyway, you have a radio, can you talk to the other tank? You know, the one full of regular weirdos rather than you guys?"

"Ach," Otto said, "Your sister is there- I should have figured you would want to do that. But I don't know their frequency."

Yang stared at him a moment, while Otto's eyes returned to her chest. Promptly, she stood up a bit more fully, staring down at Otto, who simply noted, "I could try randomly finding frequencies. What would be the message?"

"Oh, well, we had this bet," Yang explained, "See, she thought Weiss' panties would be red, 'cause that's how the inside of her skirt is, but I figured they were white, because she's all fancy, you know? Anyway, she owes me lunch, 'cause they're white."

"YANG!" Weiss objected, and Yang glanced over, asking, "What? Are you gonna change them now that I said it?"

Otto glanced over, too, then quickly looked away, seeing the heiress tremble with unfulfillable rage, glaring at the blonde with more fury than a KV-2 on reload staring at an annoying light tank. Yang, for her part, simply shrugged, then said, "So, could you just tell her that?"

Otto paused a moment, feeling the heat of Weiss' glare splash off of Yang due to its sheer intensity, then quietly answered, "N-No."

"Then you're not operating the radio, right?" Yang said, "So, you could come out."

"Nein!" Karl interjected. Yang huffed, then said, "So, just to spite that guy, wanna start sending it?"

"No," Otto said, shaking his head, "He is the acting commander, and usually our gunner."

Yang pointed out, "They literally just scream at you all the time. Even I get annoyed by it."

"They're my crew," Otto retorted. Yang sighed at that, noting, "Wonder what our commander is doing."

Abruptly, the whole tank jostled sending everything flying up, then down. Yang inhaled sharply, smacking her head against the hull, and Otto suggested, "You should try to brace yourself."

Before Yang could respond to the suggestion, or act on it, the tank jostled again.

-Meanwhile, far, far behind

"C'mon, couldn't we just speed up?" Ruby begged, staring at the disappearing Panzer III through the Cruiser's gunner sight. It was, at this point, a very small, grey box, so far that, even through the telescopic lens, she couldn't make out any details. Gladys retorted, "They'll overheat their engine going like that. Besides, they should be about to the trail proper, at this point."

She sipped her tea quietly, while Emma murmured, "Driving too fast with too many people- reckon one of 'em'll get a concussion that way."

"But they'd get there," Ruby bickered, and Gladys cut off, "We aren't changing speed."

Ruby huffed, then noted, "You're usually nicer."

"You're usually not in my tank," Gladys retorted, "Now, then- Emma, you were saying?"

"Oh, right," Emma nodded, "Saying I'll be quite glad to have our own tea supply. This'll be a strain on it."

Gladys nodded, and Ruby pointed out, "Why are you guys drinking if we're gonna be driving this slow for hours?"

"We'll be hours?" Emma questioned, and Gladys noted, "We have a whole kettle to get through. Though, come to think of it, our supplies wouldn't-"

"How far is it?" Emma asked, staring at Gladys. Gladys, in turn, glanced over at Ruby, noting, "I've not actually consulted any maps, but I should think it was only ten miles."

"No," Ruby said, shaking her head, "It's, like, fifty?"

Emma sniffed, noting, "Won't be giving any to her, then. Have to make these bags last."

"I was about to say that our guest refusing to accept our courtesy would be nice for that," Gladys nodded, "But, anyways, I am having doubts that we'll ever get into an Alecto."

"Okay, but aren't you guys gonna need to pee?" Ruby questioned. Ignoring her, Emma said, "Ooh, you think we'll go down the other way, then? Us in a Matilda?"

"No," Gladys said, very slight bits of crimson coloring her face as she shook her head, "I just don't quite see how it would be gone about."

"But you're hoping," Emma guessed. Gladys nodded, blushing a bit more as she noted, "It would be quite nice, to be in a Matilda. I have always rather fancied the good, 'Queen of the Desert'."

"Would it have a bathroom?" Ruby wondered, and Emma shot, "Would you can it and just hold it in? We've only been out for ten bloody minutes!"

"I forgot to go before leaving!" Ruby admitted, "Yang reminded me, and I told her that it was fine, and then Weiss wanted us to go in our uniforms and we had an argument about that, and, uh, I forgot."

Gladys sighed, then continued, "It would be a beautiful tank, to see in person. I only ever got to see a couple- other than those Russian monstrosities."

"Thought those were a bit cute," Emma retorted, "Y'know, in a silly way."

Gladys shrugged, "I see fitting a too-big gun in a too-small turret more as a crime, but-"

"Guys!" Ruby interjected. Gladys glanced over instinctually, then quickly looked away, murmuring, "Could you not try to talk and go at the same time?"

"She's not weeing," Emma informed, "Remember, she doesn't like using a round?"

Gladys paused a moment, then nodded, while Ruby stammered, "C-Can we just stop?"

"Why would we stop?" Gladys retorted, glancing into her periscope. Quickly, she caught sight of a tree, and kept her eyes on it for a few moments, using it to determine their speed to about twenty miles per hour. With this in mind, she informed, "Should only be two hours or so until we arrive."

"Bloody hell," Emma murmured, and Ruby gasped, "Two hours?"

"Not too long," Gladys noted, "Though, if we happen to spot a target on the way, I suppose we can fire off a round just so you can go."

"I'm not going to pee in one of those!" Ruby exclaimed, throwing her hands towards the ready-rack of two-pounder rounds. Emma noted, "Bit of your opposite, really. You can't stand pissing outside, she just wants to do it."

Gladys huffed, "That's barbaric."

"Please just stop," Ruby said. Gladys sighed... then sipped her tea, and carried on, "I suppose we should at least keep you distracted from your wee. So, Emma, do you want to talk about the Crusader, or shall I elaborate on the Matilda?"

"Oh, you think we'll get a Crusader?" Emma excitedly said, "Would be odd, but then we'd have the little machine-gun turret!"

Gladys nodded quietly, then said, "Alright, but consider that the Matilda is by far a prettier tank. I doubt even you could say that the mud-chutes aren't beautiful-"

"The mud-chutes? Which one has the entire turret able to open up..."

As the bickering started, Ruby groaned, the realization setting in that she was going to be stuck in the Cruiser with a full bladder for a while, again.

-Much, much later

"Guys," Ruby murmured, seeing the parked Panzer III, "Can we get out now?"

"We aren't quite there," Gladys said, having now set her tea down to stand at her periscope and dictate more precise instructions to Carney. Ruby bit her lip and squeezed her thighs, seeing Yang standing just by the Panzer, a half-eaten churro in one hand and the other raised in greeting. Emma murmured, "Oh, good, won't have to go through our biscuits, then."

"C-Can we stop already?" Ruby said, and Gladys advised, "Slow us down a bit, I'd like to park next to the Panzer."

As Ruby squirmed intensely, the tank shifted slightly, heading right while Gladys instructed, "Ahead... a bit more... alright, sharp left."

The tank pretty much fully stopped, as Carney began neutral steering to turn right. Ruby, though, simply felt the full stop and took it at that, smacking above her... and staring above, her eyes widening in horror as she realized that-

"You don't have a hatch," Emma said, stating the obvious, "Supposed to get out through the cupola."

"I need out now!" Ruby begged, thrusting a hand between her legs, squeezing and squirming and doing everything to keep her waters in. Emma noted, "Might not be able to find a loo before you burst, like that."

Ruby whimpered slightly, having not even considered the issue of actually getting a toilet, being focused entirely on getting out of the tank. Finally, Gladys said, "Stop."

The tank finally, fully stopped, as Gladys informed, "This'll do."

She set the intercom down, then clambered out of the hatch, while Ruby practically bounced beside her, waiting for the commander to get out of the way. And, as Gladys brought herself onto the engine deck, she was witness to a red ball streaking out of the cupola like a speeding bullet. Emma, coming out of her own hatch, murmured, "I don't think she'll make it."

Gladys sighed at that, then clambered off of the engine deck and onto solid ground. Quickly, she headed over to the front of the Cruiser, then stooped down and gave a thumbs-up to Carney through the driver's sight, while Yang questioned, "What's up with her?"

"It... ah..." Gladys murmured, not particularly wanting to anger the blonde, "Your sister, well-"

"She wouldn't just piss in a shell," Emma shot. Gladys nodded lightly, murmuring, "Yes, ah, that's it. We did offer to let her, I should say."

"Okay," Yang said with a shrug, "Just kinda been waiting on you guys for a while."

Gladys sighed in relief, and Carney, finally coming out from his hatch, informed, "Your driver does have speed, at least."

"Where is he, anyway?" Emma asked, glancing around. Yang answered, "Everyone else's waiting a bit closer, since Weiss kept saying she was gonna go alone."

Emma snorted at that, and Yang sighed, stretching slightly as the group waited. And waited. For quite a while.

Finally, Ruby came running back, and Gladys noted, "It seems she did make it to a loo after all."

"You sure about the 'loo' part?" Emma retorted, and Carney noted, "I doubt it would be too terribly hard to find one."

"Just pull over next time, okay?" Yang shot, then added, "Or put me down for five Lien for her not making it."

"Better have those lee-ens ready, then," Emma said, not really knowing what a Lien was. Yang shrugged, then raised her arm high, calling, "Hey! Rubes!"

After a bit longer, the girl finally came over, noting, "Where's everyone else?"

"Oh, ahead," Yang answered, "But you owe me lunch."

As the blonde drew away, Ruby followed, and was thereafter followed by the tankers, while the girl asked, "What for?"

"Oh, Weiss has white panties," Yang said. Ruby giggled a little, and Gladys sighed quietly, glancing over at Emma, who muttered, "Cross my legs, yeah yeah."

"You could just, y'know, not wear skirts," Yang suggested, and Ruby retorted, "But they're cool!"

Author's Note: For those wondering about the 'turret basket' bit, it's a reference to the fact that I'm an ab moron and used the wrong term in previous chapters. As for why I took this long; I'm just lazy, there isn't any excuse to be given.