Hey y'all! I just got back from the gas station with the milk and I decided to post a new chapter. Anyways, now that it's done, Imma go back and buy some cigarettes.

On a serious note, I'm really sorry this one took so long. A lot, and I mean, a LOT of things happened in my life. I've been really busy lately and I don't have as much free time to write as I did back then. I'll still try to get these chapters out as fast as possible without risking loss of quality. Expect the future chapters to be way shorter. Anyways, enough talking, enjoy the chapter!

The White Terror

July 28, 2033

The Whites of the east, under the command of Hiroko, the ship captain's daughter herself, continued their drive to the capital.

So far, they have met little to no resistance from the Reds which was quite unusual for their significant presence but they weren't complaining. They have an unobstructed path straight to Moskov after all.

Ahead of the main force, Kimura scouted ahead, hoping to find action wherever she looked but getting none of it at all.

After having traveled all day, the young commander and her weary crew had to rest. And so, that afternoon they set their sights on the nearest settlement on the map: A small, unremarkable village deep in the forest. Its remoteness assured them that they could stay for a while without a gang of Reds running up on them.

5:22 P.M

"...So we sang the chorus from Atlanta to the sea, while we were marching through Georgia…" Kimura hummed to herself as she climbed down the Panzer 38(t). They parked it on the outskirts of the settlement and covered it with foliage

"You must really like that song, huh commander?" Akko asked as they started their walk.

"Usually it lifts my mood and gets me all inspired and stuff… but I guess it isn't working right now. Wanna sing along with me?"

"I don't speak English, commander. Though with how many times you've sung that today, I think I can just sing from the top of my head."

"Yeah… Sorry about that," she chuckled awkwardly, scratching the back of her head.

"You've been down in the dumps lately, commander. Is something bothering you?" the co-driver asked.

"It's been a while since we've shot at a Red. It's been a while since we've made a campfire either… or thrown anything into one either…"

"What is with you and your obsession with fire? It's weird…" the driver muttered.

"It makes me feel great. Whenever I feel its loving warmth, it's as if all my troubles in life go away."

A brief period of silence followed until the village came into view. The entirety of the local populace was inside their homes, shielded from the cold while Kimura and her crew were not. They were gonna do something about that.

The crew strolled into the village and were greeted by no one. It seemed the locals were oblivious to their presence. They wished to keep it that way.

They found the most isolated house in the area and knocked on its front door. After no one answered, they walked around to the back.

"Are we really doing this?" the driver asked anxiously.

Kimura replied, "We have no choice," before picking up a rock on the ground and breaking a window with it. "Well girls, why don't we welcome ourselves in?"

Brushing aside shattered glass shards, Kimura climbed inside first and found herself in the kitchen. From the looks of it, the family home wasn't too bad. It seems whoever resided there was pretty well off.

After Akko climbed in next and started helping the others, Kimura decided to explore the rest of the house. She found herself in the living room next and was about to let her guard down upon seeing it empty when she felt a presence behind her.

Grabbing the gun from her holster, she turned around and found no one there. But then she looked down and saw a young boy, clad in pajamas and clutching a pillow. He flinched when Kimura shoved the gun in his face.

"Where're your parents?"

"Th-They're not here," he said, trying his best not to sob.

Kimura let out a faint sigh, "Alright, now go back to your room and go to sleep. We won't hurt you if you lock the door."

The boy nodded timidly before scurrying back upstairs. The commander slid his pistol back into the holster and switched on the lights. She dropped onto the couch as her crewmates arrived, carrying an entire fridge-worth of food with them.

"We have plenty of food in the tank, you know."

"Sorry but I'd rather not have Toshanka for the fifteenth time this week, commander," Akko replied as she stuffed her face with what she assumed was tonight's leftovers. "You should have some too. This stuff is really good."

"No thanks, I'm not hungry. Just… really tired…" she sank deeper into the couch, struggling to keep her eyelids from drooping.

Her crew soon settled into the living room as well and eventually, all the food they brought with them disappeared. This was the first time they had the time to actually relax and not worry about running into a Red in the middle of the steppe so they took this opportunity to get to know each other more.

"Say commander, we've told you all about ourselves so why not return the favor and tell us all about you?" Akko asked.

The driver added, "Yeah, I'd like to know too. 'Cuz there's just no way you came out of nowhere. And with one of our tanks no less!"

"Do I really have to? I'm extremely exhausted, you know. Let's discuss this subject tomorrow…"

"Come on! What kind of crew would we be if we didn't even know who our commander was?"

It took a few more attempts before she budged. "Tsk, fine!" Kimura sat up with a sour look on her face. "To tell you the truth, I'm not from Pravda. Nor am I from Gregor…" she paused for dramatic effect, "I'm a spy from Oarai," she waited for the shocked gasps of her crew.

"Cool"

"What?! B-But that's a big deal, don't you realize?! I've been lying to you all this time!"

"So what? It doesn't really change anything. You're still against the Reds and as far as we know, you still want to get off this carrier just as us. What I'm curious about though… is why? Why go all the way over here, on the other side of the globe, to get involved in something you have nothing to do with?"

"The same reason why someone who wants to kill people would join the military. I can do whatever I want over here with no repercussions. I live on the other side of the world! Everything I do here won't matter to me once I'm on a flight straight back to the Zuikaku."

"That uhh… That sounds concerning…" said Akko.

"I'm not saying I'm gonna go do crimes or something! Come on, I assure you I'm not that sociopathic."

The crew spent the rest of the evening recounting tales of the various misadventures during their lives and consuming the household's food supply. They wanted to cherish this moment as much as possible as they would be going back to the frontlines tomorrow. It would seem, however, that the frontlines would come to them.

The sun had long since descended from the sky when the unmistakable sound of an approaching tank was heard.

"It's the Reds!" Akko yelled, springing out of slumber.

"I thought they retreated further back?" the driver asked, keeping composure.

"Not surprised that some decided to stay behind," Kimura replied as she walked over to the window.

She found the couple who owned the house standing outside, huddling together for warmth. Their concerned looks suggested they were more worried about their son than their house. Beside them was the tank in question, a white T-34 with the Pravda insignia.

The commander of the tank emerged from the hatch and greeted the intruders. "Bună ziua! Welcome to our quaint little village. From the looks of it, it seems you're enjoying your stay. Say, what brought you here?" she seemed friendly at first.

"Oh, we're just passing through, nothing to worry about. Just let us stay another hour or two and we'll be gone out of your way before you know it!"

"No problem! We don't mind having a few guests in town. Say, why don't you leave this fine couple's home and I can show you around? I'll even rent you some rooms for free."

Kimura turned around to see what her crew thought about this.

"-Is what I would usually say whenever we get visitors. However…" the friendly atmosphere vanished as the girl in the tank glared at them. Kimura gulped and readied to pull her firearm out. "You're not here just to visit, are you?"

She tried to laugh it off, "I'm sorry friend, but I don't know what you're getting at-"

"I'm not an idiot, commander. I know you're with the Whites."

"Commander, we need to go!" Akko whispered but Kimura didn't answer.

"Normally I would have captured you by now but I don't want to cause a commotion tonight. People need their sleep after all. So I'm asking you, commander, leave this fine couple's house, leave this place, and never come back. This is your only chance."

"I respect your mindset commander but I'm afraid I'll have to refuse your request-" suddenly, the T-34 opened fire, spraying the house with machine gun fire. Kimura and her crew dropped to the floor and took cover.

The living room was completely destroyed. Nothing was left standing. At that point, a sizable crowd had gathered near the house, attracted by all the ruckus.

"She's friggin' insane!" the spooked driver exclaimed. "We really need to leave, commander! L-Let's just stay in the woods for the night!"

"I'm not letting her push me around!" she replied defiantly before getting back to her feet and regaining composure. Her crew tried to pull her back down but to no avail. "My! My! That's not a great way to treat your guests!" she paused as the child appeared outside and ran to his parents' arms, bawling his eyes out. Well there goes Plan B…

"I gave you a choice. Leave now or I'm using the cannon next," the commander warned coldly.

"You know, my friends aren't going to like it if they find out how you treated me tonight. I was planning on stopping by this place to rest and move on, but now I'm thinking of staying for a bit," she replied ominously.

This seemed to trigger the commander because shortly afterwards, she crawled back inside the tank right before it fired a deafening shot. Kimura ducked fast enough to dodge the incoming shell which punched a hole through the wall behind them.

"COMMANDER!" the driver grabbed her by the shoulders. "LET'S. GET. OUT. OF. HERE!"

"Alright, alright!" she stood up but had no time to dust her clothes as the T-34 came barreling towards them. They dashed out of the living room as fast as they could and ran back to the broken window they had crawled in from. But before Kimura could enter the kitchen, her face met a baseball bat and she collapsed to the floor.

Two girls came out of hiding and blocked their escape. Kimura's crew felt it unnecessary to continue running so they threw in the towel.

The marauders were brought to their knees in front of the T-34 that towered over them. The commander, a swarthy young woman who looked to be European, climbed down the tank and inspected her captives before she stopped in front of Kimura.

She crouched down and set Kimura's coat aside, finding her revolver in a holster. She pulled it out and inspected the weapon, opening the cylinder to find six bullets inside. They didn't look like plastic. The commander's face gave her a look of disdain before standing up.

"Throw these bandits into the barn with the rest of them and leave them there. Gather everyone for a meeting afterwards. I doubt these people are traveling alone," the two girls nodded. "Oh, and have someone comb the area for any tanks. They're a crew. I can tell as much.

This wasn't just some mob of angry citizens, but a well-organized militia. They could prove a dangerous threat to Hiroko's army. Kimura had to deal with them somehow, but first, she needed to get out of her restraints and get back to her tank.

Kimura and her crew were dragged to an isolated barn not far from the village and were locked inside.

"Who the hell do they think they are?! Locking us in here… I'm gonna burn their fucking houses down!" Kimura kicked the door in anger.

"Ah, looks like they got you too," they heard an unfamiliar voice and turned around. From the darkness emerged four Pravda students, their uniforms in various states of disarray. Unlike Kimura and her crew, they were free from any restraints.

Upon seeing them, Akko yelled, "Reds! Get 'em!" and charged at them.

But her comrades stopped her before she could get close. "Now's not the time," they said.

"We're not looking for a fight," the one who seemed to be their leader said, raising her hands. "We just want to get out of here, and I'm sure you want to as well. So let's just talk alright?"

"She's got a point," said Kimura, pulling Akko back towards her. "Quarreling won't get us out of this barn. Just calm the hell down, alright Fujiwara?"

"Fine," she muttered, scowling at the Reds. She calmed down, but not before spitting on the ground before them. This outraged them and they proceeded to berate Akko for her rude gesture. It took a while to calm them down.

After everything settled down, the Reds and the Whites sat on the ground.

"You know, this is pretty weird. You're the very first Reds we've met who haven't attacked us on sight," Kimura said.

"We have good reason to so I'm not sorry whatsoever. You know if it weren't for you stupid Whites ruining everything, things would be still normal by now. We would still be in school and we wouldn't have to worry about finding something to eat everyday. You people just had to stir up trouble and ruin it for everyone."

"We're fighting for a better future, you idiot!" Akko suddenly stood. "The Student Council's been oppressing everyone for years! We're the ones who're tired of them pushing us around like pawns! You're just another mindless sheep!"

"Hiroko's using all of you for her own selfish gains! That self-centered preppy just wants to replace the Student Council so she'll be in control. You're the mindless sheep here!"

While the two bickered about politics, Kimura hatched a plan with the rest of her crew and the other Reds who weren't in on the drama.

"Don't mind the idiots in our midst, people. I've managed to come up with a clever escape plan," she proclaimed, wearing a smirk. "...and I'll tell you all the details when you get me out of these bonds."

Her driver went "Oh yeah" before hastily untying her. Afterwards, Kimura walked over to the locked door.

"So uh, what's this genius plan of yours?" one of the Reds asked.

"I'm just gonna shoot that lock off that door," she said casually, pulling out a revolver - identical to her old one - from seemingly out of nowhere. "Honestly, I can't believe I didn't think of this soon enough. I mean, it was so obvious!"

"You have a gun?!" the Reds exclaimed.

"You have two?!" Kimura's crew were just as shocked.

"Yeah, of course I do. I brought a spare in case I found myself in a sticky situation."

"Are you on the run or something?" one of the Reds asked.

"None of your business."

"You're a friggin' psychopath!" yelled her driver.

"Well this psychopath's gonna get us out of the barn. Outta my way!" the commander walked over to the door. "Now hopefully this'll only take one bullet."

A gunshot rang out and the political argument ceased. Kimura pushed open the creaky wooden doors of the decrepit barn and everyone stepped out. It was getting dark and even colder.

"Say, if those guys hate us and they hate you Reds too, what does that make them?" Akko asked.

"Well, we usually call them The Greens-"

"The Greens now? How many goddamn colors are there in this ship? Who's next, the Magentas?" she got a few chuckles from the crowd but was otherwise ignored.

The Red leader saw the broken lock laying in the snow. "So what now? We can't leave without our tank or else we'll be locked up in a labor camp next."

"You'll get yours back if you help me find mine," Kimura replied, putting her gun away.

"It's in the village most likely. If they found it, they would've stolen it by now. We don't have much of a chance against two tanks and an angry mob. What do you suppose we do?"

"You wouldn't like my plan if I told you. So I won't," Kimura said before walking away.

"Hey! Get back here! What the hell did you mean by that?" The Reds reluctantly followed behind.

8:22 P.M

Kimura and her gang found the most isolated house in town and they didn't hesitate to break in.

The family was having dinner when the girls rushed into the room. "Evening folks, sorry for the intrusion. Just keep calm and we won't have any trouble," she said, holding them at gunpoint.

"Wh-What do you want with us?" the father asked, putting his wife and daughter behind him.

"We're just borrowing your house for a short while, hope you don't mind. Say, you have insurance right?"

"What are you talking about? I-If you want something just take it. Don't hurt my family!"

"I suggest you start getting your valuables out the house instead of just standing there."

They looked confused at first but Kimura encouraged them by firing at the ceiling. Once they left the room, she went over to the stove, grabbing a sarmale from the dinner table on the way there.

She twisted the knobs the farthest they could go before grabbing a nearby window curtain, setting it ablaze, and throwing it on the floor.

"What the hell are you doing?!" her driver exclaimed.

"This ought to get their attention. I saw a few more houses down the road. You girls know what to do."

"You want us to burn people's houses?! This isn't a diversion, this is just straight up a crime!"

"War is cruel. There's no use trying to reform it. The crueler it is, the sooner it'll be over. This is the only way we can get our tanks back so deal with it."

On the other side of the village, the Greens were gathered. Their tanks faced east, ready to engage the incoming White steamroll. Their overall commander stood outside the cupola, staring into the darkness, her eyes locked at the treeline. Her crew sang Smuglianka to quell their boredom.

The commander of their newly acquired Panzer 38(t) radioed in. "Commander. I need to talk to you about something…" she sounded anxious on the other end.

"What is it?"

"I don't think we should be doing this. There's only two of us here. The Whites have ten times as many tanks as us. Don't you think our situation is kinda… hopeless? You're a great commander, I know that. But no one, not even you, can take out that many."

"I know, comrade, I know. Ultimately we are just slowing their advance. But we're not fighting to win tonight. We need to remind the Whites that they're not invincible. We need to show them that we won't go down without a fight."

"That's easier said than done. You know that, right?"

"I know. But with you fighting by my side, I'm confident it'll go well."

Her comrade chuckled, "Right… We'll all get sent to a labor camp after this, I presume. If this is gonna be my last battle, then it was an honor, commander."

"You too," she replied, a melancholic smile forming on her face.

Suddenly, the commander heard footsteps behind her. One of her troops appeared.

"Fire…" she was out of breath so the commander urged her to calm down first. "A fire's broken out!"

She turned around to see her village in flames. Her heart dropped and a million thoughts swarmed her head. Did the Whites trick us? Is everyone safe? How did this happen? What do I do?!

"Commander!" she was pulled back to reality by her partner. She had turned her tank around. "Get it together! We need to get over there!"

She paused for a second to regain composure. "R-Right! Driver! Get us there quick!"

"Roger!"

Kimura stood in front of the house they broke into earlier that afternoon. Glowing like a beacon in the night, it was consumed by the fire just as the neighboring residences were as well.

"You burned my house to the ground!" yelled the man who once owned it. He knelt on the ground defeated, his family trying desperately to console him.

"Don't blame me, buddy. You started that fire when you shot at us earlier. It's just finally caught up with you," she replied smugly.

"I had nothing to do with that!"

"Too late now, friend," she chuckled, admiring the beauty of her work.

"My… My family… We have nothing left… Oh God, what do I do…?" the man started breaking down and crying.

Kimura was indifferent, however, "Hell if I care. That's your problem now."

The commander turned around and was surprised when she was grabbed by the collar by her driver.

"Commander! This is too much!" she exclaimed, "All we wanted was to leave this place! I-I didn't sign up for this!"

"We're war criminals now!" the other Gregor student exclaimed.

"You have no choice!" she pushed her away. "I'm your commander and you will do as I say! If you don't like the way I do things, then just say so so I can leave you and your friend behind!"

The driver's expression soured and she turned around and walked away, grumbling, "You're lucky I have no choice, kurva…"

Afterwards, the Panzer 38(t) emerged from the fire and flames as if returning to its owner. Kimura's eyes widened with glee.

"Great! All according to plan."

As it drew closer, she went over and grabbed the man's son and put him in front of her. She pressed the cold muzzle of her revolver against the boy's head as his parents begged Kimura to let him go.

The 38(t) stopped as soon as she did this and the commander popped out of its cupola. "Stop! Wh-What are you doing?!"

"Getting back what belongs to me. Now get out of my tank before I blow the kid's head off."

She chuckled nervously, "Ha r-right! You're just trying get me to back off with a fake gun huh-"

Kimura shot at her once to convince her she wasn't bluffing. "Last chance. Step off the tank."

Without a word, she raised her arms and slowly got out and hopped off. Her crew did the same.

"Everyone inside," she ordered, and her crew did as told.

Kimura threw the boy aside and walked over to her tank. "I hope this teaches you a lesson. Next time, don't take anything that's not yours, got it?" she tapped the girl on her shoulder before climbing up.

Afterwards, the Reds appeared. "Hey! Where's our tank?"

Kimura didn't need to answer as the white T-34 came barreling into the scene and it fired a shot as soon as it saw them.

"Well there you have it!" she quickly ducked inside her tank for safety and started to aim towards their enemy.

Meanwhile, the T-34 rode circles around them, firing erratically, so in order to aim faster, the 38(t)'s driver steered the hull around.

Just as the T-34's vulnerable side came into Kimura's sights, it suddenly stopped, throwing them off guard. They stopped too late and Kimura had to adjust their aim again. They were too late as the enemy fired first.

The Whites thought it was over, but they realized they weren't hit. Immediately, Kimura took aim and fired. The shot penetrated the T-34's side, disabling it. A small white flag burst out of the turret, but Kimura wasn't done yet.

On instinct, Akko loaded another shell in just as one came out so Kimura fired another shot into the T-34. Then another, and another, and another until the Reds climbed up their tank and snapped the commander out of it.

"Oi mudak! That's our fucking tank! You know how expensive repairing that thing is?!" the Red commander yelled, pounding Kimura on the head.

"Uh… sorry about that. I got a bit too hyper tonight," she chuckled awkwardly.

"You don't say…"

The hatch of the T-34 opened and the leader of the Greens came out, her head bleeding from a concussion.

"This isn't over…" she said, panting heavily. "I'm gonna find you… You're gonna pay for this!"

"Good luck with that, I guess. Let's get going, girls."

And so, Kimura resumed their journey to the west "Wait! Wait! What about us?!" but were promptly stopped by the Reds

"What, you expect me to give you a ride? We're supposed to be enemies for God's sake. Just stay here 'til you get picked up by your friends, or mine. Sayonara pal."

The Panzer 38(t) rode into the woods and disappeared into the night, leaving an entire village burning in their wake.

The flames and the giant pillar of smoke attracted the main force of the Eastern White Army who were nearby. Out of curiosity, Commander Hiroko redirected her army towards it the next morning. When they got there however, they were met with nothing but blackened rubble and traces of a tank battle that ensued in the area. Not a single soul was inside.

Though slightly unnerved, Hiroko had more important things to do and so, she and her army moved deeper into Red territory, closer to the capital.

A/N: Fun Fact: The Greens' leader is a reference to the song Smuglianka. Check out the song's lyrics and you'll get what I mean :)