The same terrifying silence seemed to haunt his ears as he knew what was to follow. Virtanen gave the order. "Brace for impact!" The ARL-44 and his crew had little time to prepare for the ensuing 380mm mortar to splash down on their heads.
The round impacted high due to the SturmTiger adjusting its range, clipping the ravine wall above their heads as their drivers tried to maneuver to safety. The concussive blast from above seemed to press their vehicles down into the sand below their treads as the raucous volume ensued and rattled their vehicles under the pressure.
Stunned, even the drivers braced their heads as they endured the blast. Stone from the size of pebbles up to jagged boulders the size of their vehicles departed the precarious heights and descended upon them. The larger and more lethal rocks missed them as they were briefly buried beneath the dust and debris cascading down onto their heads.
Adrenaline flowing in their veins, both Piper and Virtanen's crews checked their stations. Ensuring no one was injured and their vehicles operable, Virtanen let a groan escape his lips as his bruised side ached. Reaching for his headset he gave an order of desperation.
"Kaiser! Get rid of that gun!"
"On it" answered Kaiser as his detachment moved southeast, skirting the hills and weaving between their enemy's line of fire. "You've heard the drama queen Div, get out there."
O'Diveley laughed into his mic. "I ever tell ya that anyone besides me would have your neck for treating them as disposable?"
Kaiser watched as his M18 revved its engine and sped forward regardless of the statement. "I haven't heard any complaints yet."
"That's cause your command, as ridiculous as it may be, is where the thrills are. Don't lag behind now!" The M18 crested a hill before reversing, luring two rounds of fire that narrowly missed. One even skimmed the turret and sent sparks high as the M18's chassis shifted and raced downhill and back over to return fire.
Out of sight and drawing fire to the right, Kaiser prepared for his slower, heavy tanks to crest on the left and press their enemy. For this, the Puma would be their forward recon as O'Diveley drew attention, something he excelled at.
With what information Kaiser had, this flank was guarded by a Nashorn, Panther, and Panzer III. Their goal would be to breach this defensive line of hills and press the enemy's rear in search of the SturmTiger. As such, speed was of the utmost importance to avoid the enemy bolstering this front.
The reinvigorated Puma crew succeeded in maneuvering to the opposite hillside as O'Diveley attracted the enemy's attention. Kaiser's heavy tanks then followed suit and saw the enemy vehicles he had expected. The closest was the Panther, 150 meters away and at a lower elevation firing up at O'Diveley.
Slightly further away was the Panzer III, 50 meters behind the Panther and uphill. Perhaps a safeguard against any vehicle like the M18 that may try to outmaneuver the Panther's turret traverse.
Finally, the last visible threat was a Nashorn at 350 meters and uphill. Trickily, it had found a comfortable outcropping to nestle away in and was firing down atop the M18 before noticing his detachment.
The puma circled around to hide behind his Tiger as the Heavy's proceeded forward, staying just out of the tank destroyer's sights. The enemy vehicle relayed his advance to the Panther and Panzer who then began to withdraw while impeding O'Diveley from making any risky runs.
This method was slowly squeezing their enemy into a disadvantageous position. Cramped atop a hill and flanked on three sides but this would take time. Something that, judging by Virtanen's voice, they didn't have much of.
"Nat, Val, get to the hilltop and suppress the Nashorn. Anna on me. Div, prepare to move with us. Same as when we advanced from the ridge. Keep them on the back foot and push."
"Yes sir" answered Natalya for herself and her sister as their vehicles diverged from his column and proceeded uphill.
"Soon would be better than later" griped O'Dively into his mic. The enemy Panther and Panzer III had displaced from their defensive posture and were bearing down on his position.
The M18 acted as erratically as its commander and avoided the coordinated fire from its two foes. The lightweight and unsteady terrain surprisingly aided the M18 as it bobbed up and around through the slight deformations on the hillside as its opponents fought to find steady aim and lead their shots only for the lithe vehicle to suddenly change directions.
Eventually, their precision fire strategy shifted to one of suppression as they charged ahead to close the distance and eliminate the M18. 100 meters shrunk to fifty, then to twenty, before all that separated the two mediums from O'Dively was a small mound of defilade and the slight slope of sand and rock from the hillside.
Playing the role of bait admirably, O'Diveley seemed to have entranced his enemy into focusing solely on his eradication. As they chased him into a retreat, Kaiser's Tiger was now racing down the slope, hidden behind the rocky outcroppings, and straight to O'Diveley's aid with the Puma in tow.
The M18 slammed into reverse racing past Kaiser's sights momentarily before the Panther and Panzer III crested over the small mound and into his gunner's aim. The Kuromoromine vehicles didn't know of his presence until Belle fired an 88mm shell into the Panther's side, clipping the front right of its chassis and diverting it into the Panzer III's course.
Colliding, the two vehicles fought to adjust their aim and scrambled out of the gunfire. As his loader ejected the spent casing, the Tiger rammed into the Panther's side preventing it from maneuvering its side and locking their barrels together.
Immobilized, the Panther fought to free itself from the Tiger's weight bearing down on it as the Panzer II emerged from behind to aid it. The 50mm cannon fired and ripped a smoke launcher off the Tiger's turret, a clear attempt at damaging the gunner's sights.
At the sound of the smaller cannon, the Puma and M18 emerged and expediently circumvented the two large tanks. In a panic, the Panzer III tried to escape as it reloaded and fired again. The 50mm projectile blasted the front left floodlight off the Puma as the two scout vehicles serpentined, complicating their enemy's aim.
The Panther, unable to engage the Tiger, took a desperate shot. Freeing its locked barrel by swinging it left despite the scraping steel against the Tiger, it fired its 75mm cannon at the M18. Despite the close proximity and sandy terrain, the light tank had proven its speed and escaped with the shot clipping the rear of its turret. With a spare track now lying shredded and their turrets traverse damaged, the M18 counter charged the Panzer III with the Puma's assistance.
The Panzer III high-tailed it in reverse returning behind the gentle slope to await their charge. It never came. As the Panzer awaited them to emerge, the Puma and M18 pulled u-turns and bore down on the Panther's rear. Precision was not needed as the close distance left little room for error even with the M18's damaged turret.
The 76mm and 50mm cannons fired two shots each into the rear turret and chassis of the Puma which ceased moving as the Tiger reversed to dislodge itself. The Panther's turret swung slowly and menacingly to its rear as the Puma stopped just behind it and the M18 to the right. With a third shot from each into the turret, the Panther stopped its resistance.
The Tiger then swung its barrel over the defeated Panther's turret to the left where the Panzer III emerged, taking a peek at its enemies. Before it could fire at the vulnerable recon vehicles, an 88mm round destroyed its cannon and breech.
With a second white flag in the air, the right flank of Kuromormine had been destroyed.
"Kaiser!" called Natalya. "The Nashorn is retreating to the southeast, what are your orders?"
Kuromoromine's decision for Nashorns over Jagdpanthers must have been due to the expectation of mobility and heights. The Nashorn would surely be relaying the disintegration of their flank to whoever was in charge of this front and be bolstering it to prevent further progress by him.
After a short internal deliberation, he gave further orders for an advance. "Seize the opportunity. We'll rip this front wide open. Natalya, Valerya, push east, as deep as you can, and cause some havoc, Don't get lost though."
"Yes sir"
"Finally! Something fun to do!" replied Valerya with excitement.
Shaking his head at the expected replies, he continued as their IS-1 and KV-85 departed east. "Div, you'll head southeast and sweep the Valley, if you reach Knight then double back and ensure nothing gets in the lowlands between our units. If you get stopped, you have the autonomy to act as you please with regard to orders from Virtanen."
"Ya say the sweetest things, We'll get on that before you change your mind." replied his peer taking off at full speed downhill.
"Anna, you're with us, we're going to clear these hills of resistance till the situation develops further. Stay close and alert."
"Okay… yes sir" she replied hesitantly. The adrenaline of combat and their first successful kill must've been dazing for them, but there was no time to collect themselves once more. Kaiser would not surrender this momentum.
Akin to the sounding gunshot in a race, the eruption of a third explosion emerged from the ravine. Gazing at the large plume of smoke Kaiser radioed Virtanen as he gave the order to proceed.
Back in the Ravine, Virtanen had been in a precarious position as always before the shot had landed. With a small incline around a bend in the walls of the terrain, he couldn't retreat any further without the JagdTiger's gun waiting to punish him further.
He and Piper had receded far enough into the ravine where only the fearsome 128mm JagdTiger cannon could see and reach them yet as its namesake suggested, it lay in wait. Lukc had graced them as its first shot narrowly missed Virtanen as he tried to surmount the incline only for the patch of earth next to his Panther to be removed. With only enough time before their enemy speedily reloaded, Both he and the ARL-44 pulled back into the cover of the Ravines wall.
Now watching for their next move, knowing them to be trapped, Koume made the next call for fire to the SturmTiger. With haste, the SturmTiger confirmed the coordinates and lobbed their mortar deep into the ravine.
Not wishing to stick around, Virtanen discussed a plan to make a rush with Piper. Her sixth sense seemed to kick in as she urged him to move. Trusting her, the two vehicles pushed ahead as silence reigned overhead.
The stomach-churning familiarity of this silence struck as their vehicles met with the rocky path before them.
"You'll owe me for this!" shouted Piper as Virtanen looked behind his vehicle. Suddenly his Panther jerked forward and began descending over the incline due to the sudden boost as a loud shot erupted from behind.
Piper's ARL-44 had rammed the Panther's rear and along with jostling the crew inside, pushed it over their small obstacle. This was to the detriment of themselves. The temporary boost to the Panther slowed their ascent as they then remained just in the way of the JagdTiger's opportunistic shot.
A 128mm projectile slammed into the turret of the ARL-44 and all but detached the barrel. Yet the already defeated heavy tank still had yet to suffer reprisals for saving its flag tank. The SturmTiger's 380mm mortar then landed square in the center of the ravine and not more than a few dozen meters away.
The explosion was deafening as the ARL-44 was lifted and thrown sideways against the ravine wall. The Panther narrowly missed its destructive fate in part due to the ARL-44's push, having descended into a shallow depression, turning the incline behind it into an impromptu parapet.
Once again all vision was lost as the crews struggled to orient themselves in their vehicles. Growing sick of repeated bashing from above, they voice their displeasure none too kindly, cursing allowed as Virtanen tried to quiet them so that radio wouldn't pick them up as he checked in on Piper.
"Piper! Piper! Are you ok?!"
Muffled hacking could be heard as a dull thudding followed. Piper tried to open her cupola hatch only for it to be locked shut against the ravine. Crawling out of her loader's hatch she covered her mouth, protecting against the still descending dust as she looked around to see the Panther safe and watching from a distance.
Returning inside of her vehicle and swatting away the dust that had found its way in she gave a relieved laugh. With rosy freckled cheeks, she leaned against her now horizontal seat. "Just peachy."
Relieving him of his worry, Virtanen thanked her. "You're right, I do owe you. Remind me of that when we're out of danger."
"I'll be sure to. You're welcome too, I'll save your hide anytime."
"Even against Kaiser?"
"There's some things even I can't do" she chuckled. "Don't you have a match to focus on hun? Your crew's gonna get onto you again."
Reminding him, Virtanen looked down to see suspicious gazes from his crew. Just as she had suggested, they seemed none too pleased with his sudden distraction. "Saved me again" he breathed into his mic only to receive a chuckle.
With Transcendence's central front nearly erased and Knight in a stalemate with Kuromoromines Light KampfGruppe's, Kaiser was left as the sole moving piece on the battlefield.
Now, he was taking the fight into Kuromoromine's backline and his next target was the JagdTiger. Inside the large tank destroyer, Koume clicked her tongue at their shot being impeded by the ARL-44. The lack of sirens signaled that the SturmTiger had failed to eliminate the enemy flag tank once more. To her, it seemed that luck played a frightening amount in her opponent's strategies.
A reverberating "ping" rattled herself and the crew as an impact struck the side of their vehicle. A glance to their flank showed a battered-looking Puma atop a low hill, aiming up at them. The Nashorn crew had relayed the situation to her but the breakthrough seemed to be advancing more rapidly than predicted.
She could not deny there was an amount of skill mixed in with Transcendence as well. The Surviving Nashorn that had come to reinforce her flank fired at the Puma who was in the midst of repositioning. The 88mm projectile struck the turret and busted off the other smoke launcher atop.
The ragged Puma survived once more by the skin of their teeth, another testament to luck in this sport as it disappeared within the sandy terrain and her vehicle began rotating. Their commanders should be arriving shortly, Koume simply had to hold the center lest the team's cohesion disintegrate. But the pressing worry in her mind was split between the breakthrough and the enemy Panther.
Would the SturmTiger be able to fire without accurate coordinates relayed? Of course not but her primary focus lay on the soon-coming enemy who had boldly announced itself with the arrival of the Puma. For that matter, the breakthrough consisted of five enemies, would they consolidate on her? Or were they spreading through her rearguard?
She could only hope that the sight of her JagdTiger was enough to intimidate her foe into focusing on her until Maho and Erika arrived. Any further worry was set aside as she saw the Puma appear again behind a craggy surface on the dirt road.
The Nashorn, placed beside the JagdTiger's rear and facing their exposed flank, fired at the sight of the recon Vehicle. The round landed low and skipped off the stony earth beneath the Panther before flying off far to its rear.
In response to the near miss, the Puma began frantically maneuvering. The erratic movements were only interrupted by the 50mm cannon and incessant 8mm machine gun from its turret. Undaunted by the small caliber weapons, Koume ordered fire onto the vehicle as the Nashorn receded somewhat from the sporadic fire.
Another 128mm was sent, its aim impeded by the declination angle of its gun and narrowly missing the Puma. The Recon vehicle rocked as its damaged suspension and three-fourths of the remaining wheels struggled to keep it upright. It had built speed and reached the base of the hill Koume was dug into but now it would lose speed ascending, leaving itself wide open.
Her expectations were cut short as the sound of steel and an explosion erupted from her right. Suddenly the Nashorn that had been beside her burst into a pile of black smoke as its white flag erected. No clear impacts were visible from the side. She hadn't seen any shots from the front and the left flank couldn't have been overan without her hearing of it in a report.
With the Nashorn impeding her eyesight, Koume emerged from her cupola and looked over the smoking hull. Wide eyed she saw in the blazing sunlight the turret of a Tiger. Sticking out from its top was a tan-clothed boy with a cover and binoculars. Noticing her he waved at her as his vehicle began advancing on her position.
A shiver of fear ran through Koume's spine as she realized who it must have been, hurriedly she ordered her team to disregard the Puma and adjust their chassis. Maneuvering away and facing the oncoming Tiger with her fixed gun, Koume awaited the silhouette of her enemy to appear.
Instead, both she and her gunner were surprised as the tip of the Tigers barrel appeared from the incline of the hill. Its barrel must've been raised at max elevation for it to be seen and not the chassis. Were they baiting a shot from her undoubtedly slower loading tank? Then to her surprise, the barrel shifted side to side, mimicking a finger being wagged disapprovingly.
Kaiser had successfully maneuvered to the side of the JagdTiger's position thanks to West's familiarity with the Tiger and his excellent handling of it. With the Puma garnering any and all attention with their frantic show, The Tiger found a comfortable position to dispatch the only aid that their heavily armored enemy had at the moment.
The Nashorn took only one shot to the side before its flag appeared and as Kaiser overlooked it, he got a pleasant surprise. A shocked girl with short curled brown hair popped out from above the wreckage. It must have been the commander of the JagdTiger. Unable to resist, he grinned and waved at her.
"West, proceed to the hilltop, just before exposing ourselves" he ordered waving his hand. The sight of his tank moving forced the girl's head to bob down as the sight of the JagdTiger repositioning graced their eyes before the hill obstructed it once more.
"West, halt. Belle, max out the elevation of the cannon."
"Sir?"
"Just trust me, Belle." With a curious glance, Belle did as instructed. "Now shift the barrel left and right no more than fifteen degrees either direction."
Another glance and the silver-haired girl complied as their crewmates watched in suspense. Speaking to himself, Kaiser muttered aloud. "Any second now." The sound of a nearby cannon shot erupted as the Puma closed in on the distracted JagdTiger. "West, punch it!"
The Tiger's brake released as the heavy vehicle rocked backward before shifting into gear and dragging itself up onto the hilltop. The sight of a JagdTiger still facing their direction frightened Katya and West as Kaiser shouted "Fire!"
Belle's gun already aligned, sent a round as the enemy tank destroyer fired in kind. The 88mm shell embedded itself into the thick hull of the JagdTiger as their unprepared foe fought to shift their gun and chassis fast enough to land a shot.
Kaiser's Tiger now on flat ground, sped out of their sight as their fearsome 128mm sent a round that sheared off the top of their right exhaust valve. A deadly dance began as the JagdTiger fought to turn itself as fast as the Tiger circumventing it and the Puma remained adamantly behind them, harassing their rear hatch.
The Tiger loaded again and sent a round aimed at the right of the gun mantlet, leaving a searing scar of hot steel. Unphased, their opponent continued chasing after them as they reloaded again. A full 360-degree circle took place as the JagdTiger pressed forward, attempting to interrupt the Tiger's circular pathing.
As Laura loaded another shell and the Puma fired its fourth shot to no avail, their enemy had loaded once more. Having slowed their movement, the JAgdTiger's barrel settled as Kaiser gave another hasty order. "West drive into it!"
The Tiger shifted hard right and rammed into the much heavier tank destroyer as its 128 cannon roared. The round ripped along the Tiger's side and dislodged the angled plates above its left track. The Tiger then became immobile, its left track having come undone.
The JagdTiger began to reverse as the Puma finally found a moment to strike, delivering a 50mm shell into its rear turret hatch. It wasn't enough as the tank destroyer continued reversing, increasing in speed with the intent of removing the threat to its rear once and for all.
The JagdTiger's rear soon snagged the Puma who failed to catch traction as it found itself moving horizontally and close the the hill's western slope. The heavy tank destroyer's barrel bobbed up and down as it pushed back without regard for its tracked opponent ahead.
The Tiger now had an angle of fire below the upper glacias thanks to the newfound distance. With a vengeful blow, it fired into the JagdTiger's track leaving it to unravel itself into a stop.
The strike was too late. The Puma had lost its balance from its enemy's push and found itself toppling over the hillside. Three times it rolled before coming to a stop as smoke filled the interior. The recon vehicle finally had enough. Missing two wheels, and most of its attachments, and with a newly bent barrel and engine filled with sand, its flag emerged.
Anna and her crew emerged coughing and hacking as they looked uphill at the rear of their now-tracked foe. Despair crossed their minds as they knew The Tiger was also tracked before a reverberating blast cracked from the distance and a wave of heat rushed overhead.
Virtanen's Panther had remerged from its hiding to strike back from afar. The 75mm round landed slightly lower than anticipated. Not disabling the JagdTiger but setting a fire in its engine.
Reeling from the impact, Koume looked up to see the Tiger in front and the same figure standing out of its cupola. The same boy, now close enough she could see the devilish grin across his face as he held the mic around his neck. Eyes widening in realization she switched her comms and shouted into her mic as his Tiger fired.
"Hammer, Anvil!"
Kaiser receded into his vehicle once more to congratulate Belle on the accuracy she showed. The last round had gone down the JagdTigers barrel and forced it to explode halfway down its length. The quiet joy shared amongst the crew was erased as a deafening explosion filled their senses and a plume of smoke erupted from the hilltop. Koume's last order had been for the SturmTiger to fire on her position.
-Meanwhile-
-Three Kilometers East, Northeast of Kaiser's position-
The Prokov sisters watched from afar as a plume of smoke rose on the horizon. They had pierced East as ordered and found nothing until they witnessed a 380mm mortar take flight and leave a small smoke trail from its rocket propellant behind.
"Nat?" asked Valerya as their tanks moved into position.
"I'm looking now, Val. Here, a few hundred meters from the source of the fire. Terrain shows a large depression between the hills and bleeds out into a saddle into lower ground. That's gotta be it."
"What's the plan?"
"L-shaped ambush, set off ninety degrees and fire down onto them, cut off their escape."
"Roger that Sis."
A tone of seriousness overtook the sisters as their vehicles bellowed black plumes of diesel smoke. As per their plan, the IS-1 and KV-85 appeared over the hill suddenly, catching sight of the SturmTiger in the midst of its reload. A strange contraption had been rigged in order for the vehicle to be compliant with regulations where the assistant ammo carrier would load the round from the front of the barrel with a crane automatically.
Though the crews were nestled inside safely, they were undoubtedly shocked at the sight of the two soviet vehicles which fired their 85mm guns. These first shots sent an initial panic into the SturmTiger, its support vehicle, and the T-34-88 assigned to guard it. Natalya's first round struck the SturmTiger which had finished its reload as Valerya's shot disabled the support vehicle.
The now-defunct support vehicle's crane dropped another shell it had prepared for the SturmTiger onto the ground. The T-34-88 soon pressed forward and began firing onto Natalya who was closest as the SturmTiger reversed to escape, keeping its thickly armored front towards them.
The two sisters ' vehicles crested over the hills onto the slopes. Their treads flung stone and churned sand as they began advancing downwards at an angle, circling in counterclockwise at their targets.
The T-34-88 challenged them, switching targets to Natalya's IS-1 and ignoring the slower KV-85. Natalya watched as an 88mm round instantly smashed into her cupola, cracking the viewports and denting the hatch before sending the shell vertically into the sky. Between the cracked glass she saw the SturmTiger stop momentarily as its barrel raised.
In the haste of combat and the close proximity, nothing could be done as the SturmTiger sent a desperate shot into the hillside. The explosive shell enveloped every vehicle within the depression in a thick fog of brown.
Natalya's IS-1 nearly toppled from the blast that missed them by a wide margin, striking low and to their rear. The explosive force would have rolled them if not for the hill's incline saving them. Skittering to a stop an eerie silence took place as the crews could only hear the muffled sounds of their engines.
The debris-filled air hadn't even settled before more cannon fire was heard. Taking to the hills ridge once more, Natalya's IS-1 caught sight of the SturmTiger retreating to lower terrain as fast as it could. Valerya's KV-85 firing at it from the opposite ridge. The air began to clear as they watched it retreat southeast towards Knight's front where the main resistance was held.
Peace hadn't been secured just yet as a loud sound erupted from behind. Valerya's tank rocked from the impact that struck from behind. The two girls looked to see the T-34-88 covered in sand and nestled within the terrain feature next to its defeated support vehicle, staring at their backs.
Valerya had escaped with the surprise round only piercing her exterior gas tank which doused the sand in diesel. The girls jumped into action, shifting their vehicles and racing downhill to gain speed once more before leveling their tanks and skirting the hillside to fire down at their foe.
It became clear that despite the benefit of speed from its chassis and powerful gun, the T-34-88 suffered from a lack of room and slow reload due to the cramped conditions. The sisters and their 85mm cannons traded two shots individually for each from their sole enemy. Despite this, the T-34-88 showed a temarious defiance.
The sisters were nearly parallel with each other and their foe between them when a round from Nat's IS-1 impacted the sand next to their target. The brief puff of debris revealed a large cylindrical object buried next to their enemy.
"Val!" called Nat over the radio as an 88m round scraped steel off the cheek of her turret.
"On it" declared Valerya with an impish grin, realising her sister's intent. Directing her gunner's fire, Valerya's KV-85 fired at the object. The round struck slightly below the sand line and ignited the discarded 380mm round. Again the girl's sight was clouded as they waited with their guns trained on their opponent.
Their doubts about its survival proved true as they saw an earthy and black smoke-covered T-34 resting with a bright white flag standing.
"What about the SturmTiger?" asked Valerya.
"Without its support vehicle and ammo, it's just a glorified battering ram. No concern of ours.
The sisters began discussing their next move when a familiar voice called to them over radio. "Well, if it isn't Kaiser's two favorite gals." Along with his introduction, O'Diveley's M18 appeared suddenly. Its turret swung 360 degrees as he jokingly asked "Did I miss all the fun?"
"Charming to have you as always" answered Natalya with a resigned sigh. "Were you assigned to us? We haven't received word.
"Nope" answered O'Diveley simply. "Followed boss man's orders and swept through the valley as he cleaned up shop. Ended up hitting resistance around Knight's area of engagement and split through the break-in lines. Found you all not long after some big booms went off in this direction."
"Don't worry" added Valerya with a roll of her eyes. "You're just fashionably late to a major engagement."
Choosing to ignore her sarcasm, O'Diveley played along. "Glad to hear it. Mind if we tag along?"
The sisters and their facetious add-on continued discussing their next step unaware of the enemy watching them from afar. Through telescopic sights and upon elevated heights, they observed the M18 descend into the distant depression.
With discerning eyes, Maho Deduced the situation and awaited her prey.
-Chapter End-