After the first full day of the fall semester, the entire Dominion team was itching to get back into their tanks. No one new had signed up and no one had left. Well, there was an exception. About four of them.

Ayame stood on the bow of her M7 and addressed the team.

"Alright everyone! Welcome back from our break, it's been a bit since we've all operated together, so let's do some basic drills. Are there any questions before we start?"

A gunner of a Stuart raised her hand and didn't bother to wait for Ayame to acknowledge her.

"I heard something about there being exchange students here? Is that true?"

"Actually yes, it is, and you'll meet them later."

Another hand, this time from the commander of the Locust.

"Yes, Iku?"

"Please don't tell me you've put them in the Fat Bastard!"

"The Ram is no fatter and certainly less of a bastard vehicle then a Lee, and again, you will see. If there's nothing else, everyone will follow the basic drill schedule."

The team started with an escape drill, bailing out of their vehicles as quickly as they could. Ayame had seen what'd happened during the previous tournament and did not wish to see something similar at Dominion, neither the near-death of a crew nor the drama that had surrounded the incident. Then it was a quick driving warm-up, three shots at static bullseye targets, and finally communications practice. Each commander was given a card with a picture of a tank on it, then essentially played a game of telephone, radioing it to another commander who would then tell their crew and inform the next commander, and so on down the line. That was the quick warm-up for the day, and some sort of specific instruction would normally follow, sometimes a practice match against each other.

Today was different. Ayame gathered her team around her tank again and began explaining what she'd hinted at before.

"As you may have heard, we do indeed have exchange students here for Tankery. They will be joining us in a moment, but I want to remind you all that while they are experienced tankers, they are new to our team and their vehicle. They will assist us in learning the skills of the sport, but we are to assist them in learning how our team works and understanding Tankery here as a whole. They are members of the team and students of the school, just as you and I are. Treat them as such."

Ayame pulled the handset of her the M7's radio as far as it would go, the cable just barely long enough for her to reach it.

"Come on out."

The Ram rolled out of the garage, some of the girls in the team laughing at the tank. Amy pulled it to a stop in front of the assembled team.

"Before they introduce themselves, they'd like to show off a little. Girls? Run through the simulated target range."

The simulated target range was something that the industrial and engineering students had worked up for the team. Scrap metal was welded in the general shape of tanks representing different nations, depending on what the team wanted to practice against. The hit detection system from salvaged tanks was placed inside to simulate real match kills, and the turrets could turn like the tank the real thing, some being able to simulate a shot. Dominion didn't have much money, but it did have a lot of students who understood how mechanical and computerized systems worked and who could use a welder and basic fabrication tools. It wasn't a super high-tech gunnery range, but it was close enough. Today was an assortment of German tanks, some able to "fire" at the Ram, others static targets

Delilah's crew had spent all weekend drilling this exact layout and was ready to put on a show. They'd borrowed a technical student to work the bow gun, and she was obviously thrilled to be in a tank, not realizing who she was with. Ayame started the timer, and Delilah gave the command to start.

"Panzer vor!"

Without moving from the start line, the crew began servicing targets.

"Mia, target two o'clock, Panzer II!"

Mia called for a basic AP round, and Yelena had one in the gun breech before she finished laying the gun onto target.

"Ready!"

"Firing!"

The British Ordnance QF 6-pounder gun was more effective than it seemed in the hands of a skilled operator. The 57mm round hit the panzer facsimile, killing it. Now for another target, an early Panzer IV.

"Target one o'clock, Panzer IV!"

"Ready!"

Mia barely had to slew the turret over and was on target in seconds.

"Firing!"

Another dead heap of scrap metal.

"Driver full advance! Target Panther, 700 meters! Full ahead, panzer vor!"

The team watched the Ram accelerate away, each adding their amazed thoughts.

"That was unreal!"

"Two targets without moving!"

"I told you the 6-pounder was kinda crazy."

In the tank, Amy guided the tank forward toward the Panther. It was a "live" target, meaning a remote operator could aim the "gun" and activate the Ram's hit detection, knocking them out. There would be none of that, however.

"Lay into them!"

Mia fired a shot The shoulder elevation let her keep the gun on target even as the tank rocked and bounced. If the armor wasn't so thick, the shot would've been a kill. Next, she sprayed the Panther with the coaxial caliber .30, and the bow gunner did the same. Eiko had been given a crash course in using the gun, and it wasn't important she really did much other than hit the massive target that was a tank when asked. Up in the turret, Delilah was playing with her toy, yet another .30 caliber Browning. Three lines of tracers hit the Panther. If there had been anyone inside, the shot would have sounded terrifying and extremely unnerving.

Amy brought the tank closer and closer to the Panther, passing the Pz IV target, and feinting around the side. She aimed the tank as if to pass to the right, but as it passed behind the bulk of the wreck, she hauled the Ram's weight over and past the left. Now it was a head-on with the German medium tank, and she zig-zagged and feinted right again, this time ending up to the left of the Panther at close range. Mia fired another shot, and the smoke and dust would have thrown off a real gunner's vision. She called for a high-velocity round.

"HVAP ready!"

The Ram was now abeam of the Panther, and the armor here was thinner. Even a 6-pounder would punch through at this range.

"Firing!"

Next was the Tiger, and the crew pretty much copy-pasted the same tactic, with Amy sliding the Ram behind the massive metal box for an easy simulation of an engine fire. After that was a moving Panzer IV D. It of course was really just another crudely welded shape mounted on an old truck chassis, but it worked. It was an easy kill for Mia, even at a decent range. The high velocity meant she didn't need to lead the target as nearly as much as other guns would require. The final target was a Jagdtiger, a "dead" target to simulate a tank destroyer that was focused on a teammate.

"Break from the tree cover and halt at hundred meters. Aim just behind the front drive sprocket."

The round flew true and hit the steel just above and behind the right drive sprocket of the tank destroyer. If it had been an actual tank, this would've shredded the transmission, which would have left the turretless Jadgtiger with a very limited traverse range and no way to aim at the Ram. Another shot hit where the ammo rack would be, ending the practice. Amy turned down the hill toward the viewer's trench, accelerating to full speed. Delilah called for Mia to elevate the gun.

Ayame watched from behind the trench with the rest of her team, still amazed by these girls. She watched as the Ram hit the raised lip of the trench, sending the tank twenty-nine-ton tank several feet into the air. The bogie suspension bottomed out from the shock as Delilah woo-hooed and held her fist into the air, gripping onto the edge of her hatch with her other hand.

Poor Eiko, Ayame thought, she's new to tanking and she's getting thrown around with this nutso crew.

Inside the tank, Eiko was smiling and laughing.

Ayame gave them one more challenge, to hit the Panzer II again. Amy pulled the tank into a slide, stopping just beside the shocked team. Mia was on target almost instantly due the angle Amy had put the tank at and fired. The roar of the gun was thrilling for the whole team. No longer did they see the Ram as a lumbering beast, instead it was replaced with admiration. These students were insane in all the ways a tank crew should be.

The dust settled, and the crew of the Ram dismounted and introduced themselves to the team for the first time.

"I'm commander Delilah Fraser from Scotland. It's great to meet you all! I also want to thank Eiko Takada for joining us as a bow gunner today after we stole her from doing actual productive maintenance."

"I'm gunner Mia Lukas from Germany. I'm officially changing my favorite gun from the KwK 40 L/43 to the QF 6-pounder."

"I'm loader Yelena Bugrov from Moscow, Russia. I think Amy is an insane driver."

"I'm driver Amy Miller from Virginia, United States. And I think Yelena needs to see me drive an actual car if she thinks a tank is insane."

After the initial shock wore off, the team returned to practice, running gunnery drills until the evening. The students of the team kept gawking at the Ram and its crew, surprising them all. Amy almost couldn't handle the attention.

"I feel like they think we're some kind of Tankery gods. We're not that insane, I've seen way, way better tankers than us. I hope they know we mess up too."

Delilah shrugged it off. "Remember, we're also foreigners and we're driving a strange tank. Sure, they think we're good but we're also just different. It'll wear off after a while."

Practice ended as the sun set, and the team began to disperse. Ayame remained behind to congratulate her new crew.

"You guys did excellent. You're crazy good at this! I really can't wait to start having the team learn from you all."

Delilah answered for her forming crew. "We're happy to, just remember that we're not the be-all-end-all of Tankery. We rehearsed that exact target course all weekend minus the second Panzer II shot. But really, we're a stoked to be here."

"Right, well I'm stoked you're here too. If you need anything, you all have my number. Practice is at the same time tomorrow. See you then!"

As Ayame turned, she saw Eiko behind her arranging tools into a box. She looked up at the captain of the team and the foreign crew. She was surprised and nervous, and it showed on her face.

"Is there something you need, Eiko?" Ayame asked.

"Actually, uh, yes. Could I… Could I join the Tankery team? As more than just hanging around working on stuff? Like an actual crew?"

"Of course, we just need to figure out a crew to put you in. Never enough members around here."

"Well… actually…"

Eiko turned and looked up at Delilah, who was a solid head taller than the short mechanic. "Can I be your bow gunner?"