Amy brushed her hair out of her way as the wind that blew into the open driver's hood pushed it against her face. This feeling was familiar, but not quite the same as driving her Forester or Eiko's STI at high speed. Of course, a tank is much slower and heavier than a car, but Amy didn't let that get in the way of her joy. Her tank now responded to each input properly, without hesitation. The steering brakes responded without question and the clutch worked smoothly, biting at just the right point. It was now possible to slam through the gears of the transmission like she was driving a Honda – each gear notched in crisply and the shifter didn't feel vague or floppy.

All the work the crew had put into the Ram paid off, and it was a brilliant machine in perfect condition. It was certainly possible to argue that it was in better condition now than when it left the factory. Eiko had gone over every part to see if it needed replacement, repair, or upgrading. Unfortunately, many higher-quality parts were a lower priority than just getting the tank running again, but at least that meant there was still work to do later as the crew became even more in tune with their vehicle.

Too bad I won't get to use it properly yet…

Delilah had worked with Ayame to come up with a plan that combined both of their ideas, which meant that there would be a lot of waiting and stationary firing. The only time there would be a lot of driving would be to and from the start point.

Better enjoy it while I can, I guess.

Amy pulled the tank out of the column and sped up. Yelena and Mia both protested somewhat, but they knew enough that it didn't really matter what they said. Eiko called out cautions and warnings as Amy weaved in and out of the column of tanks, passing the M3 Lees in front of her, then the tank destroyers, and finally the light tanks. She brought them alongside Ayame's M7, resuming her sane driving while Delilah and Ayame went over things one last time.

"Quarter mile to the point." Eiko reminded her.

"A great man once said he lives his life that way."

"What?"

Amy downshifted and floored the accelerator. The suspension of the Ram squatted back under the sudden change in momentum. Once the initial acceleration was over, it was as though Amy was gliding the twenty-nine-ton tank over the grassy field. She pulled gently on the steering levers, just barely enough to avoid things yet with minimal drop in speed. In less than a minute, the Ram had reached their designated point and Amy pulled into a slide, making a complete circle around the Tankery official and her jeep before coming to a stop.

"I hate you so damn much right now." Yelena groaned.

Mia was more kind with her words. "Must you really do a full circle like that?"

"If I just put it into a hard slide, the track might jump." Amy said innocently.

"Whatever… I must say though, I am getting used to your driving. I hate it all a little less, and that, in and of itself, is an accomplishment." Yelena opened her side hatch for fresh air as she spoke.

Since they were driving at normal-person speeds, the rest of the team arrived and lined up a few minutes later.

Together, Ayame and Delilah organized a last-minute meeting with the tank commanders. Ayame laid out the full plan to them, who would then relay it to their respective tanks and carry it out.

From her jeep, the Tankery official called out the one-minute warning.

"All right, you know what that means." Announced Ayame. "Everyone, mount up and make your tank ready for combat."

"Hai!"

"She's different somehow." Mia said as Delilah slid into position behind her.

"Looks like bombardment training worked." Yelena answered as she pulled a round from her ready rack and placed it in her lap.

Amy nodded in agreement. "Sure helped her confidence issue. Granted it's more than just a confidence issue, but it's not really our place to go poking into Ayame's personality like that. She's improving, and that's what's important."

Outside, the official fired off a flare.

"Panzer vor!"

All eleven tanks accelerated forward.

"For the love of god Amy, don't drag race the team. You're gonna win anyway."

"Fiiine."

Everyone split up into their groups. All the light tanks – the Stuarts and the Locust – accelerated to full speed and charged across the field and into the woods toward their position, hoping to make it there before Chi-Ha-Tan did. The M8, M8A1, and the T49 followed close behind. Behind them were the Ram, the M7, and both Lees. It took an agonizingly long time for the lights to get to where they needed to be, but finally their report came over the radio.

"Early warning ready, no tanks in sight."

Next were the tank destroyers.

"Destroyers in place, beginning concealment."

Due to their slower speed, the medium tanks took the longest to get in position, but eventually they too were ready.

Ayame called out their status. "Battle line set up and ready. Confirm all tanks ready for combat?"

Everyone answered in the affirmative. Now it was more waiting.

Eiko drummed on the side of her Browning as she stared out of her periscope. "How long until they get here?"

Amy glanced at her copy of the map. "Our starting point is called Palo, Chi-Ha-Tan's is Lake Mainit. They're almost exactly the same distance from the mouth of the valley on each side."

"So soon?"

"Yeah."

"Not soon enough dammit."

A few minutes later, Eiko got her wish.

"Maiko here, the enemy is in sight."

"All right, thanks for the warning." Ayame replied. "Hold your fire and let them pass, just like we talked about. If things get bad, you'll come up from their rear and finish them. For now, just tail them."

"Got it."

More waiting. Chi-Ha-Tan had entered the valley. They were likely expecting contact of some kind. When they reached the midpoint of the long valley, the tank destroyers would be there to greet them.

"Destroyers have visual contact here; enemy is entering max range now. Permission to fire?"

"Weapons free."

Kana had been placed in charge of the small tank destroyer group. It would be up to her to issue the final order to fire.

"Stand by for max range… fire at will."

The M8A1 opened up first, sending a perfect shot into a late-model Type 97 Chi-Ha. The tank's thin armor was like paper against the 75mm round, even at maximum range. Half a minute later, the T49 sent its first few shots downrange, missing them all. Its crew was still new, and the 6-pounder wasn't the easiest gun to work with at this distance. In the M8, the gunner worked out a firing solution, slowing her down. Eventually, the howitzer barked as shells were lobbed toward the advancing tanks.

Shells rained down on the Chi-Ha-Tan tanks. One hit near enough to an early-model Type 97 that the track blew out. It pulled to one side, making itself a perfect target. The T49 wasted no time putting a round in the side, earning them their first kill. A short while later, it put a round through the front of another early Type 97.

Kana looked around her tank, growing nervous about the smoke and dust cloud that was forming around her.

"Hey, let's move to another spot. This smoke and dust is going to attract attention. Can you two cover me please?"

Both the M8A1 and T49 fired rapidly as Kana's M8 began to move from its concealed position.

"Hey, keep us behind cover if you can. That row of shrubs over there looks-"

BANG!

"Well shit."

Kana rolled her eyes as she lifted the handset.

"Kana here in the M8, we just got nailed."

"Copy that. Destroyers, fire your last shots and join up with the lights in the woods to your right."

Akari fired one last shot before leaving. It hit the tank that had killed the M8, rocking it backward from the force of the impact. Both remaining tank destroyers fled toward the light tanks, concealing themselves in the woods.

"They just keep advancing." Akari said, confused.

What she said was true. Despite losing four of their tanks in quick succession, Nishi didn't order her tanks to spread out, retreat, or hide. Chi-Ha-Tan was just rolling up what was becoming the valley of death.

"Maybe the word 'retreat' literally isn't in their dictionary?"

"What, do they say, 'Advance to the rear!' instead then?"

Within a few minutes, the Chi-Ha-Tan tanks were in sight of the medium tanks. Ayame could almost read the word "Charge!" on Nishi's lips through her binoculars.

"Here they come!" Delilah yelled with glee.

Ayame swallowed and did her best to keep her cool, to act like Delilah. To stay sane.

"Battle line has visual contact and is in range. All Dominion tanks have permission to fire!"

Shells of all calibers flew toward the enemy tanks. The T49 and M8A1 sniped from the woods. The light tanks charged out into the open, harassing Chi-Ha-Tan with unaimed shots. From the main "battle line" came everything that Dominion had. 37mm, 6-pounder, 75mm, even .30 and .50 caliber machine guns. Chi-Ha-Tan answered with their own guns. Hot lead and steel flew through the air. Mia landed a shot on a late Type 97.

"One Shinhoto Chi-Ha down!"

Ayame and Hiromi's tanks both scored kills on one early Type 97 each.

Low-velocity rounds pinged off the M7's angled frontal armor, but Ayame forced herself to stay calm.

Calm people live, tense people die.

Even with all these losses, Chi-Ha-Tan never stopped charging forward, closing the gap toward the main Dominion line.

"Hey, there's one Shinhoto left. If it gets close, they'll definitely knock one of us out!"

"On it." Came Akari's reply.

The tank in question lurched forward and stopped dead.

Four tanks left. Three early-model Type 97s, one of which was Nishi's command tank, and a Type 95 Ha-Go light tank.

The light tank began to weave back and forth while the rest stayed on a fairly straight course.

"What the hell are these people doing?" Mia asked to herself. She'd never seen anything like this back home, not even from amateur teams. Was the banzai charge really the only thing these girls knew? She knocked out another tank.

Down in the field, the M8A1 blew out the track of a Type 97 with an HE round. It stopped cold and the swarm of Dominion light tanks finished it off. They began to intermingle with their enemy.

Haruki's M3 Lee was firing both of its guns as quickly as they could fire, trying to hit the weaving Type 95. Several Stuarts were close to it, harassing it with their coaxial Brownings. The gunner of the Lee's 37mm pounded away, focusing only on getting the crosshairs over a tank and firing. Her loader was straining to keep up, her ready rack long empty. She now had to dig around for rounds to load. In the gunner's excitement, she began to lose focus. Several rounds pinged off a Stuart at an extremely high angle.

Delilah saw the rounds landing on the wrong target first. "Hey! HEY! Haruki, check your gunner's aim!"

Haruki was occupied with firing her cupola-mounted Browning and didn't hear the call.

"Haruki! Check your- CEASE FIRE!"

Every gun on Dominion's team fell silent.

"Everyone be careful, we're hitting each other. Check your targets before you shoot, okay? Light tanks, get away from there!"

The range was now clear. Delilah issued her commands, briefly taking over from Ayame.

"Destroyers, target Type 95 Ha-Go."

She switched to her intercom. "Gunner! Main gun, Type 97 tank, AP! 500 meters!"

Yelena slammed an AP round into the 6-pounder's breech. The sharp metallic clank of the breech block closing resounded in the turret. No need for APC or APDS, regular AP would be just fine for a tank as light as a Chi-Ha.

"AP up!"

Delilah directed Mia onto target.

"Steady… on. Fire!"

"On the way!"

The gun tube recoiled in its mounting, ejecting the spent cartridge into the holding bag.

With that, the match was over.

Dominion had won. In doing so, it had taken out every enemy tank while losing only one of their own. The new tank destroyers had proven themselves, and the team was growing. It was growing not just in numbers or firepower, but the team itself was developing. It was becoming something that one might take seriously. For the members of the team, it was motivation.

For the Vice President, it was validation.

For other onlookers, it was a familiar process of events.

AN: Hey, a second upload this week! I've got all the chapters through the next battle outlined, so I thought I'd prevent any massive backlog. This match with Chi-Ha-Tan felt somewhat simple, but it matches the historical basis well enough while still trying to feel like a Tankery match. Feel free to tell me what you think - was it too simple or was the charge on-brand enough for Chi-Ha-Tan (assuming this is before der Film and their craziness with Duck Team)? The next chapter should be a fun one, have a good week!