Kaiser had just broken line of sight with the enemy who was cautiously tailing his column now that their numbers advantage had diminished with their forces rejoining and only holding eight vehicles to their seven. Now "Hill 1192" as it had been dubbed due to its location within the topographical grid, was separating them by a good kilometer. Pravda would be cautious appearing over the crest of the hill and therefore skirt its base perhaps even splitting their forces to circumnavigate both sides. Any way you cut it they had a few minutes to cross the shallow river laying in front of them.
The local river span forty yards across and was none too deep due to the winter. It, however, had not frozen over and remained a gentle stream. There were three points of crossing. A large main bridge was used for traffic in the north and two smaller bridges within their immediate vicinity. The river flowed from the northeast till it reached the city then diverted, navigating around the city's suburbs before continuing south.
The main bridge north would require nearly an hour to get to and was unfeasible in terms of their position. Conversely, the two smaller bridges lay a few minutes away north and south of them. Yet this was still too far for Kaiser. Their crossing lay directly before them. A muddy and shallow stretch of the river where it thinned up to twenty yards.
The Tiger, Panther, and Panzer IV all nearly bogged down while Frost's Firefly hardly held any better. Their vehicles tethered together in a column crossed successfully with a bit of ramming and tugging. As they made it to the firm soil on the east bank, three quick flashes of light flickered from a dense thicket of trees.
Kaiser emerged from his hatch with a flashlight and flicked it twice, then once, then twice again. A response of one flash followed by two came in response. "Brevity codes?" asked Virtanen watching the exchange from his vehicle while providing security.
Kaiser turned to the darkened cupola of the Panther behind him and spoke into his mic. "Safest bet at the moment, I don't know if Pravda has any means of listening in to our comm and at this point, I'm not willing to risk it."
Their column then pushed past the thicket of trees where Natalya's vehicle was expertly hidden and emplaced in preparation to delay Pravda if they attempted a crossing. Quickly the four vehicles were set in place with the direction of "set in as you see fit". None too soon the sounds of distant engines came from the west amidst the gentle flowing of the river.
With no visible traces of Pravda yet, a call came in. Sokolov's voice came through on the team channel. "Sir Southern Bridge destroyed, rendezvousing now".
A female voice followed after "Adam~ the Central bridge is gone as well~" sang Valerya.
With a sigh at her obvious teasing, Kaiser responded. Good, continue with your orders. Natalya, Frost, Knight, you go on ahead, Virtanen, you'll displace with me."
"Where are we going?" asked Knight.
"Not for you to know, Natalya's in charge of you two so follow her" answered Kaiser. Knight was outside of his tank when given the cold reply, looking over his shoulder in annoyance at the Tiger.
Kaiser peeked his head out and made eye contact. "We all expect you to follow orders this time". With a look of indignation Knight slunk into and slammed his hatch shut without a reply. Rolling his eyes at the gesture, Kaiser looked to see the Panther drive up next to his vehicle. The two then departed, keeping pace and dispersion as they did.
"Pft, still as considerate as ever aren't you?" snorted Virtanen, his tone trying to be lighthearted despite the clear feelings of awkwardness he harbored.
"He'll be treated worse when we get to the rear. Until his attitude shows improvement or his skill shows exception that is. So what is it?" Virtanen feigned ignorance despite the slight surprise he showed at being called out. Kaiser gestured to his left hand. "You've been tapping your hand like a dog gnawing at fleas, spit it out."
Virtanen was none too happy with the comparison but ignored his urge to retort. "So why are we abandoning this position? It's a viable crossing and the quickest way to us that leads them into a kill zone. Add to that we could even wait until they cross to ambush them with the river at their back You even went as far as destroying the two nearby bridges to ensure they wouldn't cross anywhere nearby so why not hold?" he asked with a huff of air from his rant.
Kaiser leisurely lifted himself to sit on his cupola as he listened to Virtanen spout off his reasoning. "And here I thought you were man enough to apologize" he taunted before diving straight into an explanation for his red-faced ally. You make good points and therefore good tactical decisions but you lack the foresight for strategic decisions" he said with a raised finger.
"Yes, I destroyed the bridges to our north and south so they would attempt a crossing, but why do you think I had them announce it on our team channel which may be compromised?" Virtanen's eyes seemed bewildered and lost. With a smug sound, Kaiser acted as if his teammate was following. "Exactly, I want them to know the bridges are blown and to think that we're oblivious to the possibility of our communications being compromised."
Without missing a beat, Kaiser proceeded to list off his counterarguments. "Knowing this they'll proceed cautiously to keep their momentum and assault across the river bank. They will set up overlapping fire to protect their crossing units while proceeding individually across expecting us to ambush. Engaging them before their crossing would lead to a slugging match. Engaging while they cross will grant a successful ambush but an indecisive end. Splitting their forces once half have crossed or waiting till they all crossed so that the river is to their back will lead to them charging our lines and overrunning us."
"Their caution and our retreat further back will give us time to set up our true defense. The city proper will provide Sokolov and Valerya urban terrain to ambush from a distance with the cover of the city streets. Natalya, Knight, and Frost will form the main defensive line to hold off the southwest. You and I will be reliving the golden days" he grinned.
It evoked discomfort within Virtanen. "What are you on about?" he asked.
"Hear that? Engine'sheading towards the river, Pravda's playing their part, so now we'll play ours. We have time for our team to set in and for us to make some pit stops, take this." Kaiser tossed a clipboard from his vehicle over to Virtanen who nearly fumbled it under his vehicle's tracks. "Hurry up and meet at the designated location in no less than ten mikes!" Shouted Kaiser as his Tiger's course began diverging off to Virtanen's right.
Virtanen looked at the clipboard with a few dark circles and an X drawn within a zoomed-in view of the city's southwestern sector. 'Mike's? He hasn't said that since the InfanterieKampf…' thought Virtanen as he began reading off the list. "General store, auto repair shop, etc. What the Hell?"
-Transition-
Pravda's POV
Katyusha Watched from an elevated position as a single T-34 crossed the stream before them. Its treads slowly churned mud and murkying the water around it as thick plumes of diesel smoke emerged from its exhaust. As the last of her subordinates crossed she felt a slight sense of unease. Her two scouts had returned, confirming that both bridges nearby had been blown but over half her force had crossed, and yet there wasn't a single sign of movement.
Nonna and Clara had even set up in strategic positions across the bank with no sign of their fleeing prey. As Katyusha began pondering and a small hum escaped her lips, Nonna radioed her. "Is something wrong Lady Katyusha?"
"Ah nothing Nonna, I, Katyusha am just-"
Clara then interrupted "Вы уверены? ты не устал
Леди катюша?" (Are you sure? Are you not tired Lady Katyusha?)
"Clara!" Shouted Katyusha. "Now isn't the time for your teasing! I've told you time and again not to speak Russian! she pouted.
"Apologies Lady Katyusha" responded Clara, somewhat caught off guard by the outburst.
"Clara was merely concerned for your well being Lady Katyusha" defended Nonna.
Embarrassed at her outburst Katyusha changed gears. "H-hmph, anyways is there still no sight of those Transcendence plebians?"
"No, нет" Came their instinctive replies.
Katysuha's canine began to dig in her lip. 'Where are they?!' she demanded as her patience was beginning to run thin. Why had they run? Katyusha had outdone them again and again, showing her improvement and skill only for them to play chicken at the end?!
Perhaps they were buying time? But it wasn't as if they had reinforcements coming. Lure them into complacency? Again just as likely with an equally disastrous end for them. She had pegged them as ineffective leaders one and all upon their first encounter. All she saw was an unsure, inexperienced commander, an overachieving Vice commander blinded by his success, and a protege Vice commander who was only a good coward. That meeting had been a surprise but a pleasant one to be sure as it had engrained a sense of undeniable victory awaiting her.
She felt it was a waste to have Clara and her intelligence unit dig up what info they could. Seeing them in the flesh instilled the confidence of an irrefutable and unshakeable comeback for Pravda. And yet here she was chasing a wild goose making a fool of herself, there was no glorious combat! Nothing to show them all the righteous Pravda they should fear!
Katyusha prided herself on her intelligence within and outside of the battlefield. Despite her size, she always put up a fight and more often than not, would win. However the longer she pondered over their disorganized actions earlier and their current nonstop retreat, the more muddled her thoughts became. She had assumed at least that cocky vice commander would fight to the bitter end, not to prolong the match. Perhaps he was pulling the strings and was planning one last hurrah such as Chi-Ha-Tan academy would? An Iron defense to match her iron Offense as Kuromoromine would say?
The confusion she was left with unfortunately reminded her of her match with Oorai a year prior. Amidst her overthinking, a small "Muuu" of distress escaped her lips.
"Lady Katyusha, thinking too hard is not good for your health" chastised Nonna, again on cue.
"I must agree, Lady Katyusha" chimed Clara.
"I-I know that! Anywho, I'll cross now followed by the last two for security! Prepare to push north to the city but do not let your guard down!" she commanded to all.
"да! Lady Katyusha!" her team responded. The vehicles began to form a large arrow formation on the river's east bank as Katyusha and her security crossed from the east. Their humming soon turned into singing as their tracks churned forward forging a path after their prey under the scarlet moon.
-Transition-
Ten minutes later within the city
Kaiser appeared in a truck he had "appropriated" from the outside of one of their stops and picked Virtanen up. Virtanen caught a glance at the wires dangling near Kaiser's knees. He was more surprised he knew how to hotwire a vehicle than the fact it was 'appropriated'.
Soon they made another stop. "Hurry up and Help me!" demanded Kaiser exiting the vehicle. Virtanen proceeded to assist in unloading their cargo. After a few more minutes there sat a hasty barricade strewn across the narrow street, made of wood, old tires. and rebar found from a nearby construction site.
Wiping the sweat from his forehead despite the night growing ever colder, Virtanen grunted. "Why are we blockading this street? I understand it's to deter them but we don't have much and these blockades are too small to stop them."
He saw what Kaiser's intent was, this major roadway was one of the few ways into the city from the south and would force Pravda to move in from the west into a premeditated line of fire but they would easily break past this defense. "I get that you think we should imply some infantry tactics into this but what can we do as two men on the ground?" Virtanen asked, exasperated at what he perceived as a waste of time.
Kaiser was on the other side of the barricade and bent down. "This blockade is definitely paltry in the face of a tank" he grunted. "They would just run it over. However, necessary as the river forks into the city's center and blocks off the eastern half of town with a bridge" he explained hastily running along the barricade with the sound of an occasional 'splash'. "But you underestimate what boots on the ground can my old compatriot. I ask you, what is at both ends of this barricade?"
Virtanen frowned at the word games but played along, he looked left and right. Normal buildings with nothing to note. Shrugging his shoulders and with a roll of his eyes that kaiser couldn't see he answered. "Brick buildings?"
"Exactly!" Kaiser exclaimed. "Brick buildings, all along the road, and nearby housing districts with no room for tanks to burst through lest the entire place comes down on them." Kaiser stood with a huff wiping his hands. "Now what, may I ask you, are high school girls cautious of, tanks avoid going through, and brick buildings somewhat resistant to?" Virtanen leaned away from his peer's enthusiastic questioning. He saw no correlation whatsoever with those three vague questions.
"Fire," said Kaiser nonchalantly as he took a small handheld blowtorch, lit it, and swiped it across the impromptu barricade. Virtanen watched as end to end, the entire mass ignited in flame and began pouring black smoke. the fire even crept onto the buildings on each side but luckily did not spread, only scorching the brick outer walls.
Taken aback, Virtanen took a moment to process the scene as Kaiser walked back to their appropriated truck. Virtanen's head twisted to the side staring at Kaiser's back and to the burning blockade, then back again before chasing after him.
"Isn't this, oh I don't know, against the rules?! Perhaps even illegal?!" shouted Virtanen.
"Pft" mocked Kaiser. "The federation pays for all damages, some people even root for their property to get destroyed so they can claim insurance and get out of financial problems. Hell, anything's legal as long as no one dies." Kaiser stated bluntly, taking his seat.
Virtanen hopped in the passenger seat and continued pressing his worries. "Aren't you being excessive right now? Even for bending the rules, this is too much!"
Kaiser stopped all movement, only slowly turning to glare at Virtanen. "You Idiot". He muttered. Virtanen was nearly slackjawed.
Kaiser began raising his voice. "Do you still not get it? Do you think this is a game?! Your reputation! Let alone this fledgling school is on the line and you worry about straddling the rules? You came into this all hot-blooded and challenging me on my very doctrine, my way, just to melt into a coward when faced with rules when defeat is on the line?!" Kaiser took a long breath as Virtanen watched in pained silence.
"This sport isn't just for women to grow more feminine" mocked Kaiser. "The federation is losing money and wants the sport to now show cunning and courage if not outright viciousness. Look at the trend of each popular school and their heads. Kuromoromine has the steel-hearted Maho, St. Gloriana has the proud and poised Darjeeling, and even Jatkisota has enigmatic Mika. Then there's Pravda."
"Katyusha was at the top of her year going into Pravda and has remained so even beating out Nonna and that Clara girl. They even say she defeated her seniors in their first scrimmage match by shifting her turret just enough to bounce their shells."
Kaiser huffed at his imposed rant, leaving Virtanen stunned. When he opened his mouth to speak Kaiser having poised himself, caught his breath and continued again.
"I didn't mention that because there was no video evidence of that scrimmage. They expected to wipe the floor with their juniors and so there wouldn't be any value. As for her genius that's self-evident. It doesn't matter how cute your followers think you are it still takes skill to indoctrinate all your students as she has. Whether that be by fear or faith"
Virtanen uncomfortably shifted, looking out his window in deep thought. Kaiser turned to the road and began to drive. "At a glance, each of these girls and their personalities are supposed to seem attractive, feminine but they're just as competitive as the InfanterieKampf teams. Katyusha was even willing to go as far as endangering the lives of others in the finals two years prior."
Virtanen recalled watching the match on television. Fresh from training with Kaiser and back in their home city cleaning their gear. Kaiser paid no attention to the sport back then but Virtanen had family ties to senshado and watched on occasion. He glanced from his rifle up to see Katyusha deliver the final blow. After their victory, everyone had heard of the controversy behind the decision to declare them the champions.
"They'll do whatever to win. However, their minds are limited to just Senshado. She's not just some haughty brat, she's a threat. I'm tired of playing by their rules so it's time we introduce our own. They'll dance to our tune"
A static broke their mulling thoughts. "Sir Pravda's beginning their attack!" It was Knight's voice. Kaiser gestured with his head towards the back. Virtanen reached and grabbed the portable radio.
"How do you know Knight?"
"Check the team channel, Sir!"
Virtanen adjusted the radio and as the dial clicked a blasting chorus of singing came through. It was 'Katyusha' on open comms. The blatant taunt earned an unimpressed exchange of eye contact between the two commanders. It most likely unnerved the rest of their team, however.
Clicking his tongue, Kaiser complained. "I was hoping for more time but I suppose we'll have to make do."
"Don't we always?" chuckled Virtanen nervously. Spinning the vehicle's wheel and practically drifting around a corner, Kaiser increased speed.
"We only have a bit of time left, they'll inspect the blockade before regrouping and pushing us from the west that's where we'll need to set in the last of our traps." With a solemn nod, Virtanen agreed and braced himself for the hectic ride ahead.
-Transition-
Knight's POV
Knights nerves had seen better days. He had gone from being pulled around by his seniors, to staging a coup, and now anxiously awaiting the ever terrifying Pravdan charge. They were coming. There was no way around it and seeing how they had fared against the last few didn't bode well for the confidence of his subordinates. His Panzer IV sat hidden inside a large garage behind a few houses on the town's outskirts. The garage door was closed and their engine off, only to be started every few minutes to keep it warm and ready. It took a bit of maneuvering but they had fit the entire vehicle in the spacious brick building with only minor damage to it and its possessions.
Currently, he was standing atop a table looking out one of the few windows. He, the Frost brother, and Natalya were waiting with overlapping fields of fire in the area's avenue of approach. Their vehicles were all concealed and their gunner's sights obscured, Natalya had assured them that each would watch a portion of the west the others could not. That Kaiser had guaranteed they would come from the west. He didn't want to believe her but the weight of her words made him begrudgingly agree. And so they waited with their backs against a wall and limited visibility.
The cold began to seep into their bones once more while they lay motionless, as their previous adrenaline wore off a new cold sweat overtook him. While he looked in a slightly skewed westward direction into the ever-darkening red rays of moonlight his tank's radio crackled behind him. The enemy was singing on their comms.
He contacted Kaiser and Virtanen who was doing who knows what while their crews manned a secondary fallback position within the town. After ordering his RO to change the channel and he stared into the darkness once more, his enemy's confident voices resounded in his mind.
He clenched his eyes tightly as he began to see things in the dark. Opening them spots began to fade and his eyes adjusted to the night slowly. His crew was in his Panzer making no noise as they relied on him to be their sole form of vision.
A bright flash of light blinded him. The house two buildings in front of him lit up in a burst of fire and smoke. Undoubtedly a shell from the KV-2. Fighting the urge to avert his eyes he witnessed a major assault begin. For thirty non-stop seconds, machine guns rattled off tracers from the horizon in the darkness. Cannons fired volleys of inaccurate fire in their area, aimed at whatever ricocheted a tracer.
Knight watched in astonishment as he had originally wanted to position himself closer to the city's outskirts so he could have a wider field of view on Pravda when they approached. He was glad that Natalya had immediately denied it, even if he was a bit miffed that it was because "Kaiser strictly ordered us" as she said. His voice caught in his throat as the onslaught of flashes and fire continued. He ran back to his hatch as Natalya radioed him.
"Do not return fire! They're only prodding the area to see if we're here. Do not! I repeat do not! Reveal your positions."
Worried looks shifted between his crew, leading him to question the order. "What if we are hit while hiding?!" he demanded.
"Then you didn't follow Kaiser or my orders" replied Natalya coldly.
'Ah Just like her mentor' Knight critiqued. He didn't respond knowing he had no right to complain, to a degree he was at fault as a leader as well. Instead, he and his crew weathered the barrage with held breath.
Those thirty seconds must have seemed nothing more to the audience than watching fireworks. To those weathering it, without being able to retaliate, made it feel as if it lasted for thirty minutes. Every bang, crack, snap, and explosion reverberated through them as they imitated the ghosts.
Finally, the noise died down with the slowly trickling sound of MG fire. Peering out his hatch and through the distant sliver of the window he could still see, Knight peered into the red darkness. In the open terrain, barely passing the final concealment they possessed, Pravda stormed in the same arrow formation.
Their tanks glowed with moisture from the damp air, reflecting the red moonlight off of their seemingly black darkened chassis. He could only see a portion of the formation but knew it must've been the remainder of their force. In it, the KV-2 was being guided by two T-34-75's who was giving it a pull to increase its speed.
Katyusha was most likely in the formation's center rear while the heavy tanks, Nonna's new IS-3, Clara's IS-2, and the KV-5 supported with a T-34-85, guarded the flanks. Knight watched as the column progressed soon leaving his sight and into his blind spot where the garage door stood.
Knight's mind raced anxiously as he awaited orders. 'Are we going to let them into town and ambush their rear?' he pondered. 'No they would detect us before then' he reasoned. He and his crew's itchy trigger fingers were soon satiated as Natalya gave an order.
"Fire" she whispered into their headsets.
A shot rang off from Natalya's position. Glancing up, Knight saw just as the last T-34 he could see exited his view, turned its turret in her direction. For the first time in this match, for some reason, Knight felt as if he understood what he had to do. It was whatever he could.
"Fire" he muttered. "Wha-" came his gunner's confused response before he stomped his foot and shouted "FIRE!"
His Gunner stiffened and fired the cannon. The 75mm round tore through the garage door's thin metal. As it fired Knight jumped out of his vehicle to get a view out the window. Luckily he had hit a target. The T-34-75 escorting the KV-2 had been hit broadside and disabled. Its unexpected stop caused the tethered KV-2 to lurch and jerk to a halt along with its fellow escort as their cables snapped and they shifted awkwardly from the dead weight. The sheer weight and momentum, however, caused the disabled T-34 to tip onto its side and drag before its tether snapped.
Knight returned to his vehicle in time to hear Frost fire and the next order. "Fallback to the second phase line!" shouted Natalya. She then demanded reports of damage. Knight's Panzer IV broke down the garage door in front of them and fell back with its turret turned towards its rear at Pravda. After learning her gunner had missed, he reported somewhat proudly of no damage and one enemy down as he patted his gunner's shoulder. Receiving a cheeky grin from his crewmate, Knight reported the effect their shot had.
Damian Frost gave his report saying he had bounced when an explosion rang. His engine had been hit in their egress and caught fire. His Firefly lay dead on the road to town struggling to turn its turret and chassis so that it could fire back and not expose its crew to danger while they attempted to extinguish the flame.
Knight saw the smoke rise from the sputtering engine of his fellow squadmate. "Turn around!" he shouted to his crew. His driver complied as an abrupt collision came from Natalya's IS-1. Its front nudged their chassis straight as it sped past them.
"Scratch that we have our orders!" She countered, having heard his shout inadvertently from his mic.
"She's right" came Damian's voice. "I'm not one for words Alex, just listen to her. It's for the best". Knight wished to argue yet bitterly held his tongue. He now had to abandon both Frost siblings, their words of encouragement from before and now only further causing his heart to hurt. His driver pursued Natalya's IS-1 as Knight pulled himself together from failing both of his first friends in Transcendence.
Natalya's IS-1 turned a sharp corner, leaving both the enemy and Knight's line of sight. Knight kicked his driver's seat ordering him to stop. In mid-turn the Panzer IV skid to a stop with its flank facing Frost two hundred meters away and Pravda further out.
"Fire back to buy time!" ordered Knight. with tears threatening his eyes.
His gunner refused. "I can't sir, we don't have sight and Pravda has multiple angles of fire at the Firefly whose vehicle is blocking most of our shot." Knight was torn with indecision. Left on the road and unable to assist he watched as a T-34-85 charged into proximity of the Firefly which struggled to follow it with its gun.
Fifty meters away the Firefly fired. Its round missed the T-34's turret by a hair as it continued speeding, now beelining for them. Forty meters, then Thirty. Passing an intersecting road at twenty it suddenly erupted with an explosion into a defeated husk skittering forward and halting just before the Firefly.
Sokolov's voice came over the radio. "Lieutenant Prokov, I informed you to refrain from firing in case there a second vehicle emerged, did I not?"
A playful voice responded in kind. "What if you missed? Everyone's little Knight would be crying his heart out." taunted Valerya.
"My crew doesn't miss" he replied sternly, unsure of how to even speak with the boisterous girl.
"You're not as fun as Kaiser you know?" she sarcastically replied.
Unsure of how to handle Kaiser's squadmates, Sokolov ended the idle chatter. "Enough, it's Time to displace. Knight, we'll buy Frost time but know when to cut your losses or you'll lose everything. We'll cover your retreat to an extent, now go." Ordered Sokolov, who undoubtedly knew of the plan at large hence his commanding tone.
More Internal conflict overtook Knight. 'I want to be able to save my allies! Not to be helpless, to be just a cheap copy!' his mind screamed in frustration.
Frost's voice spoke once more. "You're always hard on yourself Alex. You need to stop thinking and just go. This is combat and I got caught. I'm responsible for my situation. Diana would do the same. Go on and win this for us."
Knight froze at the untimely chastising. He had failed in so many regards, in his past, in training, in this match alone, but his friends held hope he could win this? For them? Knight stifled himself, bad as ever at containing his emotions, almost unable to contain himself. He at least hoped the sound of combat and darkness concealed his miserable state.
"You're talkative today aren't ya?" asked Knight shakily.
Frost quipped back "Don't think I won't clock you after this match if you lose string bean."
"Ya, I'll do what I can to avoid that." he sniffed as his Panzer IV traversed behind the street corner.
Natalya heard the conversation, silently. She couldn't help but remark how similar those two siblings reacted and ended their participation in this match. If only Knight could pay attention to his radio more.
The Firefly's crew sat tense and prepared. Only its commander took his eyes off the battlefield knowing what was to come. He looked down at his phone seeing a message from his sister Diana. "Tell him good luck" he muttered. "As if I would pass on your sappy message" he snickered to himself.
Pocketing his phone Frost watched as the enemy's fire slowed down. "We'll fight till the last moment, ain't that right?" he asked his crew.
"Yes sir!" they replied, tightly gripping their controls. As if summoned by their cry, two shots erupted from the distance as a Tank burst through a wooden hobble to their one o'clock. It was already past their cannon by the time it halted next to them and delivered a blow to their chassis disabling them.
Recovering from the blow Frost looked up to see the IS-2 and 3 with their commanders conversing out of their hatches approached nearby, almost mocking them with their presence. Clara and Nonna calmly and nonchalantly spoke not even sparing them a glance. He couldn't hear their conversation but he understood at the sight of the redlight light gleaming off their blonde and brunette hair why they two were held as more than Pravda's beauties. Their demeanor sent a shiver down his spine as he saw the looks in their eyes. They were more akin to a storm in human form.
-Transition-
Pravdas POV
"Do not allow them to retreat or I, Katyusha shall send you all to the gulag!" Pravda's enraged commander had shouted amidst the beginning of the town's assault. Regardless of the fact it was just mandatory detention and remedial training the thoughts of Nonna and Clara as her deputies who enforced it sent cold sweats across their team. They hurried to enforce her order resulting in a T-34's immediate destruction.
Katyusha impatiently tapped her foot as she stood out of her cupola. Faint traces of smoke quickly vanished into the night sky as the red scenery was filled with tracers and explosions. Her attention was drawn from where their enemy had fired and fled to, towards her right where the south entrance to the town lay.
A dull light glowed on the horizon drowning out the red moonlight. The light stretched beyond the squat buildings in the city's south and maintained its size. With the pesky Firefly's defeat, she had sent scouts to sweep the streets with the intent of relaying enemy positions so that they may eliminate them piecemeal.
"Ma'am!" announced a junior over the radio.
"What is it?!" demanded Katyusha. "T-there seems to be a fire in the city's south along the road. There even seems to be a barricade in the middle of it blockade. We believe the main road is inaccessible!"
Katyusha's tapping stopped abruptly "Very well. Katyusha orders you to move north and rejoin your nearest ally, find them!" she demanded through grit teeth.
"да!" (Yes!) replied her junior.
Originally she would have ordered them to break through or dismantle the barricade but she was a changed woman! She had matured from her rash nature! She was a woman of skill and daring tact! Or so she had convinced herself.
Katyusha trusted Nonna and Clara dearly. Yet she had resignations. The match had left her confused as much as anyone else. Transcendence suddenly seemed organized and tactfully repelling them, had it all been a ruse earlier? Impossible! Yet now the images of that cocky Transcendence vice commander and his rude commander wormed their way into her mind. She had lost her number advantage in the recent transaction and she worried for perhaps only the second time in her career if she was inferior.
Kuromorimine had struck that into her two years ago. She had underestimated Orai and therefore didn't even process the possibility of fearing them. Yet in this match, they dragged out the fighting. Their tactics were unorthodox. It was almost as if they were pretending to be cowardly only for a combat-hungry side to emerge and retaliate. The fact that she had males in her team now didn't mitigate the mysteriousness of them that alluded her either. All these factors, these worries played into Katyusha's mind as she weighed her options.
She declared unto herself. 'To win, for Pravda's future, I, Katyusha must play it safe!'
-The End-
