Sokolov had proceeded uninhibited by Gloriana's forces, something he was thankful for even at the expense of his comrades out east. Despite the lack of enemy presence, he was no less cautious as he sent Anna's Puma as a forward scout.
The same repetitive movements as training commenced while the storm overhead brewed and poured down upon them. The puma would scout visually from a distance and then move to a predesignated spot based on deliberation between Anna and her crew. Once there and if no fire was received, they would cautiously take up a position of overwatch as Sokolov's Dicker Max slowly lumbered its way over.
Once it had caught up, Sokolov's tank destroyer would then take overwatch and the process repeated. Textbook and efficient, it almost lulled the two crews into careless inattentiveness. It was Sokolov's adamant by-the-book attitude and Anna's ever-present worry that kept their crews in line.
As they continued onto their objective, notably weaker than expected at the loss of half their squad gone, Sokolov chose to keep the overall situation secret from the rest. Even Anna was unaware as to the at least happenings eastward. So long as the flare and sirens signaling the match's end didn't go off, all but Sokolov would know that their comrades were still fighting. All they needed to worry about was the fight before them not matters that were out of their hands. However, Sokolov still intended to hold an impact and at least lighten the burden placed upon his allies.
It was amidst the pattering rain on the hull of his tank that the echoes of Artillery fire from Gloriana's SPGs slowly focused into solid concussive blasts. They were close now, perhaps in the ravine just past this ridge. With an order to slow speed, The Puma and Dicker Max slowly crept along the hill at an angle.
The consecutive fire of the two SPGs 88mm cannons rang out in tandem. An even pause between each round that worsened the dire situation out east. And now, Anna was staring at them through her visor below. She reported her findings to Sokolov immediately.
With haste kicking them to move urgently, Sokolov reminded them to take their time setting up the ambush. They were unnoticed, and he would keep it so. Anna's Puma rescinded from its position looking past the ridgeline as it cautiously maneuvered itself to skirt the hill and take up a defensive spot on Sokolov's flank. The rain had softened the hilltop's slope and though well treaded, the Puma's eight tires still clumped up mud and threatened to slip if moved too quickly.
The Dicker Max fought much the same, as its engine fought against gravity and weight while its tracks removed the soft top layer of soil before rotating and grabbing friction on the drier lower layer. Soon enough, it was now where the Puma had been and saw much the same sight. Two large SPGs firing in sync.
The rain had masked his engine's low RPMs as it climbed and they were unnoticed. The clouds above darkened the day and rain made a haze of immediate visibility. It must've been a mess for everyone else, but for Sokolov's job, it couldn't have been more favorable. Slowly his 105mm cannon lowered. Its extensive depression allowed it to hide itself snugly amongst the vegetation and level itself at its targets.
As a round escaped the barrel of a Bishop the two vehicles found themselves engulfed in the sound of an explosion surpassing the familiarity of their own. For the unaware crew still operational, worries of a misfire arose as they scrambled to assess the situation. For the other SPG however, the crew was disoriented and thoroughly shook as they realized their vehicle would no longer respond.
No sooner than the sound of the two timed shots faded and the heat dissipated upon the enemy armor below as Sokolov's barrel began to cool in the rain did the sound of engines all around flare to life amidst the storm.
Surprise gripped Sokolov and Anna's crews as they frantically searched around for the source. It was as the Dicker Max began to displace itself in reparation for the eerily close sound of their enemy that an awkward situation arose. Past the streaks of rain upon his cupola, he could see another silhouette emerge slowly from the darkness. Unlike the Puma's distinct shape, this one was smaller, squared, and lower.
He and an enemy Cromwell had unknowingly come face to face. It was unknown to all atop this hill, the most prominent terrain feature in the vicinity but just as Sokolov had designated it a vantage point, so too did St. Gloriana in preparation for his arrival. It was as the storm set in and time dragged on that complacency took Gloriana's defenders as they sat upon the slope awaiting the reports of their enemy.
Lulled into the anticipation of no contact just as Sokolov's detachment was lured by their focus on solely their target, the two forces had inadvertently bypassed each other as the storm winds and rain masked the Dicker Max and Puma slowly crept up the hill. It wasn't until the sudden explosion of sound from the massive 105mm shell shook the hillside like thunder and reports of their SPGs being attacked, did the defending Cromwell's scramble.
Thus, in the confusingly thick foliage and blithering storm's hindrance, the two came within meters of each other. As the awkward staredown ensued, the Cromwell was first to make its move. Lighter, faster, and with a stronger engine, it immediately circumnavigated downhill in an attempt to get at the rear of Sokolov's tank destroyer.
With a fixed turret, the difficulty of his engagement was heightened. As the Cromwell advanced downhill and around his left, Sokolov ordered his driver to reverse before braking suddenly. The sudden halt added with the weight of his vehicle, the muddy slope, and his driver turning the vehicle amounted to the Dicker Max suddenly losing traction as it swung left far past its normal capabilities.
Seeing the massive 105mm barrel swing in their direction at a speed that should have been impossible, the Cromwell fired in a panic, striking no more than air as it continued to race behind its adversary. As the round whizzed by leaving a trail of humid air behind it, the Dicker Max fired point-blank into the side of their assailant.
The massive round delivered an excruciating blow, sending the Cromwell tumbling downhill from the explosive blast. The white flag that signaled its defeat, snapped off in the cascade of steel before it stopped against a tree dozens of feet down the hill.
This successful kill did not stop physics however as Sokolov's driver fought against their vehicle;e and gravity to regain traction and not get lodged within the thick vegetation around them. Amidst the struggle of his crew, bracing themselves for the rough descent, Anna's Puma came racing across their path as two shots flashed by in pursuit of her.
Seeing the writing on the wall, Sokolov's driver acted before even receiving the command. Compromised, in low visibility, and close quarters, they began descending the hill as fast as they could. After all, they couldn't complete their objectives if they were wiped out in an obviously unfavorable situation. For Sokolov, it was, however, mainly the fact that he would never hear the end of it from his peers if he stubbornly fought and lost here.
As the two made for a desperate escape to relocate, the worst-case scenario ensued. A massive eruption struck beneath the Dicker MAx's track, shattering the treads and unraveling the links. Sokolov had seen the flash of the shell incoming and with haste, zeroed his binoculars on the distant object.
Out on the main road nearby, a solitary, square silhouette prominently stood out on the barren trail. The enemy's Tortoise Super Heavy had arrived. It was a possibility but an unexpected one, to say the least. After O'Diveley had incapacitated it and delayed its entourage, Sokolov and his peers believed it would have continued to advance to reinforce the eastern front.
It was a blessing for his allies but a painful miscalculation on his behalf as he stared down its long barrel. He was unsure but it seemed that the two comets which had been escorting had indeed separated to fight in the east, a small reprieve as his crew informed him of their situation.
"We dont have the elevation to fire out at that distance!" shouted his gunner.
"Tracks are gone, we're just gonna bury our side into the mud if we try to force our way downhill for an angle to fire!" rebuked his driver.
Slowly the tortoise shifted forward before rocking to a halt. In a split second, sokolov notices a thick patch of jungle trees, humbly bent by the strong winds over the years. Remembering O'Diveley's antics months ago, where he pulled off the impossible in training he had an idea. With careful instruction, he directed his driver.
Slowly the Dicker Max shimmied its way toward the few trees. The tank destroyer lurched up against the thick trunk of the tree as its engine roared, all 180 horsepower fighting to propel the steel-encased gun upwards. With a bit of finesse, Sokolov achieved his goal. With his vehicle and subsequently his crew propped up at an uncomfortable thirty-degree incline, they now had an interesting method of achieving a line of sight on their opponent.
Just as they had stilled, the Tortoise sent another 105mm shell in their direction. This time however they were not moving as fast and were not as visible in the deluge of rain. The round narrowly missed, briefly illuminating them and leading their foes to believe they were trapped on the terrain.
As their assailant reloaded, the Dicker Max rocked like a teeter-totter for a moment from the concussive impact of the shell. Just as they began to steady, Sokolov gave the order to fire when ready, Timing their shot with the subtle rocking, the Dicker Max retaliated, firing a shell that impacted the front of the Tortoise.
The enemy Super heavy stilled for a moment before continuing forward again unperturbed. The Dicker Max rocked violently again from the recoil of its gun, nearly dislodging itself from its uneven perch. As both continued to reload, the Tortoise fired in response first. The shell went high, scattering chunks of mud thudding against the Dicker Max's enclosed hull.
As Sokolov instructed his gunner to aim for the enemy's optics to blind them, he received a panicked call from Anna.
Having wisely chosen to not draw the attention of the Tortoise whose armor her cannon would only plink against, Anna decided to stay put and provide recon for Sokolov's flank. "T-t-there's two opponents incoming from your left! They're Crusaders? Cromwells? They're going to see you soon! What do I-"
"Calm down" hissed Sokolov, unusually irate at the girl. He was resistant to pressure, not immune. Anna's shouting, even if out of concern, was only irritating him as he and his crew continued slugging it out against the Tortoise. It was only when they struck a blow and destroyed one of the Torotise's tracks did he find it in himself to respond.
"I'll make this quick Anna. Things aren't looking great right now and you want direction" The statement was spot on however, Anna's hopes of being placated were dashed. "You're not gonna get it. My hands are tied, my tanks trapped, and my plate is full at the moment."
Anna meekly looked down at her lap as Sokolov continued his calm explanation as his crew continued fighting. "I don't see what you can nor have the opportunities available to you. I can't make your choices for you. Trust in your training and do what you can. That's why you were appointed as a commander on this team is it not?"
Anna bitterly clenched her fists on her lap. Her crew exchanged guilty expressions. None felt as if they belonged on the team. It felt unearned, forced upon them due to their involvement and infraction with Kaiser. Anna herself, having a history with the man in question felt worse as she subconsciously believed it was out of pity he placed her as a commander.
Not hearing a response, Sokolov spared enough talk for a long exhausted sigh, tired from having to talk reason into someone outside his crew. "Don't go thinking that you got a free ride here either. He's enigmatic to the end. At first, everyone questions why you all were brought on but you've shown your usefulness. You all completed the same training in half the time. You've participated in matches and earned kills. He's not stupid and neither is my team. You've all shown your usefulness."
An explosion arose over the comm as the concussive wave struck the Puma further uphill. Sokolov cleared his throat. "Now if you don't mind, I really have to get back to this."
The lethargic and bothered tone from the boy higher in rank and yet her peer in billet seemed unempathetic and insincere yet he had not lied in the slightest. They had been given the tank via nepotism but had earned their places, shown effort and results. Hadn't Kaiser even congratulated them in private on more than one occasion? Anna had the texts to prove it. Her team's beliefs echoed her own newfound confidence and resolve. They were still unsure of their abilities but as they saw the two Cromwells emerge above Sokolov, they sprung into action.
The Puma emerged, treaded wheels flinging mud out as it raced its way toward the Dicker Max at full speed as the two Cromwells appeared. One peered over an extended finger from the ridge, twenty meters above Sokolov's position where he lay just beneath their view. The second Cromwell however had travelled lower and was rounding a thick patch of brush and boulders where it would soon be mere feet away from the Precariously placed tank destroyer.
As the lower Cromwell's commander and gunner saw the green splotches of Sokolov's vehicle camo, they were suddenly met with the visage of Anna's Puma racing past and under its barrel as it fired. Easily reaching 50 km/h the Cromwell reasonably panicked and fired at the oncoming and expected ram.
Still shaken by the Sokolov's cannon firing over their heads, the Puma's crew couldn't be scared any further as they fired in return. The shells passed each other, the Cromwells flew between the DIcker Max and Puma as the Puma's struck dead center in the Cromwell's front plate.
Anna's crew continued their frantic flight unaware of their successful blow that had disabled their first target. Their driver followed orders and shifted left, serpentining uphill with their built momentum. Above them, the second Cromwell heard the cannon fire and began shifting itself to face downward only for shock to take them as well when the Puma flung past their vision. Now angled downward awkwardly, The Cromwell began to rotate its chassis whilst sliding along the mud, smartly prioritizing the Puma and not Sokolov's hull-locked tank. Then another show of mixed skill and luck graced all onlookers courtesy of Anna's crew.
Having overshot their foe and their turret facing their 'ten o'clock' a desperate maneuver was undertaken as all within braced themselves. The Puma pulled a sharp turn, immediately losing friction in the mud as it spun 270 degrees as if on ice while flinging itself uphill. Soon gravity caught up with the Puma and its chassis rocked as if to tip before its wheels crashed back down.
A bit queezy, the crew all looked to see their barrel nearly aligned with their foe still turning to face them, barely having moved. As their vehicle began sliding downhill once more, the Puma's 50mm gun fired again. Slamming into the side of the Cromwell, the last of the hillside defenses were disposed of.
Disbelief was present on the faces of all. Anna's crew, the Cromwells, Sokolov who had witnessed it all, and most of all the audience who began to cheer with bafflement. As the Puma slowly slid to a halt, lodging itself against the Cromwell, Anna's team who had remained silent began frantically shaking each other's hands with cheers of relief and pride.
It was fast, it wasn't precise, but most of all, it was chaotic and it worked. They were the most amazed of all at the last bit. It was as a 105mm round from the Tortoise ripped through two of their wheels and exploded behind their vehicle that they were brought back to the reality of their situation.
Hurriedly displacing, the Puma wasn't aware of the unfavorable brawl it had spared from intervention below. Sokolov's crew were exchanging proud remarks at the growth of their scouts while managing to still slug it out with the Superheavy across the ways. They couldn't tell for sure but they were fairly certain both tracks, and its gunner's optics had been disabled. Everything else was protected by that damn casted steel body.
On their end, however, they were suffering worse for wear. Their engine was dying, too many knocks and near impacts. Tracked, unevenly angled, and running low on ammo. It was a blessing that their enemy's optics were gone and their commander had to adjust their aim as a single shell would've wiped them out long ago.
Sokolov was devising a plan while discussing the use of the Puma as bait to divide the Tortoise's attention between being flanked or getting a rear shot from them when the unexpected happened.
A deafening explosion crashed down upon the top of Sokolov's tank, destroying the nearby trees and disabling the Dicker Max immediately. Anna shot a look back only to catch a glimpse of the lower hillside before her vehicle crested the hill to its other end.
She contacted Sokolov and received no response. As the sound of her idling engine filled her ears, a horse cough arose.
"You called?" asked Sokolov groggily.
"What happened?!" she demanded.
"I know as much as you. But my guess is that tortoise got fed up and relayed my position to the last SPG."
"But thats-"
"Not impossible" interrupted Sokolov followed by a groan. "You're on your own now."
An uneasy silence consumed Anna and her crew as Sokolov added an addendum. "Before you go running off, get that damn arty gun back for me. Alright?"
"...we'll try our best."
Sokolov threw his head back and gave a small lilt of a grin. He had figured they needed direction. This vague request borderlining an order was just enough to keep their minds in the fight. "Don't worry about the the tortoise. It's not going anywhere with those tracks. The mud and weather will only hamper their repairs further. It's practically out of the game now."
"Understood, thank you, Sir."
Sokolov grunted as he removed his blouse and finally relaxed. Now he only had to sweat in this humidity while waiting for retrieval.
Just as they were told, the crew of the Puma set out to avenge their squad leader, while doing so in the most anticlimactic manner. The Puma tore across the opposite hillside until it came across the enemy Bishop only a few hundred meters away from where Sokolov had disabled its sister vehicle.
With a maximum of fifteen degrees elevation, Anna and her crew were awestruck when they saw the barrel nearly ninety degrees pointed at the sky as the vehicle lay atop a large, increasingly angled wooden ramp already atop a sloped earth incline. Realizing just how they had fired in such close proximity with such a long delay, the Puma silently watched the Bishop come to life
They were almost as shocked as the Bishop's crew who tried to dismount the ramp to face them. Still wide-eyed, Anna's gunner casually fired. The round struck the wooden ramp as her loader rushed another shell in. The wooden ramp fell apart as the front heavy tank came crashing nose-first into the incline beneath it. Springing to life, the Puma kicked it into fourth gear as they fired another shot into the Bishop's side before fleeing Northeast, unwilling to risk a close-quarters fight with an 88mm gun packing so much HE.
They hadn't even checked to confirm the kill as the skittish crew fled, worried for any further enemy forces as opposed to their report. Luckily for them, they had indeed finished the Bishop, and the West was now an empty theatre. As their minds worried over their teammates and the situation east, they hoped for the best, knowing they did all they could. None would have believed just how hectic things had become.
Despite it all, the chaos, though uncontrolled, was a part of Kaiser's last-ditch plan.
Downhill he could hear the distant sounds of cannon fire from Natalya and Valerya, engaging Gloriana's reinforcements. They were the last line of defense he and Virtanen had and although he trusted them as much as they did himself, it was only a matter of time. They had one opportunity, and Kaiser would ensure that he and Virtanen would not waste it.
The pursuit was hot, and at times, too close for comfort. It was not a cascade of cannon fire but rather the precise, time-taken shots of experts under the direction of their commanders that nearly did in the two male commanders a handful of times. Ascending the heights to the upper tributary, Kaiser and Virtanen's older model vehicles were struggling with the rapid climb.
Darjeeling and Alice's Centurions however were fairing far better and quickly closed the gap. The only saving grace was the sudden turns and rocky outcroppings catching their foe's rounds and breaking line of sight, even if it did slow them down and shrink the gap further.
Nearing the summit, Virtanen sat with his torso outside his hatch, leaning forward in the softening rain as thunder cracked above, keeping an eye out on the mud-stricken paths. Following suit, Kaiser stood much the same however focusing on their pursuers who were now so close he could almost smell the brewed tea in their tanks.
It was as the incline leveled out atop the hill and the upper tributary came into sight, that Alice and Darjeeling were barely behind them. As their barrels poked over the crest of the hill, The Tiger and Panther took a sharp turn left, away from the body of water and unto another terrain feature nearby.
With an elegant drift around the bend, the two Centurions appeared. Darjeeling was ahead of Alice's vehicle and the first to make the turn, when suddenly the rear of the Tiger was far closer than she had anticipated.
Avoiding a collision, Darjeeling's Centurion shifted right and narrowly passed the Tiger. Glancing through the drizzle of rain at the vehicle she passed, surprise enveloped her. The Panther was directly in front of the Tiger, the two chassis almost touching front to back. But what was most shocking was that on the front of the Tiger and back of the Panther, were Kaiser and Virtanen respectively.
Both young men were precariously sitting atop their chassis with a single arm tied to their turrets, The former with a semi-crazed look of excitement on his face as he noticed her tank and glanced over his turret and the latter terrified as he avoided looking at the ground. In the split second Darjeeling processed the sight, Alice emerged from the turn and fired.
The shot intended to eliminate Kaiser's Tiger missed by the narrowest of margins as his driver preemptively hit the brakes on his command. The sudden tension from the applied brakes caused the mass of steel to swerve slightly as the round flew past. As the Tiger slowed itself, a tow cable came unfurled off its chassis.
The other end of the two cables, the rear of the Panther suddenly went taut as the faster-moving medium violently jerked from the sudden drag and the Tiger jolted forward. The strain on the two vehicles was obvious as even Kaiser believed that one of their chassis would crack from the force when he felt a harsh blow from the rear. Alice's Centurion, in such close proximity and speeding to catch up, had not expected his sudden stop and collided.
Simultaneously, Darjeeling's Centurion raced past the slowed Panther as it overshot while its commander was entranced by the unexpected maneuver. The surprises didn't end there as Darjeeling and her crew suddenly felt a drop in the pit of their stomachs as their vehicle suddenly descended rapidly downhill into a new terrain feature.
Seeing Darjeeling drop off ahead and their tow cable go slack for a moment, Kaiser and Virtanen nodded to each other as they hung on for dear life by their tethered limbs. In one fluid move the two kicked off the locking links of the tow shackles confining their vehicles together. The improvised fixture dropped with a soft thud into the mud below as Virtanen's Panther raced ahead after Darjeeling and Kaiser's Tiger remained behind.
Both still wore their headsets outside their tanks as they grew soggy from the rain and watched each other disappear into the terrain.
Kaiser was the only one to speak, giving his final orders to Virtanen.
"Struggle is everywhere, without struggle, no life, and we want to continue living, so we must be ready for further fighting!" With a final nod, he shouted "Finish this!"
The two boys rolled onto their turrets and into their cupolas after cutting the cloth restraining them as their vehicles roared and their crews awaited orders for their final fights.
As Kaiser had dragged Virtanen into yet another darting scheme, the two had unknowingly set about a fever of fervent excitement within the stands of onlookers. Even those of Gloriana, from the docile boys avoiding attention, to the more prude female students, were anxiously chatting and reacting to their stunt after just finishing recovering from Sokolov and Anna's efforts in the West.
Among these onlookers who relaxed in air-conditioned tents out of the rain, even Mika, Maho, and Miho were shocked at the audaciously brave act. A sense of stupor possessed them as they stared at the screens above, silence having possessed them since the moment they saw drone footage of the two boys climbing out of their tanks and tying themselves to the moving vehicles.
Miho was the first to comment. With a hand on her chest, she sighed in relief. "That's just like him isn't it?"
Mika couldn't turn away from the screen as she nodded slightly. "He's both braver and more reckless than in the past."
Miho gave a worried smile at the observation. "Unfortunately I don't think he'll revert any time soon. It was certainly heart-stopping to watch and his plan worked, they're now fighting one one-on-one battles. Although I'm surprised he didn't choose to face Darjeeling and I wonder what that line he said was from?"
"Bismarck" commented Maho as she looked down in thought. She turned to Miho to explain further. "An old German minister. As for his choice of fight, I imagine it's because he realized that Alice poses a larger threat. That would be the logical assumption. Emotionally, I'd say he trusts Virtanen to finish the task he laid out for him."
"Sis, it seems like you have something else to say?" inquired Miho.
Maho ruminated on whether to speak or not before conceding. "Hrmm well. I don't mean to disparage his intentions but-"
"But?" asked Miho with Mika peering from behind, equally inquisitive.
Maho turned to the screen above as it focused on the Tiger in question once more. "With all the risks he's taken, why not one more? Try for Darjeeling before Alice took out Virtanen? He had told me he even trained evacuation and retreat drills exclusively between the two. The footage may have been blurry in the rain but you saw his face. He may just have wanted a tougher opponent."
Mika and Miho had a sudden epiphany as they turned to the screen as well. All three sets of eyes focused on the moving images as they concurred on the plausibility of all three reasons.
-Chapter End-