There was hardly time to breathe, act, or think anymore. The match now rested on the shoulders of four vehicles in transcendence: twenty crew members and four commanders.
At the base of the hill slope, the Prokov sisters valiantly defended their position as the enemy forces only grew in number. What began with an initial push, driving their foes further downhill and away from their leaders, quickly ground to a halt when the Churchills joined the remaining Matilda's. Then a fighting retreat as the two comets reassigned from the Tortoise arrived.
Like a wall of iron, the siblings had their tanks side by side as they reversed uphill. They were preventing their opponents from speeding through and bypassing them on the narrow pathway. There was no leniency in their fighting, they fought in one direction and moved in another. There were no turns or any viable routes for their enemies ahead to circumnavigate their position. The earth beneath them, soaked in rain and churned by their track's weight, became a near untraversable slosh before them. They couldn't even run a standard retreating drill and have one provide cover as the other movies to take overwatch and repeat the process.
The girls knew the purpose of their assignment here. They knew of the fate that awaited their vehicles. Proven just as before and time again in this match alone, they regretted nothing as they fulfilled their duty and loyalty filled their hearts.
The stoic expressions of Natalya and Valerya as they and their crews weathered unending shells while maintaining tight coordination, won the hearts of the crowd as they watched eagerly. Their looks certainly helped keep the younger audience glued to the screens.
The calm, collected attitudes of their subordinates were nowhere to be found in Kaiser and Virtanen. The former held a charming grin that belied the battle-hungry intent in his eyes. The latter was shaking as he faced down Gloriana's flag tank, his counterpart, and a test important to no one more so than himself.
His Panther stood facing Darjeeling's Centurion in a small depression, a 'bowl' in the terrain no more than fifty or so meters apart and twenty deep. Their vehicles slowly raced around the inclined edges of the 'bowl' as both he and Darjeeling stood out their cupolas and stared one another down. A moment of silence between them even as the wind whipped around them and the rain pattered against the earth.
Both their tank's guns were forward as they ran the small circuit along the terrain's perimeter. He could only assume it was because of Darjeeling's sense of courtesy as he hadn't fired on the rear of her tank when they began this little show. The determined glare she gave told him as much, that she was accepting his challenge. A challenge designed by none other than Kaiser unbeknownst to her.
Virtanen withstood the eyes fastened on him as he let an uneasy grin slip across his face. He was glad she hadn't realized that he didn't shoot her in the back because he didn't have a shot lined up not out of chivalry. It was as he eased up slightly realizing how nice it would have been if he had been presented with an easy way out when her eyes sharpened on him, displeased at the carefree grin he absentmindedly gave at his thoughts.
Then nearby cannonfire erupted outside the cusp of their 'bowl' an obvious sign of Kaiser and Alice. Yet, like a starting pistol, the Centurion shifted harshly to face him as his crew mimicked their opponent. Here in their arena, welling with rain water and atop the world, the two clashed.
Kaiser's Tiger and Alice's Centurion lay in a deadlock. The two elongated barrels crossed like the blades of two fencers. More than once, the young Shimada had tried to bypass him with her speed to assist her commander. Each time her vehicle was promptly headed off or stopped violently by an impact and chased away as they threatened to push her vehicle off the narrow road.
The terrain that Darjeeling and Virtanen fought in was off the beaten path, a small dirt road now muddy and indiscernible past the trees that concealed it. While the path Alice resided on was expansive, the narrow entrance was promptly blocked by the Tiger who clung closely to them but never left the mouth of its den.
The ploy was obvious yet clever, despite their numerical and recent tactical victories, Transcendence had invalidated it all by forcing both flag tanks into a one-on-one battle. Alice was impressed by the senior boys or would be if not for two factors. The first was her discomfort. Humid, standing out her cupola wet, and persistently stopped by the foe before her. She was a prodigy and trained well but the second factor exacerbated the exhaustive symptoms. She was still a child.
Try as she may, a fleeting rush of irritation would flash within her, manifesting as no more than a pout visibly but fuming grievances internally. It had finalized itself within her as she attempted to lure the tiger away and engage at range. It was an obvious ploy, something Kaiser was all too aware of knowing his vehicle was slower, and more vulnerable to her fire. As her vehicle steadily backed off anticipating him to follow, her big light brown eyes widened a fraction as she saw the Tiger mimic her.
Slowly the square beast rolled back into the foliage like its namesake, hiding within a den. Now she had no line of sight and it still guarded the only known path to her commander. Now frustrated, she took a more direct approach. It was, after all, not the first time she had faced a Tiger.
Kaiser watched from outside his tank with a camouflage poncho atop his blouse, water dribbling inside his vehicle off of him as he kept an astute eye ahead. The sounds of combat erupted behind him, reverberating from the bowl-like terrain with his peer and enemy when he noticed a series of flashing lights ahead. He peered through his binos to see it was indeed the Centurion flashing its floodlights.
"What are they doing?" asked belled as she watched through the gun.
"It's morse code" answered Kaiser. "Katya, can you see it? Write it down"
After repeating the code once more and translating it, Katya showed a set of numbers. "It's a frequency, sir."
"Tune in" ordered Kaiser.
Static filled the channel before silence when a childish voice filled the ears of Kaiser and his crew.
"Hello?" asked Alice.
"Yes?" replied Kaiser in kind. "I assume there's some reasoning behind this?"
Below him, Belle whispered to the others. "She sounds so cute!" before being lightly shoved by Laura who shushed her.
"Miho… told me talking lets you understand others just as well as battle."
Kaiser crossed his arms and cocked his head curiously, lamenting over her innocently childish mind. "Ah, that's not a bad saying but perhaps an improper time to do so?"
"You're not one to speak of proper when you used VBIEDs in senshado" chastised Alice.
Kaiser agreed and snickered in response. The girl was oddly sharp and curt at times.
"You're hiding," she said plainly.
"Yes, you ran away" responded Kaiser, simplifying his statement as she did.
"You fight more unorthodox than Oarai and strangely more violent than others." Her tone then shifted slightly as she continued with a direct command. "let me pass."
"Are you that confident you've won? Shouldn't you fight me first?" asked Kaiser with a smirk as he watched the Centurion standing silent in the distance like a specter.
"Are you taunting a kid?" asked Westhoffen in disbelief, this time it was Katya who corrected him with a bop to his forehead. The two silently bickered as Kaiser continued to play along with Alice.
"You want to fight me, yes?" she asked.
"It'd be an honor."
"Then why hide?"
"You follow orders as well as you execute them, just like I do. How do I know you won't slip right past me when we start?"
Despite her age, Alice gave a tired sigh. With a mixture of feigned maturity and sass, she explained herself. "It'll be quicker to dispose of you before that."
Dramatically his crew turned to him, surprised at her confident retort. It got a laugh out of Kaiser at least. "I dont know if it's those college girls you've been around or you inherited St. Gloriana's hot air but I'll take that as a direct challenge from a Shimada. Am I right to do so Alice?"
There was a brief hesitation before Alice spoke again, this time her voice filled with disgust. "Dont use my name, it's creepy."
Westhoffen bent over with a snark as Katya, Laura, and Belle averted their faces to laugh in silence. Knowing there was no winning an argument with a child, Kaiser remained stoic and in the face of the insult. "Then we'll both have our fight" he declared.
The Centurion's flood lights flashed briefly as it receded slowly preparing for his vehicle to emerge. As the Tiger shifted gears, Westhoffen gave his opinion. "I think she won that one sir."
"Of course she did, how do you argue with a child without looking a fool?" asked Kaiser.
"Well you could- Ow! What was that for?" shouted Westhoffen.
You didn't shift gears in time so I kicked you to remind you, dont you remember your training?" asked Kaiser.
"Fine I- Ow! Okay, I get it!" he conceded, moving their tank and focusing properly. Around them, the tense atmosphere had once again eased slightly for the crew despite the oncoming danger and its unusual circumstances.
The match's fate was being decided behind them and yet here, Alice Shimada and Adam Kaiser were having their own duel. It may have crossed their minds that Alice and her family were interested in defeating Kaiser were it not for them laughing at his pettiness and Westhoffen never learning. Even now, with all the stakes and circumstances even those his crew did not know, a familial ease filled them all.
Kaiser emerged from his cupola, the added height giving him sight of his opponent before the rest of his crew. Amidst the billowing wind atop the terrain's height and cold rain dousing them, the petite girl, three years his junior, stood tall out of her vehicle and watched as he approached.
Without warning her tank fired as soon as Kaiser's driver could see the Centurion through his viewport. Such an audacious first strike was unexpected from a little girl but Kaiser had not dared to underestimate her. The moment he saw a shift in their gun he ordered Westhoffen to drop to neutral gears. Gravity did the rest, the sudden jolt and pull of gravity dragged the tank backward slightly down the slight incline they had climbed.
The 105mm shell from the Centurion clipped the top of the Tiger's chassis and after eating through the cast steel corner, flew off into the sky. Its heat and concussive force brushed against Kaiser as he maintained eye contact with the tank and instinctively clutched to his cap, keeping it firmly placed.
Their duel began. Immediately Alice descended into her tank as it rotated counterclockwise and began circumnavigating to his flank keeping its gun trained on them. It was a frightening sight, seeing the skill of her crew. Fluid and precise, unrelenting, as if watching a machine run itself.
With a small window to avoid a shot in his side, Kaiser delved into his vehicle and with Westhoffen, once again coordinated the vehicle.
"West, Reverse in second gear to the left!"
"Got it!" shouted the driver as he fought the steel goliath into obedience.
"Belle! Gun to the '3'!"
"Aye!" she shouted in kind, swinging the turret right.
"Katya!"
"Yes?!" replied his RO in surprise.
"Come here!" the mousy girl was stunned in place when Laura holding a fresh shell with one hand, brushed aside a black strand of hair and reached for Katya. True to a loader's strength, she pulled the smaller girl out of her seat and up onto Kaiser's lap in a swift motion where she looked up in bewilderment at him.
Without missing a beat, Kaiser watched the enemy out his viewport as his vehicle swung around on the bumpy terrain and gave Katya her new role. It here and look out the back, any change in the terrain behind us you tell me got it?"
"Huh?!" she begged, still flustered.
Not wasting time, Kaiser scooted her onto the side of his seat and grabbed her red-haired head. He then quickly turned her head to the side and asked "What do you see?"
"Ah-um, we have a small depression behind us! A half meter deep maybe?"
"Good, do just that!" he said directly to her as he then shouted corrections to West and Belle. "Gun depression 10 degrees! Reverse first gear!"
Belle and West followed succinctly and executed the command. In a moment another shell crashed into their turret, skimming along the angled slope before colliding with the side of his cupola and past them. In immediate response, Belle fired in kind. Her gun already being nearly aligned with her target at Kaiser corrective commands.
While the upper tributary hilltop was flat for the most part, it was by no means level. The uneven and rolling mounds of earth and sparse plant life offered obstructive micro terrain, uneven maneuvering, and a nightmare for gunners on the move. While the Centurion had the luxury of moving a larger distance and therefore smaller corrections, Kaiser had made the instant decision to have a second pair of eyes to assist him giving his driver and gunner opportunities to fire.
The 88mm found a damaging impact on the side of the skirting Centurion who in response stopped its flanking maneuver as it weathered the damage and boldly charged directly at them. Kaiser expected the move to bypass them and get to their rear instead of circling around. His suspicion was all but confirmed as Alice's gun began shifting in anticipation of the move since her newfound tactic of drifting would certainly be limited in the mud around them.
"Katya?" asked Kaiser in a lower voice, his tone of urgency however was immediately picked up.
"Smooth ground to our right, small incline left!" she quickly spouted into his ear. Despite her panicked gaze as she flittered between the rear and front viewports of the cupola, Kaiser trusted her observation even in this limited visibility. His eyes remained on the moving enemy who drew in close. "West! Reverse in third, sharp left!"
No response came instead the driver grunted as he strained to comply with the shifting vehicle. Then as they began turning, Kaiser updated his orders. "Second gear!" there was a sudden lurch as the Centurion passed the front of their vehicle, Belle maintaining discipline and keeping her gun oriented right as Laura loaded a shell.
"First gear and neutral!" the Tiger lurched and still as the Centurion fired a shot in passing. Again their precise movements seemed an obstacle for the Gloriana tank as the round skimmed the rear of the chassis and ate into the squared corner.
Just as quick as their shell the Centurion flew past and near Belles's line of sight. Alice corrected her course to shift left but the Tiger's turret was faster. It shifted a minuscule amount and fired again. Taking a chance, Alice's tank drifted to counter. As expected, at its speed the turn was stopped halfway as the tracks ate dangerously into the mud, filling the gears with it like grease.
The Tiger's second round also ate into the side armor of the Centurion as it forced itself out of a muddy deathtrap. In the momentary reprieve, Kaiser continued only giving orders. "Forward first gear and into fourth! Straight at them!"
As Katya watched the side of his face in awe at the success of their maneuver and Belle strained into her sights while West complied, Laura loaded another shell, unflinchingly and without delay as she fulfilled her role. As all eyes kept focus, Kaiser placed a hand on her shoulder and gave a gentle squeeze. A small reminder of his thanks for her dedication and skill. It seemed to do more than show thanks as the stoic-faced girl seemed slightly more motivated in disposing of and reloading shells.
They had survived first contact with Alice, and now they would bite back.
His micromanagement was no longer necessary as they pursued. Now on the assault, his crew performed well enough he need not to. The Centurion was faster than his Tiger but Kaiser's driver was more proficient. The gap began to narrow slightly until the difference in their machines was made clear once more.
The Centurion began gaining distance as Alice watched from her cupola, expecting him to fire at her tank's rear. Seeing no effective means to get the jump on her, he looked to the terrain and any way to inhibit her movement and draw her into close-quarters fighting. Anything further would leave him disadvantaged or worse, she actually would flee to assist Darjeeling.
Lo and behold, there was. In the direction of the Centurion tactical retreat, Was an outcropping of jagged stone reaching towards the sky with plants encompassing it all over. With a quick adjustment to Belle and a single word, she fired. The projectile impacted with the same devastating explosion as always. The stone beneath the wet greenery was more brittle than imagined as it splintered and cascaded downwards.
Large chunks of rock rolled into the Centurion's path as smaller stones dangled from the ivy and vines still holding firm. The sudden landslide from above forced Alice to retreat into her vehicle as the tracks crushed some beneath and sloppily climbed over others.
The sudden shift in traction slowed the Centurion long enough for the distance it had gained to be closed once more and Kaiser's wish for a close-quarters fight to be fulfilled.
The two opposing doctrines and styles clashed. Alice's tank moved swiftly with fluidity and grace, a mixture of her Shimada style with her learnings from Gloriana. Yet against her was Kaiser's more abrasive and violent way. Raw strength and unpredictable movements countered the young prodigies' efforts at each turn as the younger girl, genius or not, was still only a child who began to feel pressured by her unorthodox opponent.
As Alice would make use of her tank's maneuverability, deftly moving around Kaiser's side his Tiger would suddenly stop in place and deviate her tank barrel by using his own as a clothesline to intercept. When Kaiser would push his vehicle to its limits and put Alice on the back foot, her Centurion would agilely slip through his assault. Speed and power, prowess and skill, were words used by the commentators as they tried to draw the crowd's attention to the details of the fight. It was needless all who watched them could see it clear as day.
Alice's tank once again dodged Kaiser like a matador with a bull. In her passing her tracks splashed his vehicle with murky water from the buildup below, dousing him in the cold water as he stood from his cupola.
Alice snickered into a hand at his posture as he swiped the filth off his face and watched her vehicle slip behind him. With an order, he demanded West jump gears and max the revolutions. Confused but obeying he did so and the Tiger's Tracks sped in place, finding no traction and stirring the water beneath into thick chunks of mud behind.
Mud which found itself caking the side of Alice's Centurion and herself. Downshifting and moving to chase Alice's tail, Kaiser narrowly avoided a shot from the semi-blinded Centurion as the two circled each other. As the young girl gave a burning glare fresh from the mud mask he had gifted, Kaiser returned it with a taunting smile when suddenly a siren sounded in the distance.
"The match is over, all participants please return to the assembly area or await retrieval."
Both Kaiser and Alice froze as their tanks jerked to a stop and idled. Bewildered they looked at each other as rays of light broke through the clouds showing the storm had stopped as quickly as it came some time ago. Seeing that they had been so entranced with the fight they turned and looked down at their crews. Below him, Kaiser could see Katya grinning up weekly, shivering slightly from the same soaking shower she had received but happy they had survived till the end. Belle and Laura were partially wet and conversing lightly as Laura pulled a couple of drinks from a cooler they had stored. West meanwhile had gone limp and slumped in his seat. This level of effort was all too much for his lackadaisical lifestyle and immediately all tension dissipated from him.
Kaiser's mind then wandered from disappointment at not having enough time to settle the fight to the results. Why hadn't they been announced? He then saw a curious look on Alice's as she continued wiping away the mud. She was thinking the same. What had happened not even a kilometer away?
-A few minutes prior-
Virtanen and Darjeeling's duel
Opposed to the clashing of doctrine and style experienced just outside their little arena, Virtanen and Darjeeling engaged in a more cordial battle. Like two fencers, duelists locked in with one another, they circled. One would take the initiative and fire to receive a round in kind.
Chassis' would suddenly shift and their course would change from a clockwise to counterclockwise circling of the sloped edges. Then another would take the initiative and make a move. Suddenly one would race at the other from across the bowl-like terrain and the two would fire at the last second, exchanging shells and fencing with their barrels like rapiers. Dents, ricochets, sheared metal, detached and scorched steel marked their vehicles like two professionals wearing scars, boastfully showing the hits they received.
Despite Virtanen's more timid nature and Darjeeling's elegance elegance-minded self, the two battled for dominance. Virtanen had broken down earlier, having repaired himself mentally, and in time for this test of wills, he found himself steadfast. Darjeeling however was beginning to fray herself.
Just as the weather's humid and stuffy conditions tore at any sense of comfort, only worsening with the rain and mud, her composure began to slip ever so slightly. They must have traded blows a dozen times now and yet, she still hadn't overpowered him. Their machines were night and day, her experience, her training, her purpose, all were superior to his. They had to be. There was no reason for him and those unsavory males to be in this sport. She and her team had made it this far to prove that their Senshado was the way of a woman and needed no interference from greedy board members.
She was so consumed in irate thought that she hadn't even noticed her teacup was now left dormant in the corner of her tank, its contents long since splashed out. Right now, she couldn't care less. She knew her crew and vehicle were superior, even her commanding was yet that boy refused to fold. Each time narrowly parrying her assaults and defiantly counterattacking while keeping pace with the formality of their bout.
As if a nonverbal challenge to the other's bravery, both stood out of their hatches. In such close quarters, they did not need to. Especially with the deafening sounds of their cannons reverberating within the concave terrain. As if to prove his cowardice to himself and all watching, Darjeeling gave the order for her gunner to fire a burst of MG rounds at his turret.
The rounds went off impacting and ricocheting against the Panther's steel and yet Virtanen remained uncowed as he glared defiantly to her chagrin. If only she could've seen his white-knuckled grasping the cupola and heard the chaotic rhythm of his heartbeat.
The tempo of their battle held a hypnotic rhythm to the viewers, unlike the hectic battle of Kaiser and Alice. As it dragged on and the rain continued to pour around them, pooling within the bowl-like terrain and standing at least a foot deep, the vehicles began to slide within the murkying waters as grass and mud blurred beneath them.
They soon began to fight as if on ice, sliding and sloshing about the slurry-like two mechanical figure skaters engaged in life and death. A ridiculous comparison but breathtaking nonetheless for all who watched.
But just as the storm overhead began to break, even this battle had to end.
As rays of light broke through the dark clouds overhead, the Centurion and Panther charged each other. The front left corners of their chassis' clipped each other as they circled counterclockwise, barrels locked against one another. As drivers fought to control the deadly stalemate between tons of steel and Gunners watched the other through their sights, Virtanen and Darjeeling gave potent glares, focused on nothing but the other.
Finally, the Centurion gave way first. In the marshy sludge beneath, the Centurion's power-to-weight ratio and its 50 tons forced the slippery footing beneath to give. This however was made an advantage. The Centurion slipped past the Panther, unable to keep its barrel locked onto its sliding foe.
Not foolish enough to chase, Virtanen gave order to push ahead and drift right. The Panther suddenly lost friction as well and with its 45 tons, spun 180 degrees, coming face to face with the Centurions who stilled at the same time. The 105mm and 75mm cannon's fired. Smoke filled the air as the murky waters below shook from the shockwave.
Coughing, Virtanen looked up through stinging eyes as the smoke settled and warm sunlight glossed over their arena. As he caught sight of two blue eyes and a head of blonde hair that met his own, both his and Darjeelings eyes widened.
Suddenly a siren went off. "The match is over, all participants please return to the assembly area or await retrieval."
Virtanen sunk into his seat, only catching himself by the cupola ring, leaving his shoulders and head out as he watched Darjeeling afar. She was as shocked as he yet turned away from him. Now all that was left for him and his contemporary foe was to return to the stands.
-Back at the starting area-
Kaiser and Alice's vehicles had limped back together, side by side in silence until diverging at the starting area to their respective teams. As he looked over his team and Gloriana's, he saw the plentiful damage dealt out to both sides. He was even more surprised to see Anna's Puma still up and running while Sokolov's Dicker Max looked like it was halfway scrapped.
Crews of the vehicles meandered about and sat atop their inoperable mounts chatting about their experiences and efforts. In the case of those from St. Gloriana that Natalya and Valerya had foiled in reinforcing Darjeeling and Alice, they grumbled about their inability while shooting sharp glares.
Kaiser wasn't even able to send a taunting grin as he was suddenly rushed by the two sisters responsible for the successful delaying tactic. As he dismounted his Tiger, Kaiser's eyes vision was suddenly filled with the curious glares of Natalya and Valerya. Both girls had shed the suffocating camouflage blouses and ponchos allowing their skin to breathe in their issued tank tops while also allowing an eyeful for the male students from both schools.
The girls didn't care as they pressed him for answers despite his ragged and clearly tired state. He withstood their curiosity as he rung his poncho of loose water and even undid his blouse somewhat, allowing himself to breathe easier.
As he finally got somewhat comfortable and relaxed, he ignored their questions and thanked them. "Thank you two, for all your hard work and staying loyal to the end." the two went quiet immediately and seemed to take it as flattery. The surprise on their face quickly dissipated as they stored it for later.
"We'll collect on that later!" stated Valerya as her big sister nodded. The two girls realized he wouldn't answer every question they posed and so settled on one each.
Natalya got her's out first. "Did you win?!" followed by Valerya's "Did we win?!"
Kaiser snickered and bowed his head slightly. He was flattered by their changes in personality. Nat in showing concern for his success as opposed to so many months ago when she thought of nothing but the team. And Val for worrying about others, and the team's success rather than herself.
With a shrug, he answered. "No, the siren got us before me and Alice could finish. As for who won, I'm not sure."
The disappointment was obvious on the girls, namely Valerya who let out a displeased sigh. "What do you mean? Weren't you up there too?"
"Did you get separated from the Colonel?" asked Nat.
Kaiser shook his head without explaining. He instinctively felt he wouldn't be able to convey the importance of Virtanen having fought Darjeeling alone so changed moved on. "Did they not announce it down here either?"
The two sisters moved in sync as they looked to the stage where a panel of judges, the announcer, and even a few oddities like the head of the Shimada family, Chiyo Shimada, and some other experts were deliberating amongst each other. Then as the sound of tracked vehicles arose once more, the eyes of the deliberators turned. Kaiser followed and saw Virtanen's Panther and Darjeelings Centurion being towed in by two recovery vehicles.
Kaiser had a feeling he already knew what was going on. As the spectators anxiously sat in their seats, the deliberating judges and company moved towards Darjeeling and Virtanen as they dismounted. Kaiser promptly went to intercept, expecting there to be something amiss, as always.
-Chapter End-