Chapter 37: Major change, part 2.
Carrier school USS George Washington, home of Saunders, off Kyushu, 7:00pm
In the immense training field, in the southern part of the floating school, the M4 Shermans of the sensha-do team had just stopped. From one of them, the Kay of the present popped out of the turret and radioed:
"Great jobs, girls! If we continue at this pace we will reach the 63rd tournament prepared and strong!"
"Kay, do we have to go on much longer? We've been training for hours!" A plaintive voice, which she knew well, said on the radio.
"Don't worry, Alisa, training is over for today. Now the classic evening meeting awaits us, complete with a hearty dinner!" She answered.
"That's better…"
"You're always the same grouch, Alisa!" Another female voice mocked her good-naturedly.
"Ah, shut up Naomi! But doesn't it irritate you to be locked up in a tank for hours and hours?"
"No not at all!"
"Come on, don't bicker you two!" Kay ordered them.
"Yes, Ma'am!" Her two deputies replied, almost in unison.
The blonde smiled satisfied.
Another hard day of training has come to an end… Now I will listen to some music.
She reached for her smartphone, logged on to Youtube and clicked on history.
Let's see, what could I listen to? Born to be Wild, Paint it black… Mh?
At the head of the chronology, the girl noticed a live broadcast of a certain Hilda Breisgau, commander of the Black Sun school.
I don't know this channel… Yet I am subscribed to it!
She thought, puzzled.
"Alisa, have you by any chance been fiddling with my cell phone?" She asked over the radio.
"No, why are you asking me?"
"So you did it, Naomi?"
"Kay, you know I would never take your stuff without asking your permission."
"Helmet-chan?"
"No ma'am!"
Kay was getting more and more confused.
Then who the hell did it? I've never seen this live, I don't know the channel and I've never heard of this Hilda Breisgau!
She thought, scratching the back of her neck.
"Okay… Let's take the tanks back to the warehouses, then we'll start the meeting."
Black Sea, 1.15pm
"Why was I not consulted?" Goebbels asked, on the phone with Himmler.
The fact that certain reforms had been made behind his back irritated her.
"Because you're not on the board, that's why." The bespectacled woman replied in a calm, almost bored tone.
"These decisions upend decades of Black Sun school policy…"
"A shameful policy, which prevented foreign students from putting themselves in the spotlight. We should have abolished it long ago, but better late than never."
"It is still a very important decision, you shouldn't have excluded me!" The girl protested.
"Goebbels, by now you should have understood that supreme authority rests with the Studentenrat. And you are NOT part of it. Now, instead of whining, move your ass and get back to training, the final of the Europeans is getting closer and closer!"
Goebbels tried to retort but Himmler had already attacked.
Verdammt! Why didn't I go to Otto Von Bismarck? With my skills, I'd already be a member of that school's student council, if not president! Instead here I am, kissing the feet of Hilda, Himmler and Göring!
She thought, furious.
1.30 pm
At Yorktown the students, after lunch, had gathered in front of the building and chattered among themselves.
"Damn, what a bombshell! Now we could finally participate in the German championships, not just the European ones!"
"Better for us, right?"
"I'm really happy about it, I didn't feel like being on the bench every year, except during the European championships!"
"Silence!" Samantha ordered, shushing the small crowd.
"Hope you enjoyed your lunch, ladies, because it's time to get back on track!" She added.
"Well said, Sam. With each passing day we are getting closer to the final of the European tournament, so we cannot afford to slack off." Dwight backed her up.
"You will see that our efforts will be rewarded… We will make sparks!" Clark exclaimed enthusiastically.
Samantha glared at her, then she turned back to the girls:
"Come on, join your Shermans! Training resumes now!"
"Damn, how exciting… From now on we can participate in the German championships! I always wanted to fight against their school!" Lois said, thrilled.
Kay smiled at her.
"They are tough, my dear… I know from experience." She said, recalling when the Black Sun had almost succeeded in crushing a coalition of Japanese schools, only to be defeated thanks to the help of the Karl-Gerät.
"Have you faced the Black Sun before?" Kristin asked her.
"Once… In a friendly match." Kay limited herself to answering.
If I tell them the truth they won't believe me.
"In this regard, do you know which are the strongest teams in Germany? Besides the Black Sun, I mean." She asked.
"There are 3 others, able to rival it: the Otto Von Bismarck, the Friedrich der Große, and the Arminius." Chloe answered.
"They always place second, third and fourth." Allison added.
"Interesting… I would like to confront them one day." Said the former Saunders commander.
"You will be able to do it at the next German championships." Lois assured her.
"I'm sure… Now start the Sherman."
"Yes, ma'am!"
At the same time Hilda, accompanied by her two deputies, had just left the television studios from which she had made her important announcement.
"You were outstanding, mein führer! Now the popularity of the school will increase, both at home and abroad!" Himmler congratulated.
Hilda turned to her, and smile.
"I acted for equity, not just for reasons of prestige. The girls of the Foreign Legion, even though they come from other nations, are and remain students of the Black Sun, and therefore deserve the same opportunities that our compatriots have." She stated.
"Wise words, mein führer!" Göring said, sincerely enthusiastic about the change.
"Thanks for the compliment, my friend… But now we reach the training camp, as team commanders it is our duty to participate in training."
Her two female subordinates snapped to attention.
"JA, MEIN FÜHRER!" they exclaimed in unison.
The trio resumed their journey, directed towards the carriage that would take them to their destination.