Boston University, 14th of September 2015, 1630 hours:
The sun was setting on the horizon, cars were seen streaming through the streets, and clouds covered the orange sky. Through the hallways of the 3rd floor of the club section of the college, there's a door, just beside the college's media room, the window covered with pitch black color, with written there the words 'War Room' and 'Important Personnel Only'.
Inside is a room with multiple wardrobes and shelves storing dozens and dozens of boxes filled with files, with labels put on each, and then there's another door on the right, made entirely of quality dark oak wood, with a sign that reads, 'War Room'. Within the room, 21 people wearing khaki long-sleeved buttoned shirts with neck ties, with half of the tie hid behind the shirt, along with some rank insignia and the logo of their tankery team's symbol, khaki trousers, and shiny black shoes, were discussing with each other.
A large table can be seen in the middle of the room, with a lamp hanging on the ceiling that was yet on, with the modern lights still lit the room. There were also portraits of previous commanders, with their names and the year of their time as a commander, all lined up on the wall, with both the American flag and the tankery team's flag hanging on both ends.
Then, the main commander, Ronald Murphy, interrupted the others and began talking. "Alright, quit with the chitchat; now let's talk of our future opponent, the Fort Nelson Tankery team. Now, Molly, you may begin."
Then, a young woman, Molly Donovan, stepped forward with multiple files on her hands before putting some down on the table. "I've gathered multiple pieces of information from the internet and from alumni's regarding this team, and I'd say they're quite fascinating." She then began reading. "Fort Nelson Tankery Team is a team that is based in the Northern Hemisphere of Canada, in the province of Alberta, in the not-so-small town of Fort Nelson, which resides mostly quite wealthy families and very rich families, mostly military families, in the Fort Nelson Academy, which is a public institution that has an education level from playgroup to senior high school that receives 75% of the funds from the community itself to properly run it, hence having their own composition, curriculum, uniforms, and other things." She continued, "From the 1950's to the 1980's, they were known to be the most powerful tankery team in the world. Some accounts from the alumni stated that they once employed some very unorthodox tactics of hit-and-shoot. Winning the 1959, 1963, 1966, 1973, 1979, and 1983 internationals before being beaten by the combined alliance of the Japanese national team."
"Well, isn't that basically what you always do in every match?" Sean Connolly said it in a teasing tone.
"Hush! That was none of your business." Molly coughed. "Anyways, as I said before, they were pretty unorthodox in their matches. Although they had a massive change in doctrine or style somewhere around the early 80's, switching from their usual light speedy tanks to medium and heavy tanks. It was until their eventual defeat in the 1986 world tournament in the finals against a temporary joint tankery team between two rivaling Japanese clans, that is, the Nishizumi's and the Shimada's, that it was said that two future heirs delivered the final ending shot to the flag tank in a decisive battle when it tried assisting a battered and surrounded force, using the same tactics they Fort Nelson used some years prior. Some said that the ghost of Yamamoto was with them."
Then there was a brief, quiet moment as Molly switched to another paper. "Then there was the 1987 market crash, which caused the team, or basically almost all teams around the world, to cease their activities for three decades or more. They just opened up a week ago, and from some connections I have, they're being instructed by 3 officers from the Canadian Armor Corps, which last time I heard they were undergoing modernization and were just equipped with actual tanks some time ago. Three of the officers once served in Afghanistan, but as infantry, so they may lack real skills in tank-to-tank battle. They might just give those kids basic lessons."
Murphy nodded. He thought to himself before asking. "Canada is a part of the Commonwealth Tankery Federation, right? I heard they would share resources and experience with each member; how about that?"
"Uhh, about that." Molly checked the other papers, and after a few minutes, she found some sections and read them. "As for the involvement of the Commonwealth Tankery Federation, teams from like Britain, that is, the Joint ANGSCOT of St. Bennett's College and the Black Watch team, are currently occupied with training the Joint ANZAC Union team and are also occupied with assisting some teams from other nations, that being the Polish Zel—I'm not even trying to spell that. The Irish Eiren... umm. Yeah, not spelling that, they're pretty much neglected," she cleared her throat.
"Is that all?" Asked Murphy.
"Well..." Molly grabbed the other papers and continued. "Now for the composition of the team that I got. The team consists of 38 members: 8 officers and 30 normal members; 5 Ram Sherman's equipped with 6-pounder guns and Besa machine guns, which will do nothing towards the frontal armor of our Sherman's. Two M3A5's with 37mm guns and 30-caliber machine guns definitely won't stand a chance. Then there's the Churchill III, heavy, slow, well protected, equipped with the 57mm guns and the Besa 7.92mm machine guns, which will be the only thing that can seriously harm our tanks. About my comment earlier about them being fascinating, their team basically brought most of the revolutionary and wild tactics in tankery! They're the ones' who brought hit and ram, hit and run, and a side salvo, and those cool moves like lining up on the flanks and firing a salvo while being on the move, like that one scene from Pirates of the Caribbean! Which has a name for that style of fighting still being used by some teams across the world?"
Murphy released a heavy sigh. "Well, as fascinating as you say, that is. So what you're basically saying is that we're going to face another weak team... and worse of all, a bunch of high schoolers from a nation full of people who always say sorry and without much experience?" He sighed and cursed under his breath. "I'll bet on my entire savings that the daughter of the devil won't even last a minute."
He then looked back up, sighing heavily. "Since we're going to be facing only some small team from the middle of nowhere, we'll be needing only a company or so of Sherman's and a platoon as a reserve, along with only a platoon of Calliopes and the usual scouts. Aiden, you'll take the bulge of the force with you and a platoon of Sherman's from Anvil Company. You may suck, but I doubt they'll be much of a problem since they're still new. Hiro, I want half of your forces to act as reserves in case shit takes a sharp turn. Bridget, I'll have only 1/3 of your Calliope force to be present in case Aiden's forces face some actual meaningful resistance. We're not going to spend thousands more dollars to glass some small ass team from nowhere with paper tanks." Murphy moved his hand and dragged his index finger at the point on the map on the table with an open area. "They're going to be around here, probably using some cheap ambush tactics; there's no need for early bombardment. No need for extensive jamming; only recon. In case they aren't here, however, Molly, I want you and your platoon to search around this area." He dragged his fingers, drawing an imaginative box.
The commanders nodded in agreement. Murphy sighed once more. He looked out the window towards the river outside, just across the road, with the sun setting on the horizon. "That's all for today, dismissed."
As all the commanders began walking out of the room, Murphy halted Molly while still standing near the window. "Molly, mind if I ask you questions?" Molly stopped, and before then she looked back at him with a confused look. "Yes? What do you need?"
"Where do you get all your information? I don't really mind if you get those from bribing, hacking, or whatever it is. I'm just curious about this connection of yours. I don't want one of my commanders or any of my members to be involved in blackmailing with questionable means, if you know what I mean since you're a female. Mind if you?" I asked Murphy while still looking out the window.
"Well, obviously I don't do those, or else my mom would've caught me right away." Molly said it in a confident tone.
"Then, mind telling me who this connection of yours is?" Murphy asked once more.
"Well, a secret makes a woman." Molly giggled at her last remark.
"Tsk. As expected. Alright, you can go now." Murphy sighed as Molly walked out of the room. He murmured under his breath. "Why are women so hard to understand and reach?" He then turned the lights off before walking out of the room and going back to his apartment.