Fort Nelson Academy Training Ground, 1530 hours:
Two tanks were traversing across the muddy, dirty road as the result of the rain that happened a few hours ago during class. Jack was standing on the cupola, eyes wandering off to his surroundings, looking for any threats nearby, using the knowledge he had gotten from the officers' lectures from a week ago. He originally wanted to dig in and set up an ambush, but his mind was too exhausted for such things and staying in one place wasn't really his thing.
He had the advantage in armour and a powerful gun; in his last combat training, he and his crew managed to take out everyone with ease, but that was due to everyone fighting for themselves and not fighting together to take out his tank. He was about to fight against a more organised force, though still against much weaker tanks; they were still potent if they knew how to get along and exploit his pretty much slow-moving Churchill heavy tank.
Looking behind him, he saw the Ram that was a part of his team, with Fraser as the commander of said tank watching their backs, forming a rear protective screen for the team as they traversed through the wide, dirty road. It sure was silent, probably due to the other two teams still searching for one another; the training ground they were in was quite big. Probably encompassing a huge part of the school's property.
"This is so boring..." William remarked, his mouth opening wide as he released a yawn.
"God, I cannot feel my legs here... Where are they?!" Asked Finlay in a tired yet angry tone.
"Your whiny voices aren't helping; shut up," said Daniel as he remained seated on the loader's section, more relaxed since he wasn't doing much other than waiting for the gun to fire for him to load.
Still looking at his surroundings, he was also feeling bored by the whole ordeal of searching for the enemy. But so far, he wasn't able to find or hear a single thing. It was like trying to find a needle in a haystack with all the trees and the wet environment. He then went down the cupola to grab a binocular while hearing his friends still bickering and whining.
"You're literally doing nothing; how about we switch positions and you take the wheel instead?" said Finlay with an angry tone.
William released an unintelligible groan, growing frustrated by the lack of activity there was. Jack stared at the ongoing event, releasing a sigh before going back up the cupola once more and grabbing the binocular. Once he reached the top, he used the binoculars to look at the sight far ahead of him, where he saw nothing but trees, bushes, and puddles of water on the dirt road. The fresh scent of decaying leaves, dirt, and trees, and the scent of fumes from his tank's engine. Nothing out of the ordinary.
"Boring, isn't it?" said Fraser through the team's net, commenting on the situation they were in.
"Well, who wouldn't be? We've been on the road for like half an hour already and still no contact or any signs of them," said Samuel.
"Trees are a good noise buffer, even better when it covers a whole area. Wouldn't it be funny if they're behind us the whole time?" Fraser chuckled.
Everyone inside the tank chuckled upon hearing the silly idea from Fraser, including Jack himself. Well, who knew if they were truly behind them, Jack thought. Maybe they should try testing Fraser's theory; who knew if he was correct the whole time.
Jack then leaned the mic to his mouth, "Samuel, tell Fraser we're turning back; tell him also to keep tailing us from behind. Finlay, turn the tank."
"Roger." Both Finlay and Samuel answered in unison.
The Churchill halted as Finlay pulled his leg off the pedals and turned the steering wheel, moving the tank to the opposite 180. One of the tracks moved while the other track remained still as the tank turned before Finlay hit both pedals back, moving the tank forward. Along with that, Samuel began his job of telling the Ram.
"Fraser, we're turning back to where we came from; stay behind us," said Samuel.
"Right, we'll follow from behind."
The Churchill continued on traversing and past the Ram that halted in place, which eventually turned and followed from behind as ordered. Jack took a quick look at the Ram before raising his binoculars back up and staring at the road ahead, and he saw a glimpse of a tank silhouette far ahead. He kept his eyes on it until eventually he could fully recognise it. It was a Ram from the opposing team.
"Stop!" He slammed on the turret's rooftop while ordering through the helmet's mic and ducking down the cupola to the point of only showing his head. "Gunner, tank up ahead, range, uhh.." He tried guessing the range, using his intuition and skill from the hunting club from guessing the range between him and the animal he hunts. "450 meters!"
There was a short moment of silence as there was only the sound of the Churchill's 12-cylinder engine growling idly until William responded back with a confirmation. "Seen!"
"Fire!"
"Firing!"
A thunderous blow echoed through the forest as the 57mm gun erupted, unleashing its blow to the enemy up ahead but soon falling short just in front of the opposing tank.
Within the compartment, the loader, Daniel, swung into action; and immediately he jumped off his seat and opened the chamber, letting a hot, steaming empty shell drop down from inside the chamber to the floor and crouched down in the lower compartment to grab another shell from the munition rack and stood back up. He held the shell in a manner similar to a mother holding a baby and slid it onto the chamber, shoving it in before locking the chamber.
"Up!" His voice echoed through the tank's crew frequency, confirming that the gun has been loaded in with a new shell.
Jack observed the opposing forces ahead of him that were beginning to disperse and began approaching his tank. With some quick thinking and some extra knowledge he got from some random sources he found, he then made yet another order.
"Finlay, tilt this thing a bit to the right till it covers the road." He ordered through the mic. "Hope this works." He muttered to himself.
"But wouldn't that expose the side of the tank?" Finlay questioned.
"Just trust me." He ordered.
"Uhh, Fraser here. Contact up ahead?" Fraser asked.
"Uh, yeah. It seems that we've come into contact with the opposing team. Await for orders." Samuel answered through the PTT, lifting it close to his mouth.
The Churchill slowly began to move once more as Finlay stepped on the left pedal, moving the tank until it then encompassed almost the whole road as it was tilted facing against the opposing force.
"Samuel, tell Fraser to shoot at them while using us as cover." Jack ordered.
"Rog'." Samuel acknowledged before leaning onto the PTT to relay the information.
Standing atop the observation tower were the military attachés from both the Canadian Army, representative of the Canadian government's commitment to the CTF, and the British Army, along with one student from St. Bennet, representative of the CTF or Commonwealth Tankery Federation, sent from Britain, observing the ongoing event that was the battle between Jack McCain's and Isabelle's forces.
Alan and several NCOs and officers from the Canadian Army were having their eyes on the battle, while one NCO in particular, Sergeant Charles Dahortey, was keeping track on multiple radios that were broadcasting transmissions from the three teams.
"Oh, finally, something happens..." said Cathleen as she witnessed the event that was ongoing far below with a naked eye; she was about to walk down from the tower due to a lack of interesting events and the cold wind that was making her shiver despite the thick trench coat she was wearing along with a complimentary pair of gloves.
"Guh, I thought I was just going to watch people digging holes." Alan remarked, still sticking his eyes on his binoculars.
"Speaking of holes..." Cathleen grabbed her binoculars that were hanging around her neck and stuck them onto her eyes, looking in the opposite direction and stared at a particular group of people with one leading short figure each are holding shovels, digging in the middle of a road next to a pile of thin wooden logs scattered near a recently cut area. "I wonder what kind of trick they're trying to pull over there…"
"Some textbook tank ditch trap from the looks of it, I assume." Said Captain Morrison as he kept his eyes on the ongoing battle.
As the sound of cannons erupts in the background, an audible stepping sound was heard slowly approaching from below. The steps grew louder as it slowly approached the top of the observation tower, though the sounds were suppressed due to the wind that was blowing, deafening everyone's ears slightly. Master Corporal Doria was the first to take notice as he was inside the observation tower and felt a slight vibration from below. He looked out of the door to see a feminine figure with blonde hair wearing a light grey trench coat.
"Uhh, hey... sir." The master corporal called the captain.
The captain turned back towards him before looking in the direction he was looking; there he saw a familiar face. "Ah, Mrs. Harlington, glad to see you again. Did Mr. Harlington send you here again?" he asked.
"Good day, Captain. Yes, he sent me here again. So how is it so far?" Maria asked as she finally reached the final step before leaning on the guardrails and looking at the battle that was happening below, her glove-covered hands holding onto the railing. "Quite the battle down there, eh?"
"Who's she?" Alan turned towards Cathleen, asking her in a low tone and tapping on her back.
"Hm?" Cathleen felt the tap and turned to look towards Alan before eventually her eyes laid upon the new guest that had just arrived. She took a closer look at the woman's face, trying to recognise her face. It was until she heard the mention of the name Harlington, which rang a bell. "Oh! Mrs. Harlington!"
Maria turned towards the source of the sound from where her name was called to see a dark-haired woman in a long trench coat. "Ah, Ms. Cathleen! Good to see you again."
Cathleen approached Maria and extended her arm, offering a handshake. "I thought you were in London?" she asked.
Maria extended her arm and accepted her handshake. "Well, uh," she released an awkward chuckle. "Let's say I have other business to do here." She then looked at the other people that were on the tower. Plenty of personnel from the Canadian Army until he noticed one figure who looked much younger than the rest. "And who is he?" she pointed towards Alan.
"Hm?" Cathleen turned in the direction where Maria was pointing. "Ah, I almost forgot. Alan, mind if you?" She waved her hand at him, gesturing it to the place right in front of her.
Alan stared at her and just nodded before walking to the place where she wanted him to stand. Cathleen then tapped his shoulders as she began introducing him to Maria.
"This is Alan; he's from the uhh, Bennet's. One of em' three schools, if you know." She explained. "He's accompanying me on this tour along with some of his mates to help them students' down there who are still green."
"Can you stop touching me like this? I'm not your son." Alan complained, giving her an eye.
"Gee, can't you handle it a bit? Besides, we've been buddies for like a year or two! Anyways, this is Mrs. Maria Harlington; she's from one of the sponsors and the reason why we're here. Say greetings to her."
Alan turned towards Maria and extended his arm towards her. "Good day."
"Good day to you too." Maria extended her arm once more to shake his hand before letting go, her eyebrows furrowed into his face with a look of curiosity. "I feel like I've seen you somewhere…"
"Huh?" Alan looked towards her with a look of confusion.
"Hm?" Cathleen thought for a moment before realising, "Oh! Yes, you've met him before during that one visit of yours in Malaya; it's just that I forgot to introduce him to you."
"Oh, that one visit. Ah, I can't really keep track of the visits I've gone through." Maria released an embarrassed giggle before continuing. "So, what does he do?"
"He helps with things related to combat training and helping the students sharpen their skills. There's no one as experienced and battle-hardened as the three schools in the CTF." Cathleen explained. "He's been touring with me the whole time ever since this year's aid program began."
"Oh, I see." Maria nodded.
"You know… I don't think this school would succeed." Said Cathleen in a sceptical tone.
"Oh, and why's that?" Asked Maria.
"Well…" Cathleen leaned against the railing. "Since there aren't that many tankery teams established in this country, they'll probably automatically be the nation's representative. That means they'll be facing giants like Boston and the other two academies in the continental match, and those two pounders or the 57mm won't do much against the average tanks used here, to my knowledge. The average teams on this whole continent have at least two platoons worth of Shermans, and Boston's got a few battalion's worth and they've been doing tankery as long as we have. Though maybe with some bits of volunteers from the ordinance corps back home if they're free and are willing, they might stand a chance, but no way will they rely forever on them, yeah?
"I'm aware of that." Said Maria in acknowledgement as she looked back towards the battle still ongoing below, her body leaning against the railing. Her eyes wandered off to the green forested landscape below, as if she were looking for something in particular.
"Uhh, excuse me, Mrs. Harlington?" Alan called her out.
Maria looked towards the young man. "Yes?"
"Uhh.." Alan pulled out a small notebook from his pocket, flipping a few pages before looking back face to face. "Do you happen to be related to Alisia Harlington?"
"Hm? Oh! Well, yes. She's my daughter, in fact." Maria answered with a smile.
"Oh, I see. Your last name is similar to hers, so I had to ask. Sorry about that." Said Alan as he avoided eye contact.
"Why do you need to be sorry? There's nothing wrong with that." Maria gave him a smile before getting off the railing, releasing a sigh and looking towards the captain. "So, Captain. How is it so far?"
"They're learning at a somewhat slow pace, but they can get a grasp on the things we've been teaching them. Lieutenant Blais suggests focusing on physical training and disciplining them a bit more." The captain answered before gesturing his hand to Cathleen. "Then, Sergeant Major Smith and her envoy will take over with conducting drills, simulations, and several other skills needed and, if necessary, with our help. The details should already be sent through your email."
"Right." Maria nodded. She looked towards Alan for a moment before turning to Cathleen. "You say that he's also with his friends; where are they now?"
"Well, they're at the place we're staying in, probably lying down on their beds doing nothing and playing with their phones. The internet connection in this town sure is fast considering it's far away from other towns, isn't it?" Said Cathleen.
"Well, uhh.. yeah, it sure is fast." Said Maria in response.
Alan looked at the two as the conversation went on, taking short glimpses at Maria but immediately looking away and looking back towards the ongoing battle that was happening below. Gunflashes and explosive sounds echo throughout the forest, his eyes glowing every time a flash from the cannons from below erupts. Though the sound was incredibly loud, it was not damaging to his eardrums or others. The scene was just another day in the office, a norm for him who has been travelling across the world, with the exception that it was less cold.
Still ongoing for several minutes, the Churchill was positioned in an angled position, exposing some parts of its left body while the Ram accompanying it hid behind it. Its turret was hidden behind the Churchill's turret before the hull of the tank moved forward, exposing the turret and firing off its 2-pounder gun and moving back into cover. A few shells landed from the opposing force's 2-pounder and 37mm guns, landing mostly on the sides but ricocheting to the ground due to the angled, thick surface.
"Firing!" William pulled on the trigger, causing a chain reaction within the chamber of the 57mm gun as it sparked the shell, spewing out yet another shot towards a Stuart that was standing perfectly still on the road. The shot flew across the dirt road before eventually scoring a direct hit on the centre mass. It was knocked back and a white flag popped out as a result.
Then, a loud clang was heard as an empty steaming shell dropped down to the floor as Daniel began the procedure of reloading the gun, opening the chamber and letting the empty shell out, ducking down and grabbing a new shell, and proceeding to load it into the chamber before locking it.
"Target destroyed; now engage that Ram on the left side." Jack ordered as he observed through the cupola port before releasing a sigh of relief. Finally, a hit after an eternity and wasting probably a bajillion shells trying to adjust the gun to land a hit on the Stuart. He then ordered his driver. "Alright, Finlay. Tilt this thing back forward; we're moving."
"Up!" Daniel shouted through the crew's net, confirming that the gun had been reloaded.
"On it." Finlay pushed on both pedals and moved the tank a few meters forward until the Ram was no longer behind. He then moved the steer to the left, pushing his leg on the left pedal and moving the tank back to the left and straight on the road. Afterwards, he pushed on both pedals and moved the tank forward. "God- I want to get out already. I can't feel my butt or legs anymore.."
"Maybe you should consider changing to indoor clubs; I heard they offer some warm water refills and heaters." Daniel teased as he wiped the sweat dripping down his forehead that was quickly becoming cold due to the changing temperature.
"Shut up!" Finlay replied in an annoyed tone.
"Can you two shut up? This isn't over yet." Jack scolded as he continued observing through the cupola port before moving to the periscope to get a better view of the situation outside. There he saw the two tanks turning their tracks to their rear and dusting off piles of dirt and mud into the air as they pushed on the gas and left the area. "Samuel, tell Fraser we're pursuing them. Tell him also to stay in formation with us."
"On it." Samuel replied in a calm tone through the mic, feeling that the end was near and that everything was about to be over. He then grabbed the PTT and leaned it towards him. "Fraser, Samuel here. We're after them. Maintain formation with us."
"Wilco." Fraser replied.
As the Churchill continued traversing through the dirt road, the Ram that was behind it had yet to move. It soon tilted a few degrees until it was aligned on the road and went full throttle, slowing down as it was driving on the Churchill's echelon. Moving slowly due to the Churchill's low speed, obviously because it was an infantry tank, they soon lose visual contact with the two remaining rams as it finally went past the knocked-out Stuart with a shell stuck on the mass centre.
"Damn, we lost them." Jack cursed as he leaned away from the periscope and wiped his eye with his hand. He then leaned back to the periscope, looking back at the road where he saw nothing but trees and bushes in the surroundings and puddles of water on the road and the track marks left by the fleeing rams earlier.
Following along the path they went from earlier and in pursuit of the fleeing enemy tanks, they eventually reached a T-junction where he saw two paths; the one on the right had seven track marks, while the one on the left only had one track mark. With no hesitation, Jack deducted that they probably came from the same road they came from and split up into two either out of panic or because they wanted to separate them.
A thought entered his mind about whether he should split up with his teammate to chase the other Ram. Splitting would be beneficial as they could take out both tanks at once, but they could be setting up an ambush somewhere along the road. Though still they'll spot the tank through the tracks they left, he remembered the lessons taught from the lectures a week ago from the captain that whoever initiates combat first usually comes out on top, and the ambushing party definitely has the upper edge had they come into contact with their targets of interest.
"Take the left path." He ordered as he made up his mind, not ordering his teammate to split up the other way.
"On it." Finlay acknowledged before moving the steer to the left, moving the tank to the left path as was ordered.
All was silent aside from the sound of the engines growling as the Churchill, accompanied by the Ram, wandered further into the arena, into paths they probably hadn't gone through. Adrenaline was still within the veins of the crews within the Churchill; as though their tank was made to tank shots and definitely would against 2-pounder and 37mm guns upfront, they still almost felt that they were about to be knocked out anytime soon.
Hundreds of meters in and a couple of minutes in, Jack saw a glimpse of what seemed to be a tank coming straight at him, a Ram, probably from the force he encountered before or from the other team he has yet to encounter. It's hard to distinguish due to the lack of markings on every tank to know who belongs to whom.
"Driver, Halt! Gunner, tank ahead!" He yelled over the net.
The large, heavy tank came to halt and the growling engine ceased before going idle. The turret swivelled around as it was yet fixed forward from the earlier engagement by William with the control lever. Once the aforementioned Ram was seen on the gunner optic, he yelled out a confirmation.
"Seen!"
"Fire!"
"Firing!" William pressed on the trigger, causing the gun to yet again spew out another shot at the incoming Ram. The shot flew through the cold air over the muddy terrain before falling short in front of it.
Daniel swung back into action as he repeated the process of reloading the gun, getting faster and more efficient, first opening the chamber, letting it slip out and letting gravity do most of the work before ducking down to the storage below to grab another fresh shell. He then went back up and loaded in the new shell and locked it before yelling in confirmation. "Up!"
"Gunner, Uhh… long 3 degrees. Fire when ready." Jack ordered, At that moment, he was just guessing the appropriate angle for the gun until it was aligned.
William began adjusting the gun using the control lever, taking into account how close the tank was and the direction it was in, moving it a few degrees up as suggested and just following orders. Once he felt the gun was aligned at the target, he pulled on the trigger. "Firing!"
Another shell was released to the muddy dirt road, flying across the same cold air of September. It was afloat for a few seconds, and it seemed like it was about to hit the Ram when suddenly the ground below it fell down under the heavy weight of the tank. Despite that, the shell still struck, hitting somewhere in the turret ring and a white flag popped out as a result.
"What?" Said Jack with a confused look as he observed through the periscope.
The crew looked towards the partially sunken tank that had dove into what seemed to be a hole.
"What just happened?" Finlay questioned with a shocked tone over the net. "Did that thing just sink down?"
"What's happening out there?" asked Daniel with a confused tone, not knowing what was happening outside since he's just a loader.
"They just dove down to a big pothole, I think," William suggested.
"What just happened over there? I just saw a tank diving down to a pit." Said Fraser over the team's net.
What had really just happened? Jack asked himself. There being a pothole in a dirtroad seems odd considering the soil's liquifying; the tank should've been stuck in place due to the mud instead of diving nose first. But then he looked towards the surroundings; on the side of the road, there were mountains of what seemed to be recently excavated dirt and mud. The whole ordeal seems suspicious.
No time for him to think as suddenly the sound of a cannon firing followed by metal clashing was heard from outside the tank. Jack immediately leaned away from the periscope and went towards the cupola port and the direction the sound came from. There, he saw Fraser's tank, a Ram with its rear smoking and a white flag waving on the turret. But not only that, just tens of meters away he saw another Stuart blocking half the road and with its turret aiming down its 37mm cannon at the Ram. His eyes widened in shock and immediately he ordered his driver.
"Get this thing moving, now!"
"What?" asked Finlay in confusion, wondering what was happening. His question was soon answered as a shot impacted the tank from the rear, and only after that he immediately pushed both legs on the pedals, moving the tank forward once more.
"There's a Stuart on our rear!" Jack barked out his order.
A mechanical humming sound was heard as Samuel immediately swivelled the gun with the control lever as ordered. Adrenaline was still kicking within him; he felt tense as they could be hit any second; every second he wasted his time would end up with the tank being knocked out even though they weren't at any risk of being dead.
In the middle of the process of swivelling the gun, when the gun was still pointing towards the forest on the side of the road, Samuel saw the shape of a Ram aiming its 2-pounder gun towards them. His eyes went wide and panicked and he frantically announced the presence of the tank. "There's a ram on our side!"
He stopped moving the gun and instead focused on the Ram, and as the gun was about to align with the optic's crosshair, all of a sudden the tank dove down, causing everyone to be shaken and hit by the instruments in front of them, including Samuel himself but he accidentally pulled the trigger due to the instinct of holding tight into something when he felt like he was floating for a moment, letting the gun spew out a shot into the air as it fell and almost hitting the observation tower.
From the outside, two Rams appeared out of the side of the road, from the thick forest and bushes, joining the Stuart. The three tanks aimed their guns down at the rear part of the fallen heavy tank, and in unison they fired at once, hitting the engine. Three shots penetrated from behind, penetrating deep within into the engine, tearing it apart, followed by a white flag popping out.
The cupola hatch opened, revealing Jack from inside, grasping his hand on the surface of the turret's roof while trying to balance himself on the partially sunken tank that had just fallen into what seemed to be a pothole that never existed or had never been seen before. He looked over to the three tanks behind, still with their guns aimed down at his already knocked-out tank. He released a groan and suddenly moved his hand to his eyes, still feeling the pain from suddenly pressing too hard onto the periscope as the result of falling into the mysterious hole.
He looked around to see the result of the battle that had just happened from the Ram that his crew had just knocked out and was also partially sunken down and looked back to the rear at his teammate's tank, another Ram, and then the three tanks. He thought everything was over when he saw a tank in the distance, a Ram a few hundred meters from the three tanks coming to a halt and after a few seconds it fired off a shot, hitting the Stuart that was still blocking half the road at its weak side armour, knocking it out and causing a white flag to pop out.
The two Rams remained oblivious to what had just happened to the Stuart, but before they could even react, the Ram fired off another shot at one of the Rams, knocking it out instantly with the shot from the rear and at the engine and causing yet another white flag to pop out.
"What the-" Jack stared in shock; in less than a few seconds, the Ram managed to fire off another shot and accurately also.
Eventually the Ram from the team that had just knocked out his tank began turning its turret 180 to the recently arrived Ram from behind. But within just seconds it fired another shot, hitting the Ram in the engine, knocking it out and causing a white flag to emerge. Seconds went by as it was the only tank left standing, and a voice suddenly emerged from the radio in the radio compartment.
"One Ram from team three is out; team three is out. Team two wins. All teams await in your tanks; a recovery team will soon arrive."
Upon hearing the broadcast, Jack just released a heavy sigh. Feeling relieved but also disappointed that he didn't win but also surprised by the outcome. The Ram from earlier that split up had managed to come out on top in the end.
1559 hours:
Grey clouds were still covering the sky, but people could tell, besides from looking at the clock, that the sun was setting with the sky getting dim by the hour; activity had almost ceased in the school except for those in the tankery club. Recovery trucks were seen loading the knocked-out tanks into a cargo platform where they would be sent off to a repair shop recently established somewhere in the town. Meanwhile, the students were seen scattered inside the old, big garage. Many were drenched in cold sweat as the result of the cold wind blowing; some were covered in mud, including Miyuki, Anoki, and of course Alisia.
"That was fun." Anoki remarked.
"Yeah, if only it doesn't involve digging holes... a huge one…" Miyuki looked into her hands, stained by mud and looking rougher from the hard labour of digging a hole using shovels. She then released a sigh, feeling exhausted by the whole event that had just happened. She then looked outside to see Alisia walking outside the garage, wandering off as if she was looking for something or someone. "I wonder what she's looking for..."
"Alright, everyone. Gather up." Captain Blais clasped his hands together, calling every student in the garage. Soon enough, the students began to gather up to the centre; many were tired and some had their eyes closed. Then, as everyone had gathered, he continued. "So, it was quite a match. I know some of you are tired, but just hang on a second; after this you'll be able to go home. So, this was faster than I thought it would be. I thought it would've lasted until night like last time, but uhh. There are a couple of improvements you all have made in this training. First of all, you all are able to work as a team excellently. Second, some of you have been able to execute a decent ambush and create a perfect hidden tank ditch using nothing but shovels and some resources around you. Shout out to Alisia, who came up with the idea."
Everyone's attention was turned towards the short girl, and claps emerged as they clapped for her, which lasted for a few seconds. Alisia's face turned slightly red from the amount of claps and praises, feeling slightly overwhelmed. Then, as the claps subside, the captain continues.
"But besides that, some of you guys, especially those from team one, have been able to exploit and use their assets well and know how to use the heavy tank in the wargame along with coordinating with each other and helping one another. Shout out to Jack for keeping the team together despite being outnumbered."
Everyone's attention was turned towards Jack; claps emerged as they clapped for him and some of his friends congratulated him including Fraser. It lasted for a few seconds before eventually subsiding. The captain continued.
"Lastly, team two. I must say, your team has the most guts for facing a heavy tank head-on. But I must say your team is the least coordinated and reckless. There were a couple of opportunities for your team to execute a pincer with your numbers and speed to surround team one. Your team also breaks away the moment your commander gets taken out."
Silence filled the room for a moment as some of the students looked at those from team two, creating an uncomfortable situation. But then the captain continued.
"But their team is so far the most precise and accurate when it comes to shooting; they score more hits than others, though failing to knock them out. Even at a long range, it took team one a couple of adjusting shots just to hit them. Unexpectedly, they also managed to come out on top against all odds, so shout out to them."
Claps emerged from the rest, congratulating them, which lasted for a few seconds before ceasing. The captain continued.
"But there are plenty of other things that all of you lack. During our observation, we noticed the lack of awareness from all of you and the lack of initiative from the commanders to look out for threats in their surroundings, which resulted in what was going to be team three's victory ending in team two taking the win instead." He paused for a moment before continuing. "Now I know, exposing yourself out would increase the chances of getting hit and end up with you injured, or worse. It's a lot more comfy just sitting inside your tank and looking out through the cupola port or a periscope if your tank has one. But sometimes you have to take risks and look out for whatever's out there; those periscopes or ports could crack at any time so you cannot rely on them all the time. But I think that's all for today. We'll continue our training tomorrow, but I won't be present since I have other things to do."
The captain then looked around the room, looking for a particular person, whom he did not find. "Now where is he… Oh well. Well, Lieutenant Blais will take over tomorrow's training. Now that is all for today. Any questions?"
Hearing the lieutenant's name sent shivers down every student's spine; his presence and his first impression from the first day made everyone uncomfortable and distance themselves away from him. Then, a hand was raised by Isabelle. The captain's eye turned towards her.
"Yes, Mrs. Lambert?" He called. Everyone's attention was turned towards her as she was about to speak up.
"Is the whole shooting and barking thing at us really necessary?" She asked, in a tired yet still polite tone.
"Well, if you have any complaints regarding the method we use, of which I don't really pay much attention to due to the limits being quite blurry and vague, you could complain to your school president or the headmaster for that. We will make any adjustments if needed." Said the captain before asking once more. "Right, anymore questions?"
Silence filled the room once more; some eyes were towards the master corporal that barged in and introduced himself with a bang. The master jack's eye was eyeing the students like an eagle, as if looking for prey. His eyes stared into the students' eyes, scaring the students that were glancing at him away.
"No? Well." The captain turned towards Cathleen, who was standing some distance away. "Sergeant Major, do you have anything to say about them?" Asked the captain.
"Oh, well. I do actually!" She then walked closer to the students. "Right, today's training, while not as good as the captain and some others expect, is an improvement from the last. You chaps have learnt a few things back there and I'm proud of that! Tomorrow we'll do things a lot more differently. There'll be some classes, but if it goes well, we'll move on with a combat scenario with some boys from Bennet's! I wanted to introduce the commander that'll face you tomorrow if it were to happen but sadly, he had returned back to take some rest. But that is all; back to you, captain."
"Right, I guess that is all for today. Now you're all dismissed."
Once he dismissed everyone, he and his subordinates left the garage, and the students were seen leaving also.
"Finally… I was planning on taking a shower but the school's bathroom already closed at this point." Said Miyuki before looking to her right towards Alisia. "So, do you want to go home together- Eh?"
Alisia was already gone and was seen walking out of the garage, his head spinning around looking for something for someone. Miyuki looked at her with a look of confusion and some bits of concern. She then called her out. "Oi, Alisia!"
Alisia turned towards Miyuki once her name was called, but immediately she turned around and returned to her search mode, which made Miyuki even more concerned. Then, she felt something odd, as if someone was staring at her. She looked to her right to see Jack glancing at her with a poker face before turning away.
"Hey, Miyuki." Anoki approached her from her right side, at which Miyuki turned towards her upon being called.
"Hm?"
"Want to go home together?" Anoki offered.
Miyuki nodded, "Sure, let's walk with Alisia too."
"Sure." Anoki agreed and both of them walked up towards Alisia, who was still wandering off outside the garage.
The sun, at that point, could be seen on the horizon as it sank, creating a vibrant orange hue in the sky as activity began to cease in the school complex. There was only one Ram inside the garage, as it was the only tank not hit during the combat simulation. Janitors were seen around the school cleaning and wiping spots that were stained during school hours. Just outside the garage, trucks carrying the damaged tanks were beginning to drive out of the area and out through a separate gate on the other side of the school.
The wind added misery to those who were walking home, and worse for those who had dug over mud earlier. But then suddenly, rain started showering over the town, adding even more misery to the already cold, exhausted, and dirtied students.