Girls und Panzer: Battle Europa (IC, Closed)

[Wolfenium]

-Wotjek-

"That's good to hear," Astlik radioed back, turning back to Iveta on the news, "that's one standing by."

"Yeah," yelped the Iveta, "one out of uhh... how many teams are preparing?..."

Giving the hapless leader a long, disapproving stare, the crew did not seem all that pleased at her lack of heed to their numbers. Sighing, Kirke went, "we have thirteen teams in total, including our own. Van Hoek is bringing in the SU-76i later, so that makes fourteen, I guess."

"Iveta, how long are we supposed to wait," Avelina questioned, "are they lost?"

"Don't worry about it," Iveta urged on, unrelenting in her optimism, I'm sure they'll find their way. I mean, how big can this place be?"

-oh no is stuck!-

“Iveta, umm, me and my girls have run into a problem," Tatiana radioed in, "we just got stuck into the ditch between the hills. We need some help. Can you send someone over to help us please?”

Almost instantly, the orange-head's enthusiasm evaporated as the hapless girl gave an awkward chuckle. From Avelina and Kirke's piercing stares, it was apparent she had rushed into a match without expecting some basic expertise. Relenting, she muttered into her speaker, "roger. We're on our way. Sorry, Wotjek Team. Do you mind helping them out too? At this rate, we should just stick to driving training..."

With that, the girls were on their way to rescue their hapless clubmates, the nervous redhead trying to take the lumbering giant down from their position.

Eventually, the Prussian girls apart from the drivers exited their respective tanks and began discussed each other how to unstuck the Russians’ tank. Once they settled it, altogether they tied the ropes in connecting both the Pershing tank and the Central Asians’ ISU-122S. Their idea is to pull the Pershing tank back on ground with the ISU-122S acting as a tow truck.

“Okay, start your engines! 1! 2! 3! GO!” the Kazakh girl signalled.

With Aliya’s cue, Gulnara and the Serova twins ignited their tanks’ engines.

“Heave ho! Heave ho!” The girls began pulling up the ropes with all their might, yelling out like a mantra. Despite their best efforts, the Pershing doesn’t look like it’s moving an inch. It seemed the girls need more help.

Arriving at the site, it was apparent how bad the situation had become. The Pershing was a heavy hulk, and at the rate they were going, Iveta would have to cancel the match. Buttoning her lips, she quickly approached the others as she asked, "sorry we took so long. We were trying not to bog down our tank... You need another tow vehicle? Maybe we could help out."

It did not seem like their match was going to happen. To Kirke's relief, perhaps, it was probably for the best, given their laughable lack of training at the moment.

---

Garage
Meanwhile

Staring at the skies above as she laid on top of the SU-76i, Emma appeared to be anticipating a grand arrival, her legs kicking a bit as the clouds drifted above. As the others made their leave, the radio cracked to life over the situation at the park. Iveta's disappointment, unsurprisingly, was written all over her voice over the bog-down. Failing to stifle a giggle, Emma could only imagine the scene.

"Your new best friend won't be happy to hear that," Emma mused, "well, I guess it's for the best. The club needs proper training, and rushing into a match like that isn't going to be of much help. Isn't that right, Milla?"

Rolling her head over the side, she spotted the dark-haired Serb glaring at her, a bit apprehensive at her teasing grin. Crossing her arms, she questioned, "is this why you called me on board? You know I'm not interested in tankery."

"Well, neither am I," Emma admitted, "but that's why I let Iveta go on her way. Who knows?... Maybe we can revive our own club like this. With enough members..."

"It's only been a year," Milla stated, "Rauschen is in no danger of closing down, and you know that."

"Maybe," Emma mused, "but at this rate, it might. With everyone moving to the cities, small towns like ours is going vanish quite soon, swallowed up by the behemoth that is Königsberg¹. Even Plov² is growing quite huge. Very soon, even our school ship might belong to a city school..."

"Emma..." Milla responded, a hint of bitterness in her tongue, "you know we can't really do much, right? We tried before, with that other method. It didn't work too well. Why come back anyway?"

Smiling at the unhappy Serb, the blonde replied with a sincere smile, "because I love this town... You and Henna included. I don't belong in Pretoria, or anywhere else. This town... is where I want to live my life. With your little diving shop, and Henna's small ferries. I wouldn't ask for anything else..."

Despite her heritage, Emma had known little to nothing about South Africa. The birthplace of her father before the end of apartheid, South Africa and the culture of her Afrikaner ancestors seemed alien to her, and bordering on sectarian at times. Wherever she went, the glittering cities of the First World were nothing more than stopovers, almost tiring to live in. It was only here, in a small resort town where she felt most at home, where everyone would mock each other's accents with equal regard, when everyone sounded just as silly.

"You think too big," Milla stated, "who do you think you are?... Even Noykhausen³ is being swallowed up by the capital, and it's a city-"

"Shhh..." Emma quickly hushed her, acting like a meditating monk as she interrupted, "do you hear that?..."

It was the rumbling on a tank engine, headed right for them.

-snip-

Sitting up as she observed the Elefant chugging in, Emma could not help but form an eager smile. Milla, as usual, did not seem so happy, still discomforted by Emma's intentions for the tankery club. As the blonde clamoured to her feet atop the SU-76i, she could see a hand waving at her from the Elefant. As late as the newcomers were, it was nothing compared to the situation at the park.

"Hallo! Welkom by die Sensha-do klub," she announced gleefully in Afrikaans, swapping back to English as she opened her arms to welcome them, "if you're looking for the others, they're at the park, but it seems one of the tanks broke down. Maybe we should wait a bit in case they call off the match. I'm Emma van Hoek! Call me Emma~! And you girls are~?"

OOC Notes:

1. Real life Kaliningrad
2. Real life Baltiysk. Plov is the Russian translation for Baltiysk's old name, Pillau, and used in official Russian-language documents.
3. Real life Guryevsk. Noykhausen is the Russian translation of its old name, Neuhausen.

[Ormata]

Garage, Rauschen Girls High School
Phobos Team

"Hallo! Welkom by die Sensha-do klub," she announced gleefully in Afrikaans, swapping back to English as she opened her arms to welcome them, "if you're looking for the others, they're at the park, but it seems one of the tanks broke down. Maybe we should wait a bit in case they call off the match. I'm Emma van Hoek! Call me Emma~! And you girls are~?"

Maya looked at girl, eyes a bit wider. She was, for one thing, a very young looking lady; perhaps she was 16, 17. She looked younger than she was, if anything, with dainty little hair. The tank that this Emma was on was an SU, a 76 that was, most likely, an i, judging from the short and smaller cannon. Another was there, with blue hair, a bow, and a little oval-shaped face.

“Maya. Pleased to meet you.” Her New York accent, however deluded, was still permissible. She slightly cocked her head, a bit amused by this person’s glee, despite the lack of much going on everywhere else. The girl’s South African accent was quite clear, though Maya thought it to be, perhaps, mild Australian or New Zealander. All of the Commonwealth had such similar accents, even if the Aussies always went up like they were asking a question.

However, this bad news bode, well...badly, if one were to be entirely honest. The rest of them at the park...well, that was a bit rude. The fact that one of the tanks had already broken down spoke volumes of the quality of the repairs, and Maya genuinely thought that it was possible they would call the match off. It had all seems to be a haphazard affair, and Maya was under no impression that the rest had great training. She and hers had, at the very least, a lot of practice, and for that Maya felt a bit sorry for them.

“Vionaika,” said the most short of the Elefant girls, standing up from her seat in the tank’s hull and making her way off of it. This was a bit more intensive than one might think, as the tank was nearly three meters high. It was, perhaps, an amusing thing; they were almost a whole meter taller than the SU. “Vionaika Beatrisa Lindo, at your service. Well, possibly. Don’t know if I’m going to be shooting at you guys.”

From the interior of the tank, however, the music had stopped. Two heads, simultaneously, poked-out of a single hatch. The first of these had rather short, brown hair, level with her brow, and cheeks dirty with grease. The second was a bit better kept, with longer brown hair. “Oh, people!” said the first, and immediately began to untangle herself from the interior of the engine, despite there being an elbow where her friend’s face had been. ’Ow!’ could be easily heard, as they got out, one after the other.

The two of them introduced themselves as Silvia and Franziska, and then one,Silvia, turned to Maya. “Der Motor ist überhitzt! Ich denke, dass etwas mit dem Stück Scheiße falsch ist. Ich meine, es sein muss. Ich denke, es ist etwas falsch mit den Luftkühlern, oder was auch immer Sie sie nennen.” She spoke in the traditional manner of those talking in their own language; that is to say, she spoke extremely fast. Maya, in turn, frowned at this explosion of German, and said, “Nun, gehen überprüfen Sie es dann.” ‘Well, go check it then’ seemed to be the cure-all for any maladies Silvia could concoct, and she immediately went to the aft of the vehicle, to check on it all. Franzi stayed, curious on the other people.

Maya turned to the others, asking, “Well, what, might I ask, are you girls doing here, then? Late like us?”

[Sonitusia]

"Right then, who's up for some Armored Car hunting?"

M38 Wolfhound
The exhaust sputtered louder than usual, but Theodora quieted it down as the engine was shut off. Fauna pulled her skirt off, finally feeling the freedom of her legs as she climbed out of the hatch. Steadying herself, she then stood on the turret with a scope in her hand, peering through and watching her surroundings in case she could get the jump on something before they themselves were crushed. But being in the treeline still, there wasn't much she could notice, save for the telltale diesel trail of a Russian engine that had climbed the middle hill and shut itself off.

"This is, uh, Wolfhound, si, Wolfhound. Ready to fight," Luisa called out into the radio as everyone settled in one last time.

Type 97 Shinhoto Chi-Ha
"Ma'am," Hermione spoke up, "Did you get the memo that an Elephant is in the fight?"

Slightly surprised, Fatimah shook her head as she opened the cover to her book, and began to swipe through the pages. After a few moments, she found the self-propelled gun showing off its huge gun.

"Well, we'll just work with what we have as usual," Fatimah said after scanning for a minute, smiling to the girls in the turret before closing the book.

[Wolfenium]

"This is, uh, Wolfhound, si, Wolfhound. Ready to fight," Luisa called out into the radio as everyone settled in one last time.

"We got you, uhh..." Astlik radioed back, peering out of the cupola as Iveta tried to settle the grounded Pershing, "we'll get back to you once we pull out the Pershing."

In all honesty, she was not sure how much hope they had of having the match in this state. Most of them had zero experience in tankery, and it was showing right now. She herself was not sure whether to hope for an end to the day or a rather thrill-infested fight. Perhaps, she admitted, she was hoping for a match anyway, just to see how it goes.

---

Maya turned to the others, asking, “Well, what, might I ask, are you girls doing here, then? Late like us?”

"Umm, well," Milla blurted, feeling a bit nervous, "I'm not here for-"

"Not really," Emma quickly cut in, hopping down beside Milla as she wrapped her arms over the Serb's shoulders from behind, "we're waiting for a special guest before we join the others the park for the practice match. I figured that the club could use some help, as a newcomer to Tankery, so I called in an expert to help them. Oh," she teased, playing at Milla's mouth as if trying to vocalize some words, "this is Milla Aračić. Say hi to the nice people, Milla."

"Geh off mi, Emmah," Milla cursed the joker, prying her hands off her mouth, "I apologize if there's any misunderstanding, but I'm not joining. I've only been called in because Emma said she wanted to see me."

"Aww..." Emma swooned, "but we could really use your help, Milla."

"Ask someone else," griped the Serb, "I don't have to take this."

Sighing at the friend's refusal, Emma relented with disappointment, "I thought you would say that... Selene~!"

In a sudden flip of the tank hatch, a dark-haired girl with a lopsided bun climbed out of the cupola as she leapt onto the shocked Serb. Her shadow looming over Milla, she yelled at the top of her lungs, "Unholy Bind!" Before they knew it, they were on the ground in a loud thud, with Milla trying to force back the crazed Selene. Her arms locked around Milla's neck, the delusional girl corrected Emma, "it's Coyolxauhqui!"

"You have to forgive Selene," Emma explained to the newcomers, "she's quite a character. In fact, everyone is, in a way. Not that this should deter you."

"Oh," she quickly chimed, turning to the skies as a low groan in the air began to ring, "she's here~."

"Who," blurted Milla, still pinned on the ground with Selene as they peered into the blue skies. As it turned out, Emma's guest was right on its way, and far from the usual visitor.

Now Playing: Preußens Gloria by Johann Gottfried Piefke

Soaring from the horizon, a distant Ilyushin Il-76 was headed straight for them. Emblazoned with the roundel of a black cross overlapping a white one on a blue background, the Prussian transport plane was slowly descending on the carpark, ready to release its load. Rolling out from its ramp at a back, a small, dark grey IFV was airdropped right down the asphalt of the carpark, skidding dangerously close to the parked cars as it came close to colliding. Fortunately, the airdropped IFV skidded to a halt right in front of the headmaster's car.

"ふあ..." Emma sighed in relief, "that was close~."

Sadly, the IFV chugged to life unexpectedly, reversing into a motorbike as the unwitting debris was crushed under its treads. Gaping at the destruction, Emma's usual joking smile evaporated in an instant, a shocked look on her face as she exchanged startled glares with her peers. As the IFV finally drove out, the trio could only gaze at the wreck. Narrowing her eyes, Selene questioned nervously, "isn't that the stationery store guy's bike?"

---

Meanwhile
School Supplies Store, Rauschen High School

"あああああああああー," screamed a spiky-haired store manager in pain, falling to his knees dramatically as he clutched his heart in agony. As his shocked staff crowded around him in panic, they had little idea what had caused such systemic pain. Frightened, a female staffer screamed, "boss! Are you alright! Do you need help!?"

"No... I'm fine," the 'wounded' manager affirmed, holding his hand up to stop them, "I just felt... a part of my soul crushed... A disturbance."

---

"T-This is bad," Selene blurted awkwardly, growing distraught at the property damage.

"What is that," grunted Milla, "a modern tank? No... an APC?"

"Ah, she's coming out," Emma mused, spotting the hatch on the turret opening. Emma's guest, as it turned out, was a military woman, a head of orange showing up as she climbed out of the turret.

"The BMD-3O, 'O' for upgrade in Russian," the guest announced, a short, seemingly young girl of small stature dressed in a marine uniform as she hopped down from the IFV, "nicknamed 'Halbbruder' after a rank in the Teutonic Order, this baby packs a 30mm Mk44 Bushmaster II autocannon, and a 100mm rifled cannon capable of firing a Djerid anti-tank missile - the latter two credits to Machabeli (Industries)'s tireless efforts to rip off Russian tank designs. Not that I'd call it a rip off. We're hardly on a shoestring budget to have to make do with Soviet hand-me-downs."

"Ahhhh..." Selene blurted, the terminology flying over her head in confusion, "and you are?"

"Oh, yea, of course," went the instructor with a grin, "my name is..."

"What on earth has happened here!?"

Storming into the scene, the uptight Henna appeared irate, her arms clenched into fists as she confronted Emma. Frustrated, she snapped, "what the hell are you thinking!? What just landed at the carpark!? Who did you call!? Do you honestly want to get us all expelled!?"

"Relax," squealed Emma, tapping an 'ok' handsign off her temple, "I got permission for a special guest to come and supervise Iveta and the others. I'm sure you'll be eager to meet her too~! She came all the way from Königsberg to see us. Isn't that right, Miss Zisel?"

"Zisel," blurted the commander, pausing for a moment before yelling in an appalled tone, "wait! I'm not Zisel! I-"

"You can't fool me, Emma," griped Henna with disapproval, pointing straight at the startled marine, "I can tell a fake a mile away. You think I can't tell? That's Zisel's sister! Not Zisel! Besides which... Ohmygod, you're that body double, aren't you," she quickly broke down into excitement, clutching the unnerved commander's hand, "must be tough keeping the fanboys off μ's' back... I read all about you! Starshina (Petty Officer), 1st Class, 336th Marine Brigade, Krav Maga expert... Can you get your sister to sign an autograph for mine? Her friend would like one too! Maybe the entire group, if possible. I wouldn't mind just Zisel's, but she's not exactly my favourite..."

"Uh, ah..." the hapless sergeant could only err, "you're the first person not to call me 'Zisel' at first sight... I got a call from a Miss Hoek for a tankery instruction course. Any idea where she is?"

Buttoning her lips a bit at the query, Henna merely gave a grim glare at Emma, stating, "she's right there, the blonde with the hair loop."

A cheeky smile on her face as she tilted her head, Emma coyly addressed, "welcome to Rauschen, Sergeant Kaufmann. I'm Emma, Tankery Club liaison. This is Milla, Selene, and our student council president, Henna. Oh, and those are the latecomers we'll be bringing to the park," she pointed out Maya and her crew, "say hello, latecomers~! Ow!"

Stepping out to plant a karate chop on her head, Milla quickly retracted, "I apologize for the confusion, Sergeant. We don't really have a Tankery Club. Not officially. The leader, Iveta, is out at the park on a practice match with most of the teams already. You are..."

Grinning from end to end, the instructor declared, "it's ok. We'll catch up soon enough. Starshina, 1st Class, Astrid Kaufmann, Prussian Naval Marine. I suspect at least one of you knows my younger sister, Zisel..." she mused, peering at Henna, "pleased to meet your acquaintance, everyone."

For most of the Tankery girls, the barrage of terminology appeared too much for a regular person to handle. Neither Milla or Selene knew exactly what was happening, besides the fact that Emma called in a tankery instructor behind Henna's back. But Emma had reason to pick her, a naval armour commander, over army ones. Henna's fangirling said as much - and Emma was eager to exploit that to get Iveta and the club some much-needed help.

[Ormata]

Garage, Rauschen Girls High School
Phobos Team

Maya listened to this madness, as they talked of a special guest. Presumably, said guest would be someone of adequate stature, though hopefully not someone who would ask for money. She had always found instructors who asked for money, and who were asking such to those who had little of it, were often pompous people, or people who had little in way of experience for that thing they were expected to lecture and teach on.

When the aircraft came-in, she expected it to fly-over. However, there was that quick realization that it was too low to be flying to an airport, however far-off, and was characteristically slowing-down. It also had the ramp in the back open. An Airdrop, thought Maya to herself, as she watched the APC glide ungracefully out of the end and bounce along the ground. Visibly she winced as it came close to the car, and winced a second time as it crumpled the motorbike.

Then the commander came out, and it was all quite awkward. Maya and the others did not know exactly what to do, though Lisanne looked and and crinkled her eyes, observing the Petty Officer. As Astrid introduced herself, Lisanne yelled out, “Lisanne Ulkeman, pleased to meet you, cutie!” She then immediately smiled, blowing a kiss.

“Verdammt, Lisanne,” scolded Franzi, tsking at the girl in the tank, who promptly stuck her tongue out at the loader. Franzi feigned not noticing. Maya merely raised an amused eyebrow at the two, before dismounting her vehicle. The smell of petrol wafted through the air, and Maya wrinkled her nose at this. Silvia peeked-out from about the corner, her face and hands now covered in some more grease, as she raised up a piece of tinderwood, saying, “Fand die Ausgabe!” with a good amount of triumph. The Commander smiled at this, as Silvia went back, closing-up the engine.

Maya approached the knot of people, smiling as she held-out her hand for the Starshina to shake. “Maya Bailey, Commander of Sd. Kfz. 184 ‘Suusje’.” Throwing a hand over her shoulder and pointing vaguely with her thumb, she introduced the others. “Short one is Vionaika, gunner, Lisanne you know, driver, Franziska, in front, and Silvia, on the engine, are my loaders, and Mia, my Radio-operator, is in the tank.” She nodded vaguely, saying, “Pleased to meet you.”

Vionaika, meanwhile, to her credit stayed calm during this small insult of a small person. She merely stomped her feet somewhat, and kept by the tank. Lisanne leaned, yawning somewhat and keeping her eye on everyone, and Franzi approached the crowd as well. She introduced herself a bit better, though meekly, adjusting her glasses throughout.

“So, onwards to the practice grounds, or…?” Mentioned Maya, inquisitively. She wanted to get her crew squared-off, as it were, and shake-off all the meekness that had developed since their last match. They’d gotten meek; she wanted to remedy that, and a good battle would do just that.

[Wolfenium]

-is lesyay-

Watching Lisanne blow a kiss, Astrid could not help but feel a bit irked. Despite her best efforts, she could not really hide her discomfort over anyone cat calling her, man or woman. If anything, it was probably the first time a girl ever did that to her.

"Pleased to meet you all too," she spoke, shaking Maya's hand as she tried not to think too much of it, "you should get to the park. The others are probably waiting on you. If you're not sure where to go, your friends could probably show you the way. We'll be there to see how you girls fare, don't worry."

"Ja," Emma crooned, suddenly humping Milla from behind, "best not keep the club waiting. Isn't that right, Milla?"

"I already told you," the ponytail-wearing girl insisted, "I'm not joining. Quit dragging me in, alright? I just want to get through school as normally as possible."

"Aww," Emma replied, "but we could really use your help. After all, you've taken tanks out for a drive before, no?"

Biting her lip at the mention, Milla did not seem all that approving of that slip. If anything, her rather stern attitude had suddenly turned sour. Shrugging off her hands, she answered, "we don't talk about it, alright? Leave me alone..." Watching the friend depart, Emma, for once, was not so sure reminding her was a wise choice.

"Milla..." she muttered, a bit taken aback by the reaction. Peering over at Henna, the black-haired president stated, "I'll check on Milla. Try not to wreck the park too much. Oh... and ask Iveta to come to my house tonight. There's some paperwork I need to highlight to her. You too."

"Ah..." Emma responded, still rather spaced out by Milla's rejection, "I'll let her know."

As the two departed back into the building, an awkward silence befell the carpark as the girls tried to comprehend the situation. Milla's disgust over her past mention, for one, was still starting to sink in for Emma. Shaking her head as she tried to refocus, she asked of the Elefant crew, "never mind that. Shall we head for the park now? Once we reach the site, just pick a site to wait out and radio Iveta, the club leader. Is that clear?"

"Can I go now," Selene mused, muddled by the rapidly changing events.

"I need at least one for the self-propelled gun, Selene," Emma quipped, turning back with her trademark smile again, "the tank isn't going to arm itself, you know~"

"I'm counting on you, Miss Selene," Astrid affirmed with a grin, giving the hapless Korean a thumbs up.

Selene was not going to get a choice either way...

[Ormata]

Garage, Rauschen Girls High School
Phobos Team

Maya politely listened to the conversation, though was mildly irked by Emma and Milla’s, for lack of a better word, fight. Milla clearly did not love Sensha-do, and Emma clearly wanted the girl on her team. That much was as clear as day. With the mention of previous driver’s experience, Milla turned sour, and Maya turned curious. Some strange accident must have befallen the girl, for the mention to have such a volatile effect.

Selene, for that matter, did not seem to want to be in the tank either. Maya raised an eyebrow at this; it seemed Emma had a good eye for conscription, or something of the effect. At the very least she would have made good material for being a Commissar in the World Wars. Maya considered whether or not this was a positive thing, before dismissing it from her mind.

"...never mind that. Shall we head for the park now? Once we reach the site, just pick a site to wait out and radio Iveta, the club leader. Is that clear?"

“Well, let me check,” replied Maya curtly, before turning and yelling, most unladylike, to Silvia. “Is the engine ready?”

The German’s head popped-out again, as she yelled back, “Yes! Or do you want me to check it again? I thought I hear some differences in the vi…”

“No, no, three times a day is more than enough, thank you,” was the hasty exchange that took place. Maya had enough trouble with getting her to stop worrying; any encouragement would be disaster in her eyes. Any encouragement would also become annoying, as she would most certainly take it to heart.

Turning back to Emma, she said, with a good air of finality, “Yes, I think we should head to the park. Clear, get a position and radio ourselves in. Free-for-all, I assume, since no great care seems to have come to this?” Maya smiled, half-devilishly, as she walked away to her tank. As she did so, of course, Mia popped her head out, red hair cascading down into the tank and half in a braid. Frowning, she asked Franzi what the devil everything was on about. Franzi gave a concise explanation of, “We met the team of that SU-76i, that tank was airdropped in, and good news, we are off to the practice area. We’re doing a free-for-all, I think. Oh, and that girl, the one of there, she called in a guest. Some Prussian Naval Marine lady, to help with the club.”

Mia replied, simply, with an, “Oh. Well, you should’ve let me know!” Smiling and shaking her head, she went back into the Elefant, followed immediately by Franziska and Silvia. Vionaika, shaking her head and laughing somewhat, cheeks red, got back onto the top of the tank and entered it all through there, and Lisanne merely watched the entire thing. Maya mounted her position, and all was set. The engine roared to life, and they were, indeed, ready.

[Krajstali]

"Sorry, Wojtek Team. Do you mind helping them out too?"

As excited as the crew of Wojtek was to get into clubbing the other Armored Fighting Vehicles,the certain incident had put a pause on the progress of starting the match. Nevertheless if the match were to start then all participants of the Tankery club and their vehicles needed to be in present, not to mention that looking out for one another is important for the club. "Affirmative, we are on the way." answered Jozefa, and so the tank begun rolling it's way as she was on the lookout for the troubled crew of Russians.

"Trust Kacaps to drive anything right eh?" asked Krystyna followed by a small laughter among the crew, poking fun at the stereotype of Russians being bad drivers. But she can't really blame the Borscht Team as much like themselves, they are also newcomers to the sport of Tankery. They might also be unfortunate themselves should the time come, especially with Jozefa being the religious one out of the whole crew. Soon enough, the M26 Pershing stuck in the ground came to view within Jozefa's binoculars. "Borscht Team in sight, eight 'o clock" she directed upon the sight of both Borscht Team and Iveta's tank.

Jozefa pulled herself out from the hatch even though the tank was still moving, she leaped and landed onto the ground with a roll, taking her hat off for a moment which exposed her short hair and dusted it before returning it to it's rightful place as she approached the other commanders of the two tanks. "Oh dear, you poor lot." Jozefa said as she looked around the Pershing which was lodged into the ground. Endeleza had opened her hatch and took a look at the situation, "Well, not all hope is lost. I mean the T-34 has a pretty decent, if not powerful, engine. So alongside the ISU and maybe the KV-1B,we might have a chance of getting the Pershing out." Endeleza suggested.

Jozefa took in Endeleza's words before turning to her crew,"Well, the only to find out is if we do it.Shall we get started lads?" asked Jozefa as looked upon her crew. Jozefa had begun directing her crew as Bogumila was one of the first to hop out of the tank followed by Lidia.On her orders they hooked the T-34/85 from it's rear onto the Pershing. Krystyna had turned the turret so it would face towards it's rear, of course the main gun remained unloaded. Bogumila on the other hand decided to push the Pershing from it's rear, literally putting her back into it.

As the crew of Wojtek were into hard work, the directing Jozefa had sat on the turret of their tank,ready to give the signal for the tanks that were connected with the Pershing,"Right then? All together now shall we? On my signal....Go!"

[Minroz]

Arriving at the site, it was apparent how bad the situation had become. The Pershing was a heavy hulk, and at the rate they were going, Iveta would have to cancel the match. Buttoning her lips, she quickly approached the others as she asked, "sorry we took so long. We were trying not to bog down our tank... You need another tow vehicle? Maybe we could help out."

It did not seem like their match was going to happen. To Kirke's relief, perhaps, it was probably for the best, given their laughable lack of training at the moment.

Jozefa pulled herself out from the hatch even though the tank was still moving, she leaped and landed onto the ground with a roll, taking her hat off for a moment which exposed her short hair and dusted it before returning it to it's rightful place as she approached the other commanders of the two tanks.

"Oh dear, you poor lot." Jozefa said as she looked around the Pershing which was lodged into the ground. Endeleza had opened her hatch and took a look at the situation, "Well, not all hope is lost. I mean the T-34 has a pretty decent, if not powerful, engine. So alongside the ISU and maybe the KV-1B,we might have a chance of getting the Pershing out." Endeleza suggested.

Jozefa took in Endeleza's words before turning to her crew,"Well, the only to find out is if we do it.Shall we get started lads?" asked Jozefa as looked upon her crew. Jozefa had begun directing her crew as Bogumila was one of the first to hop out of the tank followed by Lidia.On her orders they hooked the T-34/85 from it's rear onto the Pershing. Krystyna had turned the turret so it would face towards it's rear, of course the main gun remained unloaded. Bogumila on the other hand decided to push the Pershing from it's rear, literally putting her back into it.

As the crew of Wojtek were into hard work, the directing Jozefa had sat on the turret of their tank,ready to give the signal for the tanks that were connected with the Pershing,"Right then? All together now shall we? On my signal....Go!"

While the girls were busy trying to pull the Pershing out of the ditch, only Aliya and Tatiana left to greet their clubmates who’re coming over to help. Nevertheless, they appreciated the helping hand of their fellow club members before the start of the match.

Hearing Iveta’s question, Tatiana took a peek at her Pershing, she began to sigh.

“Clearly by the looks of it, we really do. We need the help all we can get.” The bespectacled Russian replied.

“She’s right.” Aliya said. “Come on. Let’s bring you tank back on the treads.”

“Agreed.” Tatiana nodded.

Both tank commanders went back and helped their friends in pulling the ropes. With the helpful assistance from Wojtek and Iveta’s teams, both drivers of ISU and Pershing altogether jetted the engines at the signal. After a few minutes of struggle, the Pershing finally went back on the ground.

“Yay! We did it!” The Prussian girls (except the quiet ones) cheered in jubilations.

Watching them with the wistful smile, Tatiana is happy for them. Her eyes looked at Jozefa, Aliya and Iveta, she spoke gratefully, “Thank you for your help, it was tough pulling the tank ourselves. I don’t think we can done it without your help. I’m sorry we’re holding everyone up with our mistake.”

The blonde sounded morose at the last part. She hates to ruin the game meant for fun.

[Wolfenium]

“So, onwards to the practice grounds, or…?” Mentioned Maya, inquisitively. She wanted to get her crew squared-off, as it were, and shake-off all the meekness that had developed since their last match. They’d gotten meek; she wanted to remedy that, and a good battle would do just that.

"Ja," squealed Emma, hopping onto the self-propelled gun, "let's go then~! Oh, and be a darling and keep quiet about our guest~. I want this to be a surprise."

Chugging ahead of the Elefant, the SU-76i was already on its way to the park, taking their new instructor to the site as it split away at the park entrance. Opening the hatch to wave, Emma appeared to be wishing the girls good luck, disappearing into the woods as Phobos was left to take positions on their own. Putting a finger on her mouth, she again hinted for them to stay silent on Astrid. Her reasons for it, however, remained unsaid, perhaps a plan even Iveta did not know.

-snip-

-snip-

Dusting her hands off as the cables hooked onto their KV-1 and the grounded tank, Iveta appeared ready to haul the Pershing out too. Climbing back onto the tank, she gave the thumbs up as she acknowledged, "got it!" With a huge roar of the twelve-cylinder engine, the heavy tank began grinding at the ground with its fellows, slowly pulling the bogged Pershing out from the mud. With the giant finally freed, she could hear the hapless Tatiana thank them in gratitude.

"No..." muttered the hapless Iveta, "I'm just glad we manage to get you out. Anyway, let's head out, shall we? Daylight's running out. Don't want to keep you waiting-"

"Hallo," Emma's voice soon rang out in the radio, "how is the Pershing doing?"

"Oh, Emma," Iveta quickly answered her throat mic, "yea, we got it out. We're heading back to our hidey hole now. You here yet?"

"Ja," chimed the Afrikaner, "and our newest team. It's an Elefant~! Keep your eyes open or you'll be trampled on~!"

"Elephant," Iveta blurted, taking a bit of time for her mind to register, "you mean an Elefant TD? That's great~! Did you tell them to get ready?"

"That too," she said, "she'll let you know when they're in position, 'kay?"

"Okay," Iveta called out estatically, "oh, and what about you?"

"We'll be watching from the hill," teased Emma, "you can't really expect me to run on a three-man crew, do you? I'm expecting great things, Iveta~!"

"Ah..." went the tangerine-haired girl, "thanks..."

Turning off the mic, it took a while before Iveta noticed something off with Emma's words. The main point was that she had a three-man crew, but she never really said who she brought in. Shaking her head, however, Iveta chose not to think more. She had a match to win, and she doubted Emma would be a part of it.

"Ok, everyone," she called out again, "just one last call. Everyone ready to go? Need more time? I know this is our first time, but I'd like a yes or no, please... Silence isn't always golden, you know, eheheh..."

They were losing time like this, and they did not want to go back in the night.

[Britanania]

removed

[Ormata]

Practice Grounds, Rauschen Girls High School
Phobos Team

Listening to it all as the Elefant moved along, Maya nodded to herself, before noting that they could not, precisely, see her. Perhaps that was all for the best, Maya thought; Lisanne had developed a rapid crush on the instructor, more so than the last twenty crushes. The diving instructor in Canada had been a particularly hard one to get Lisanne away from; tight uniforms did nothing for modesty, and Lisanne was not helped when the instructor had, naively, brought waterproof cameras for them to use. Half of her shots had been of the instructor.

“She’s cute,” said the girl in question out loud, “I wonder if we’ll see her in yoga pants.” One could, almost, hear the light chuckle as she said so.

Mia frowned at this, from her radio position. “Unless we are going to do P.E. here, I doubt it. Keep your fantasies to your sketchbook, Lisanne.”

“With pleasure, Mia, with pleasure. I’ll even let you look at them later.”

Mia grumbled something under her breath, as she continued to tinker with the radio. The old things were, most certainly, as complex as they were bafflingly primitive, a contradiction that was somehow held afloat by the curious thing in front of her. Adjusting her headphones, she nodded.

Maya, meanwhile, watched the SU go into the forest. After considering if for some time, she decided it would be wise to follow the Russian’s example, and said, “Into the forest, Lisanne. Might as well get the jump on anyone stupid enough to cross paths.”

“Ja ja, Herr Kapitan,” came the mock-serious reply, as she turned the tank laboriously and took them into the forest as well, to find a hiding-spot. They eventually did so, at the forest’s edge, nestling the monstrosity in a large cluster of hedges. It had a good viewpoint; at least, good enough. Nor Maya or Lisanne knew the forest enough.

“Get a shell loaded, and Vionaika, remember. Shoot only when you are sure you will hit!”

“Obviously. I’m not going to shoot at the stars, Maya.” Meanwhile, aside the gunner, the two loaders worked at getting a shell into the breech. The gun was, for it’s temperament, well-kept, and the shell was in. “Loaded!” yelled Franzi, clutching her headphones and glasses in one hand.

“OK. You can radio us in, Mia.”

Before the American could do so, she heard another call. "Ok, everyone, just one last call. Everyone ready to go? Need more time? I know this is our first time, but I'd like a yes or no, please... Silence isn't always golden, you know, eheheh..." That was, obviously, one of the instructors, Mia thought. Probably, what was it....Iveta. Probably.

Punching at the dials for a few moments, Mia found the correct channel, saying into her receiver, “This is Team Phobos, Elefant, ready.” For a moment, she wondered if she should’ve said the team name into the radio, yet it was not such a big deal. Whoever would care, after all, if one was not supposed to state their name into the channel? They weren’t told such, anyways.

[Fascist Republic Of Bermuda]

парк, средней школы Раушенска девочек
Раушенске, Пруссии Республика

Valentina, Zoya, and Vera stood on the ground before the KV-2, staring down at a map of the park, notes hastily scribbled on by the three tankers.

"I say we get to the south as soon as possible," Valentina was saying, drawing a line with her finger from their current position to the open fields to the south, following the roads. "The flatter terrain will let us fight better because, erm... Comrade Azarova, why are hills bad for the KV-2?"

Zoya's face lit up as if her hand had been shaken by Georgy Zhukov himself. "Why, the turret, she is a cyka!"

Valentina didn't exactly follow. Yes, the turret was big. Yes, it could indeed be considered a bitch when they try to rotate the damn thing. But what did that have to do with hills? "Urm... Comrade Azarova, I fail to follow. Why is our tank's turret a cyka?"

"Blin, one can barely count the reasons!" Zoya remarked, starting to stray off topic, "It is heavy, gigantic, presents a huge target, is difficult to rotate, rather thinly armo-"

"Comrade Azarova," Valentina cut in, "Your vast knowledge of Soviet hardware is helpful, but you must stay focused! Comrade, why is it a bitch on hills?"

Zoya blushed. Whoops. Sometimes she got carried away a little. For instance, during dinner of the previous night, an off-handed mention of a tank biathlon lead to Zoya giving a long three-and-a-half hour lecture about... nothing in particular. She just rambled from topic to topic, scarcely stopping for breath as the original subject slowly dissipated from relevance. Most notable during Zoya's lecture was her in-depth explanation of the Soviet T-72BM "Rogatka" main battle tank, which the team decided, 4-1 (Nat didn't want her team to be named "slingshot", and Tonya simply didn't vote), to be the Russians' team name.

"Komandir," Zoya finally said, taking on her best military tone, "The KV-2's turret cannot rotate or fire on a hill. If it does, the tank tips over."

Valentina thought for a second before nodding. "So we must be careful, comrades!" She cheerfully said, "We wouldn't want to flip the tank, da?" Behind the cheerful mask, Valentina was more than a little unhappy. How could they fight effectively if they couldn't go on hills? Blin, that severely limited their options. Add in that the KV-2 loaded propellant and shell separately (as a very unhappy Sasha and Tonya found out) and you had a very inflexible vehicle indeed. But as long as they remained on level ground and either took out enemies at once or delaying the enemy enough to reload, they would be fine. Of course, the question of how to delay their theoretical enemies was a complex one, which would take a long time-

"Valentina!" Nat called from her hatch on the front of the KV-2's hull, "We have a message from Iveta, asking if we are ready or not." Valentina delayed for half a second, which allowed Nat to slip in a sarcastic comment: "Well, are we, brave comrade commander?"

Ignoring the sarcasm dripping from Nat's addressing of her, Valentina nodded. She would deal with the morale problems plaguing the crew later. "Da, Comrade Tereshkova! Notify Comrade Kovalenoks that we are ready!" She turned to Vera and Zoya. "Come on comrades, we have a battle to win! For the Motherland!"

As the other half of the crew crawled into the massive tank, Natalia fiddled with the radio until she found out how to transmit to Iveta.

"Da. Rogatka Team," It was all Nat could do not to sigh at their ridiculous name, "Ready for action!"

[Republic of Hasgriu]

Buxtehude Team

"Yekaterina, if a shell flies in and blasts us to kingdom come, I will not be taking responsibility for the condolence letters."

The girl in question flipped onto her back and sat up on the chassis of the Bishop, facing Maya with her legs halfway through the double doors. For all its flaws and poor design, the KV-2 imitator was at least well-ventilated. Buxtehude Team, having finally gotten into position on a small hill smack-dab in the centre of the park, was idling in wait for the practice match to commence. The engine was off (Maya had said something about pollution and a 'yusuf calla', evidently a recently discovered plant) and Liliya was free from the cramped chamber that was the driver's seat, having gone off for a stroll with her music player in hand.

Maya, meanwhile, was taking stock of all the various sorts of shells loaded while speaking, counting and writing figures on a simple logistics form on top of the mitre-like superstructure that gave the vehicle its nickname. Of the thirty-two rounds stowed, 17 were APBC and another four were solid AP, three had smoke, a half-dozen were high-explosive, and the last two were incendiaries, which entered production, but never put into action. Maya had no clue when Yekaterina had become a pyromaniac, but she had insisted upon. Was she turning away from explosions? How treacherous.

"И невер тоок ыоу фор а мастер оф медиевал интригуе," Maya muttered jokingly as she finished her check and signed the form placed on top of the Bishop before pocketing both pen and paper. "At the very least, close the doors when the match starts."

"Fiiine, I'll close them," Yekaterina, pushing herself up into a crouching position. She then wagged her finger, adding, "But only later! Also, Maya, don't say stuff in English! I can't understand you, none of us can! Well, except for Hanna, since she's a... a poly-polygot?" She tapped her chin and her foot rhythmically, uncertain of her pronunciation.

Legs crossed, Hanna was seated next to the eighty-eight millimetre cannon that she was tasked with firing, despite having ever actually done so before. She turned back to look at Yekaterina, helpfully correcting her, "Polyglot. I wouldn't really call myself one, though. Sure, I suppose I can speak a few languages- wait, that isn't encouraging at all. Um," she bit her lip, "Could you disregard that-"

"Yeah, you're so talented, Hanka! If only I could be like you and not get E for literally everything," Yekaterina interrupted, sighing almost forlornly, eyelids half-lidded. "Wouldn't that be fantastic?"

The typically excitable, one might even say hyperactive, Yekaterina suddenly and inexplicably becoming so upset was startling. Hanna felt the warmth being sapped from her chest, replaced with the uncomfortable sensation of something liquid trickling down her spine. Unconsciously, she found herself gaping slightly at the rare sight of the most cheery of the four-girl crew being so... unhappy.

"Fantasy falls under fiction, and for good reason."

Maya made her remarks carelessly. Had she no care or concern for their friend, or was Katya's obliviousness, although cute at times, starting to get infectious? Hanna curled her fingers. Destruction is easier than creation. She did not know why Katya was acting all depressed-like, but...

When had the symptoms started showing, that she had missed? Maybe she should have taken Maya's blunt interpretation of humour more seriously. Or did the problem lie with herself? She had tried to console Katya, placate her with sugary treats. It was too foolish and simple of her to think that such things could heal a wound. A sugar rush is nothing permanent, and dopamine was limited in its capabilities.

The oblivious one wasn't Maya, or Yekaterina. Hanna Wiśniewska was the one who ought to be blamed for her blindness. She had learnt nothing. A fool then, now, and forevermore. Weakly, she balled up her hand into a fist, unable to stab herself with her fingers any harder than a mother handling her infant. But if the infant was responsible for some grave wrong, then-

Hanna winced. The briefest flick of a silky-soft finger sharply jolted her. She remembered just where she was.

"Mayunya, I think we've finally gotten her back!"

Yekaterina ceased her frantic waving, opting instead to crouch in front of Hanna, blinking rapidly.

"For a moment there, you looked like Yekaterina about to fall asleep in class." Maya massaged her shut eyes, partly to avoid thinking about the Russian girl's shameless displays. Of course, this ended up backfiring, as the half-Chinese half-Russian promptly opened her eyes and stared blankly at the 25 pounder for a bit. "Good to see you back to normal."

"As for your academic performance, Yekaterina, I'm sure the three of us wouldn't mind holding study sessions."

"Wha, really?"

"Yes, really. We'll start only next week, though." Maya's eyebrow started twitching. "Mother demands quality essays and notice several days in advance for any deviation from schedule. She has quarrelled with school officials over club activities on more than one occasion."

She placed a finger on the shaking eyebrow, attempting to stop the involuntary action. "As Father always says, an inch of time is an inch of gold; but an inch of gold cannot buy an inch of time."

"Hm? What's that mean? I don't get it." Yekaterina looked unnveringly pinch-able with her pout. Were there sweets in there, or had her cheeks always been like that?

Closing her eyes to avoid being distracted, Maya responded, "Old Chinese saying. It has to do with sundials, I believe, so don't think about it too hard."

Recognising an opportunity, she continued, changing the topic, "Speaking of time, I think we should have contacted Iveta a while ago. Yekaterina, you're on radio duty." Noting the complicated radio equipment, Maya purposely shuddered. "I'll leave it to you. Meanwhile, Liliya- is back." Speak of the devil.

Gently smiling, as she habitually did, Liliya re-entered the tank, willingly accepting her harsh, cramped seat. Slightly nodding in apology, Hanna took her position behind the driver's seat.

Everyone was fine and cheerful. Nothing was out of place. Paranoia isn't really a good thing either, Hanna thought to herself. They had all grown up with each other for long enough that a few words wouldn't throw years of relationships away.

I suppose I really am the oblivious one here.

"Ok, everyone," she called out again, "just one last call. Everyone ready to go? Need more time? I know this is our first time, but I'd like a yes or no, please... Silence isn't always golden, you know, eheheh..."

"Panzer-Niner, Panzer-Niner, this is Katya of Buxtehude Team! We are all ready and waiting on your command!"

[Krajstali]

Watching them with the wistful smile, Tatiana is happy for them. Her eyes looked at Jozefa, Aliya and Iveta, she spoke gratefully, “Thank you for your help, it was tough pulling the tank ourselves. I don’t think we can done it without your help. I’m sorry we’re holding everyone up with our mistake.”

Finally, with the help of the Aquarius and Manti team, the ditched Pershing was pulled out of the ground thanks to the combined effort of the four teams after a few minutes of pressing the pedal. Jozefa slid down from the sloped armor of the T-34's chassis and approached the commanders to ensure that all was going fine.

"Niema problemu. Don't feel so down on yourself, the time will come when our tank or the others will be in a similar situation and it's in times like these that we all must rely on one another." ensured Jozefa as she held onto Tatiana's shoulder,giving her a pat. Once she saluted the commanders,She swung a few degrees facing her tank and started walking in it's direction, "Jazdy Pancerza is a sport of sisterhood." muttered Jozefa as she departed for her tank.

Climbing onto Wojtek and sliding into her seat as the Commander, she requested a status report on everyone.Once everyone was accounted for, it was time to return to buisness. "Well then, Endeleza. Move to another position of the park for our starting location." ordered Jozefa as she was reviewing the map for an ideal location,"Oh and great job on speeding up the T-34/85, they couldn't have done it without you."

The T-34/85 started rolling and re-positioned itself at another forested and covered part of the park. Krystyna found her index finger itching to squeeze the trigger of the tank's D-5 85mm gun. Jozefa will be extremely pissed if you fire it off and so will the others! repeated her thoughts, nevertheless she was able to hold her trigger finger in, at the request of the tough Bogumila squeezing her hand however.

On Jozefa's map, a list of the participating tanks were written on the side in red ink.They were sorted in order according to which tanks would they hunt out for at first. A thought came to her mind which brought her back to not so long ago when they had pulled the Pershing out. "Cholerny..perhaps I should have struck an alliance with them. It's too late for that of course." Jozefa spoke to herself. She prioritized the lighter tanks first and leaving the heavy tanks last. Although she wasn't sure where to aim on tanks such as the Pershing and the KV-2. She looked up into the grey sky and thought of a miracle. Surely their tank would be blessed wouldn't it? At least their crew had a morale boost with the christening they had received at the garage.

Her train of thought ended once the tank came to a halt which she was caught by surprise and nearly lost her map. Straightening her Rogatywka and clearing her throat. "Right then, once again. Everyone ready?" Jozefa asked as she looked into the turret to see a bunch of thumbs up as well as a collection of positive responses. She turned her head towards Krystyna and nodded, upon which she faced the radio besides her and repeated the process she did when Jozefa initially reported their status. It came down to her now, except it took a few more seconds, "Jeez, I really do need to learn this thing."

Once their set had been adjusted to transmit towards Aquarius Team, Krystyna sighed and reported in.

"Once again, Wojtek team is a go. Waiting for the signal."

[Wolfenium]

Aquarius Team

Rolling back up the hill, the KV-1 was back in its hiding spot, overlooking the entire park as Aquarius Team waited on the rest. Daylight was wasting away, and Iveta was admittedly growing impatient. Checking the time, she was not sure how long this would take. Astlik's checklist of teams have already confirmed several teams ready, but at this rate, they might end up waiting the entire day for everyone.

"Maybe you should be a little more assertive, Iveta," Avelina mused, "we're not going to have our match if you don't push them harder."

"I know..." Iveta mused, "but I'm a bit worried people might quit if I go too harshly... I'm not sure I can do this."

"Too late now," Kirke went, "you made the club. You keep it alive. We'll help you, but yo'll need to help yourself too."

"I guess..." Iveta blurted awkwardly, "Astlik? How many reported in?"

"Umm..." Astlik checked her list again, "Komodo, Geist, Wojtek, Borscht, Manti, Buxtehude, Rogatka, Phobos... That's just half the teams..."

"No choice..." Iveta admitted, slightly disappointed by the turnout, before pressing at her mic, "umm... attention. We're running out of daylight, so I'm going to have to call it now. Ready or not, we're starting the match! Set... GO! Umm... yeah."

Shutting off the mic as the announcement went out, Iveta queried the crew, "uh... what now?..."

"What do you mean 'what now'," screamed Kirke in shock, "now, we have to start fighting!"

"Umm... ok..." Iveta replied with a blur look, "uhh... how?"

Aquarius was in for a very bad day, and they were not going to be the only ones.

---

Observation Team

Hiding in a forested outcrop overlooking a road, the SU-76i was quietly picking up word of the announcement. Spying the entire battlefield with her binoculars as she sat on top of the assault gun, Emma was quick to chime at the signal.

"Oh, it's starting already~," Emma quipped, "how do you find it, Sergeant?"

Looking over the area with her own set, Astrid, to put it simply, looked unimpressed. Slightly bored and disinterested, she mused, "this is a train wreck waiting to happen. Whose idea was it to have a practice match when so many bloody girls haven't even touched a damn tank."

"Oh well," Emma quipped, "you can't blame them for jumping in at a first time. This means a lot to Iveta, and maybe the rest too. So what do you think? You in for a go?"

"I'd rather not spoil the scene," Astrid refused, serious as always, "I'm not going to teach them anything if I just went in to paste them. Unless you want to try too. What do you say?"

"Who knows," Emma teased with a smile, looking back at the girl, "my team isn't complete yet. I can't hop in with an incomplete team. And there I was, hoping to trick Henna, but she saw through your disguise in a glance."

Triggered by the comment, the instructor suddenly yelled, "what do you mean 'disguise'!? This is how I normally look! And I'm way older than you, little girl! Don't talk to me like I'm some junior!"

"Sorry," the teasing blonde apologized, giving a sideways v-sign next to her eye again, "you just remind me so much of her~. Pity Muza broke up because of graduation, such is life."

"Can't be helped..." Astrid grunted, "life wants you to grow up. I suppose becoming a full-time idol takes the fun away from being one. Oh well..."

For now, the SU-76i will watch. Only time will tell whether they would jump into the fray...

[Megelan]

Viper Team

"Forward!"

The brash commander of the Viper Team, Arianna Sonzogno, said. A slight smile appeared on the face of her driver as the engine started, and the tank, a Carro Armato P 40, was brought to life. Sipping from a cup of smuggled red wine, the driver slowly made the tank pick up speed. "So, is everyone ready?" the commander screamed at the top of her lungs.

"Olivia?" "I'm ready, commander" the gunner said, in her soft monotone.

"Veronica?" "Everything's fine, commander" the driver replied, a hint of playful annoyance in her voice.

"I... Ilaria?" "Why are you even asking?" the loader snapped, her voice an impatient growl.

"Ursula?" "Y-yes commander, I'm r-ready!" the radio operator stammered, not looking at anything in particular.

"Let's. Go!"

The commander threw a fist up in the air, a fist that however collided with the tank's solid steel.

"Ouch!"

The tank, who had entered the field from the far western end of it, took a northward turn, running along everything in the field that could act as a way to conceal it from the other tanks; eventually, the driver found a spot in the northwestern part of the field from which to observe the action without being seen and, to the annoyance of her commander, she stopped.

[Republic of Hasgriu]

Perhaps tutoring Yekaterina would not prove all that difficult. If she put her heart and soul into it, and bother to pay attention, she seemed to learn very rapidly, as demonstrated by her surprising proficiency with the radio. Evidently, though, she had picked up on a bit too much Hollywood military babble, to Maya's disappointment.

Of course, meeting the prerequisite of capturing her interest would be an entire challenge and a half. Maya looked behind, only to see Yekaterina scanning the vicinity, as if actually on task, a reality which she conveniently chose to ignore.

Well, sensha-dō's managed to grab hold of Yekaterina. It can't be all that hard to persuade her to study for her beloved confections.

---

Katya seemed receptive enough to learning new things, at least, when the passionate heart that she definitely had concealed somewhere started burning brigtly. The fact that she had learned how to use the complex-looking and bulky radio in just a day made Hanna proud, maternally so.

Katya always looked and acted so vivace, so genki and cheery, maybe even a bit ditzy, though she was smarter than she let on. So, Hanna still felt puzzled, though not terrified, not after thinking with reason and logic, by the way Katya had acted earlier. While the subject was out and about doing reconnaissance, binoculars in hand, Hanna took the opportunity to ask some questions.

---

"Hey, Maya? What happened with Katya while I blanked out earlier?" she queried.

"Hm? Yekaterina?" Maya tilted her head and swished her eyes back and forth, before letting out an 'aah' of realisation. "Oh, that wasn't serious. Practice for a drama, she said."

Maya leaned out of the still-open doors and stretched. "Considering how I sincerely doubt her ability to be anything but cheerful and energetic, let alone genuinely depressed, even in these emotionally unstable years, I see no reason not to believe her."

Returning to her arrow-like straight sitting posture, which no one else could maintain simply due to the limited headroom inside the Bishop, Maya counter-questioned, mild smile on her face, "Were you worried about Yekaterina, of all people? She was more concerned about your eyes suddenly looking like a Vietnam vet's!"

With each sentence, Hanna's flushed face more closely resembled the Soviet flag in colour. She did not dare to look up.

"Ah well," Maya ruffled Hanna's golden hair, to the Pole's surprise, "Just shows that you're a whole league more caring and empathetic than I am with my brazen, insulting, nature."

"Wha- you're not insulting at all! Just a bit frank. Yes. Is it stress? Maybe you should see the counselor about your pare-"

Hanna cut herself off, not needing anyone else to point out that she had proven Maya's point precisely. Before any more conversation could occur, however, the radio crackled to life again.

"No choice..." Iveta admitted, slightly disappointed by the turnout, before pressing at her mic, "umm... attention. We're running out of daylight, so I'm going to have to call it now. Ready or not, we're starting the match! Set... GO! Umm... yeah."

"I'm back!"

Iveta's message was immediately followed by a spirited declaration from Yekaterina, who made a successful sprinting leap onto the Bishop. Immediately, she was grabbed by the more petite but equally pumped Maya, who began her interrogation.

"Yekaterina, reconnaissance mission report‽"

Playing along, the commander saluted, shouting, "Yes! One tango, dead ahead! Distance, really far!"

Faintly, Hanna giggled.

"We already knew that. That's Borscht what a name Team there. Anything new, though?"

"One bogey in the clump of trees over there! I waved to them!"

"What." Maya furrowed her eyebrows in a poor attempt at intimidation.

"Does this look like a joking matter, Private?"

"Eh? I'm the commander, Mayunya! Anyway, come up here and look!" With that, Maya found herself being dragged onto the roof of the Bishop's superstructure, despite her admittedly weak protests. With a three metre support beneath her, Maya could indeed spot, just barely, the silhouette of something that was not natural at all.

"I heard the announcement from their tank and came rushing back like a herd of wild horses!" Yekaterina was still exclaiming.

"That's a Chinese proverb too. Everything's a Chinese proverb, including the one that says to get off the roof." Yanking Yekaterina (with a 'whee') back down in what must have been vengeance, Maya was highly distressed by the revelations of the tank's presence and Yekaterina being more than just a cute but useless sugar pixie.

"Hanna, I'm sorry, but I'll pay you back a hundredfold later. We're booking it out of here. Where are the N95s?"

Frantically waving her arms, Yekaterina butted in, "Hey! Mayunya, don't steal my role!"

"Your orders, then, commander?" Maya did not stop shoving the smoke shell into the muzzle of the eighty-eight millimetre. "Hanna, slow wind's blowing in from the northeast. We have only three smokes; space out your shots," she added softly.

"Uh..." Yekaterina pondered. "Charge them! Deus vult!"

"That's a Crusader motto, not the Teutonic ome." Maya wagged her finger as she finally stuffed the shell in. "Also, the number of explosions we get to cause and behold is proportional to the amount of time we survive in the match. Charging in is not conducive to survival. Remember- we are artillery."

"Ri-right. Righty-ho! Our plan is now official! Buxtehude, tactically advance towards the bridge! Viva la capitalisma!"

Hanna's eyebrow twitched as she gently corrected, "It's el capitalismo. The sentence should be ¡viv-"

"Viva!" Maya was cheering as well, likely due to her plan's acceptance. Even Liliya had raised her balled-up hand quietly, a gesture of support for their capitalist Mexican overlords.

Shaking her head in amusement, Hanna joined in.

"¡Viva!"

[Wolfenium]

Sitting on the hill stumped, Aquarius team seemed lost under the helm of a lost head. Any experience Iveta had of tank warfare came entirely from TV shows, and hands-on experience was completely.

"So... I guess we're spotting for enemies then," Avelina asked, peeking into her scope.

"A-Ah..." blurted Iveta, spying on her binoculars as she started looking, "I guess. This hill makes for a good spot for finding enemy vehicles. We should able to find one from here. I mean, how big is this parrrrkkkk..."

"One bogey in the clump of trees over there! I waved to them!"

Sitting right next to their position, the silhouette of an armoured vehicle was facing to the back, well within walking distance of them. Spotting a hand waving at them, the stunned commander returned a slow, hesitant wave. Panicking, she yelped into the tank, "enemy vehicle, about half a km! Maybe less!"

"What," screamed Kirke, "already!?"

"How could you not see that," Avelina blasted, "it's right next to us!"

"Don't ask me," she screamed, grasping her head in confusion, facing back in frustration. Before long, another warning came right at them. It was the Pershing crawling up for them, its dreaded muzzle peeking up as the Borscht team tried to force their tank up.

"Orders, Iveta," Avelina called out, as the shocked commander tried to digest the news, "Iveta!"

"Uhh," Iveta answered, snapping out of her horror, "I'll think of something!"

There was no time to think. Iveta would have to face the three-way melee, or flee as fast as the lumbering tank could take them.

[Minroz]

The Prussian teams have finally reached their chosen starting point. They’ve waited until Iveta’s declaration that the match have begun. With that, the Prussians moved forward, changing their positions.

So far, Manti team were fine as they haven’t encountered an opposing tank as of yet. The Borscht team on the other hand didn’t seem to be unlucky this time as their Pershing traversing through the hills. They haven’t encountered any opposing tank either. And at the same time, the girls were getting used to driving a WW2 tank for first-timers.

“So far so good…” Tatiana hummed, adjusting her spectacles. She scanned the area with binoculars in hand.

“Have we found our target?” Mira asked her younger, nerdish friend.

“Nyet. Not yet. I’ll yell out when I see them.” The blonde replied.

“Hey guys, did you know the Pershing is one of the best tanks the American could offer in World War Two? Believe it or not, it is. I’ve read it from internet on my iPad. There’s a bigger chance we will win this match.” Sofia chirped.

“I would love to see that.” Mira said.

“How about we have a feast after the match? We can invite everyone~.”

“Sounds nice.” Tatiana remarked with the smile.

“Hey, if it is, we could be lucky~” Raina quipped.

-snip-

Sitting on the hill stumped, Aquarius team seemed lost under the helm of a lost head. Any experience Iveta had of tank warfare came entirely from TV shows, and hands-on experience was completely.

"So... I guess we're spotting for enemies then," Avelina asked, peeking into her scope.

"A-Ah..." blurted Iveta, spying on her binoculars as she started looking, "I guess. This hill makes for a good spot for finding enemy vehicles. We should able to find one from here. I mean, how big is this parrrrkkkk..."

"One bogey in the clump of trees over there! I waved to them!"

Sitting right next to their position, the silhouette of an armoured vehicle was facing to the back, well within walking distance of them. Spotting a hand waving at them, the stunned commander returned a slow, hesitant wave. Panicking, she yelped into the tank, "enemy vehicle, about half a km! Maybe less!"

"What," screamed Kirke, "already!?"

"How could you not see that," Avelina blasted, "it's right next to us!"

"Don't ask me," she screamed, grasping her head in confusion, facing back in frustration. Before long, another warning came right at them. It was the Pershing crawling up for them, its dreaded muzzle peeking up as the Borscht team tried to force their tank up.

"Orders, Iveta," Avelina called out, as the shocked commander tried to digest the news, "Iveta!"

"Uhh," Iveta answered, snapping out of her horror, "I'll think of something!"

There was no time to think. Iveta would have to face the three-way melee, or flee as fast as the lumbering tank could take them.

Finally went up on the hill, the Borscht team had spotted two tanks in their sights. “Or not.” The brunette gulped in fright when she saw the tanks though the driver viewport. Her twin sister shared the sentiment with her eyes wide open with shock.

“Tatiana, what should we do?” Nina asked as Mira loaded the round into the main gun.

Tatiana swallowed at the sight, she had to think fast. Then again, she and her friends remembered Team Aquarius along with others who stopped-by and helped them up on track when their Pershing tank got stuck. Somehow, they’ve found Aquarius tank by some stroke of luck. The Borscht team seems to be in good position to attack Aquarius’s Panzer than Buxtehude’s, considering the distance. However, Tatiana can’t help herself feeling guilty by little ingratitude considering Iveta and her friends’ help earlier.

“Aim at the Panzer. We fire on my command…” The bespectacled blond replied. Promptly Nina aimed the Pershing cannon towards the target.

As much as Tatiana and others regretted, the idea behind the free-for-all match is after all made by a certain red-haired Latvian. The Borscht team have to shoot either of two tanks teams who were within their sights.

[Krajstali]

Wojtek lay in wait for the signal,a few minutes had passed and the awkward signal to start had been announced over the radio. Endeleza turned the engine on and started the tank on the path to it's destination. "Remember everyone, I'll get us all a round of Sobieski if we'd win this match!" promised Krystyna encouragingly over the sound of the engine.

Jozefa was up on the hatch with binoculars in hand as the tank rumbled towards the destination she had set. Lifting the binoculars to her eyes, she could just roughly see a heavy tank's outline which sure enough made her slightly lose her nerve. Gulping, she ordered the tank to a halt. Things could be detrimental to the crew's morale if she announced the news towards the rest of the crew, but it would be more tougher if she hadn't. Honesty is one of the pillars of a Pilsudski man..or in this case woman. The crew's hopes of finding an Armored Car and seal clubbing them would be crushed.

"Heavy tank up ahead of us.." Jozefa unnervingly announced, as she tried her best to keep her cool. Although Wojtek didn't mind the way she said it but instead what she had said.

"Ehhhh?! Heavy tank!?" whined out Krystyna, and sure enough the rest of the crew became concerned as Jozefa could hear the whines of her crew from within.

She pressed her head down onto the turret's roof as she held her hands behind her head, regretting to announce the news and wishing she had gone quiet instead. "Just, keep quiet everyone!" shouted Jozefa, as the crew were stunned with her change of attitude,"I didn't say what tank we were facing, only a heavy tank. Pull yourselves together for Bog's sake!"

Jozefa tried to remember the amount of heavy tanks that the club had, she jotted down notes beside the map. Aquarius and their
KV-1B? Borscht's Pershing? or even...the dreaded KV-2. She kept repeating looking at the silhouette of the tank up ahead and looking down on her list to try and identify the tank. Despite Jozefa's words, the crew still had trouble keeping themselves together on the idea of taking on a heavy tank.

Krystyna knew that she had to do something, as for Jozefa's decision might end them up with a white flag. "Jozefa, there is no way you can win this fight, It's better off that we pull back..." the worried gunner suggested.

"Return to your position Krystyna! If that thing aims at us we need to be ready to fire back." Jozefa ordered.

The back and forth between the two childhood friends whom are commander and gunner continued as to whether they should take on the Heavy tank or not. It would be only a matter of time until the heavy tank would notice them.

[Sonitusia]

M38 Wolfhound

With the car parked and shut off in a shroud of bushes, Fauna was on top of a hill trying to take note of the surrounding area through the lens of her scope. Instantly, she found a Russian tank destroyer moving through close by, in an attempt to sneak westward, and after bit more of eye strain, she could make out the outline of the monstrous KV-2 trudging along the dirt road. It was hard to make out the exact shape through the trees, but the huge turret was a big give away.

Running back down to the car, she began to give her orders. "Rev up the engine, I've got us a target nearby."

Theodora nodded as the Brit went up into her turret, and the truck engine ignited quietly as they began to move once more. Albert was still holding onto an AP round as Mentari excitedly looked down her sights, ready to fire at a moment's notice.

Type 97 Shinhoto Chi-Ha

"Tomaru," Adelia ordered through her set, and the Chi-Ha parked just at the edge of their position. Checking her map and then the clearing before her, she was surprised she hadn't spotted anything yet, though she did notice that there were some explosions in the distance, including a large cloud of smoke building up.

"It could be a smoke round, commander," Hermione mentioned, "A rather large one at that. Could it be one of the bigger caliber guns perhaps? Not sure if anyone is armed with smoke dispensers yet."

The commander nodded in agreement, keeping her eyes set on the cloud. "It may very well be, we should keep our eyes peeled. Gunsō, get us moving!"

[Wolfenium]

"Turn," scream the panicking Iveta, watching the Pershing's gun pivot towards them "turn, Astlik, turn!"

It appeared like a very bad choice, trying to take on Borscht team's behemoth with a tank well behind in technical advancement. As Astilk hastily fiddled the controls, the tank fumbled and moved, slowly turning its vulnerable rear away. At this range, it was technically possible for Aquarius to hit them. The German gun fitted on the KV-1 came from the much-vaunted Panzer IV, and a well-aimed shot could still do the trick. But the Pershing's 90 mm gun made it a very scary target. Against a slow, mid-war tank like Iveta's at close range, there was little way for Borscht to mess up.

"Are you crazy," Avelina blurted, shoving an AP round for Kirke as they cringed at the prospects, "that thing will open us up like a can opener."

Settling inside the turret, Iveta mused, "but we can't run like this either. The KV-1 isn't exactly fast, and the Pershing is a late-war tank. It can catch up to us even though we're both heavy tanks. We have to face it head on and reverse. Besides, we'll have to take it on at some point. It's a free for all."

"Well, it's not a good thing if the club leader is taken out first, you know," Kirke grumbled, "oh well. Ready to fire."

Aquarius was standing its ground, for better or worse.

[Minroz]

Borscht team’s tank had finally caught its prey within its sight. With that aim, their Pershing tank is in good position to fire its load.

“Target sighted.” Nina spoke, focusing her aim at the Aquarius KV-1.

“Cannon is loaded, girl.” Mira announced.

“I can’t help myself feeling sorry about them.” Sofia remarked. “Oh well, the club president brought it on herself. It’s free for all~.”

Tatiana quietly pushed up her glasses. She shared Sofia’s sentiment, considering Team Aquarius and others had helped her team. She took a deep breath in and then shouted, “Fire!”

Boom!

---

Meanwhile…

Team Manti’s tank is still moving on the green steppes of the park. The Central Asian girls were still searching for targets despite the fact they’re becoming little impatient, apart from their tank commander and her quiet cousin.

“Ya Allah, this is getting boring! When will they showed up!?” Gulnara whines, her hands still on the tank controls.

“Calm down, Gul. It’s just only the start of the match. We shouldn’t expect them to pop out of the blue.” Aliya replied to the Kyrgyz.

“But still…~”

“Don’t worry sisters, they’ll be there soon. They’re probably looking for other tanks like us by now. When we see them, we pound them with our cannon. Bam!” Umida quipped. “Isn’t that right?”

“…I agree.” Inkar stated her agreement, sitting on the loader seat.

“Well, By Allah, we keep looking but keep your eyes peeled, Gul, Firuza. We can’t have our new friends ambush on us, would we?” Aliya smiled, returned to lookout with her binoculars.

So far, the Manti’s tank destroyer drove forward, moving on as usual. In any case, the girls seemed to be adapted at being a tank crew so far.

[Wolfenium]

It was not even funny.

Turning around to face the behemoth, the KV-1's 75 mm gun opened up right at the Pershing's 'face'. Problem was, its 'face' was made to withstand a Tiger I, much less anything with a smaller caliber. An ominous ping of the round as it spiralled harmless out of the way showed just how bad the gap was, and it was too late to ratify.

Boom!

Rocking back as the 90mm round punched straight at the tank, the hapless crew found themselves rolling downhill, hitting the back of a tree as it snapped right behind. The white flag sprouting from the top made it all too clear. Aquarius was out, and far too soon, in fact.

"Uhh... what happened," Iveta blurted, still dizzy from the sudden ride.

"We're out," Kirke cursed, "you're crazy to take on the tank in the first place! What were you thinking!?"

"Where were you aiming," Avelina queried, "it's not invincible, just aim for weak spots."

"How am I supposed to know where to aim," whined the burgundy-haired girl, "that thing was so big, I just shot dead center!"

"I want to go home..." Terhikki went, delirious from the shock.

A grave shame to be first blood for the club president, but in retrospect, not all that surprising...

---

Spying from the hillside, Emma could see the smoke wafting from the hill. Iveta's loss admittedly set a very bad example, but given their first time in Tankery, it was hardly shocking. Peering at the instructor, the girl was admittedly growing restless. She had wanted to rope in Henna initially, but now she might have to go for plan B.

"This is worse than I thought," Astrid mused, "you weren't kidding when you said almost everyone in the club is a noob. Even the president... Someone like Sadik is one thing, but she was a tankathlon champion before coming into Tankery. This hardly compares."

"Well, that's why we need your help," teased Emma, "surely you can show these poor souls how to fight."

"You want me to interfere," Astrid refused, "that's insane. I'm not here for seal clubbing. I'm here to teach. It's no good if I just wipe the floor off them off the bat."

"Oh," chimed the Afrikaner, "but do you think they'll learn at this rate? You said so yourself. Jumping into a practice match without the slightest training is suicide. You just saw what happened with Iveta. You're not going to let others do dumb things too, are you? Or are you afraid you might actually lose?"

"Don't be silly," Astrid suddenly barked, peeved at Emma's accusation, "why would I lose to them!? I'm in the marine cavalry! I've trained with IFVs since I was in middle school! I was in Vernost's tankery team, you know. Why would I lose to them?"

"Then prove it," Emma quipped, daring the senior, "it's not good to brag without credit, you know."

Ticked off, the sergeant queried, "you want action, don't you?"

Giving a curt smile, all Emma stated was, "it's been some time... Selene," she called out, knocking on the chassis, "it's time."

"It's Coyolxauhqui," nagged the black-haired girl, popping her head out of the driver's hatch, "and I got you! I can hear you two from inside."

It was the instructor's turn to toy with the girls now, and it would not be pretty...