Act One, Chapter Two

The sun peeked through the window blinds. Midori yawned and opened her eyes. Alexandria, in her full uniform, stood at attention and saluted her.

“XO, ready for duty!”

Midori yawned again.

“A-chan it’s too early for this.”

Alexandria ignored her nickname and continued with her report.

“We have to meet another commander in twenty minutes for our first practice match.”

Midori sat up.

“Aw, already?”

“Commander, they’ll expel the both of us if we’re late.”

Alexandria frowned, running out of patience.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m coming.”

Midori waved her off. She pulled her uniform out of the cabinet and slid into it. Grabbing her cap, she gently placed it on her still messy hair, and gave it a satisfying pat. Alexandria approached her with a plate of eggs and bacon.

“Your breakfast, commander.”

Midori stared, and then laughed.

“Please, just call me Midori. And I didn’t expect room service!”

Alexandria’s countenance remained unchanged.

“The duty of the XO is to serve her CO, comman-uh… Midori.”

Midori sighed and smiled.

“Thank you for the food.”

She hurriedly ate the simple meal and wiped her mouth. Alexandria held open the door for her and they both marched towards their first battle.

“What’s the plan?”

“We’re due to meet up with a tank commander assigned to our group.”

“Oh? How many tanks are we getting?”

Alexandria held up one finger. Midori’s smile turned into a frown.

“Only one!? What are supposed to do with one?”

“It’s only the first day here, you can't expect command to give you an entire battalion right off the bat.”

“But still…”

They rounded the corner and approached a large building.

“Here we are, the motor pool. Look for a blue haired tank commander.”

The duo scanned the large hangar filled with vehicles and mechanics for their target. Most of the tanks were relatively old, and the engineers were working hard to maintain them. A loud clang startled the two girls. The tank closest to them popped open its commander’s hatch, and tuft of blue hair emerged. Midori raised her hands and called out to her.

“Hey! Are you the 2nd company tank commander?”

The head turned and popped out of the hatch.

“Oh! You must be our CO!”

The blue haired girl enthusiastically climbed out of the hatch.

“Rin, Aya, keep working on the tank.”

Dusting her hands off, the girl jumped out of the hatch, and onto the ground in front of the pair. She seemed a bit sleepy still. Raising her arm, she saluted Midori.

“3rd Academy Armored Division, Tank Commander, Akahana! Reporting for duty!”

Midori saluted back.

“I’m the CO, Midori!”

Alexandria saluted as well.

“XO, Alexandria, pleased to make your acquaintance.”

They lowered their arms.

Akahana - “Let’s win out there today, commander!”

Akahana pumped her fist into the air.

“Ah, you can call me Midori. No need to be so formal.”

Akahana smiled and extended her hand.

“Sure, I hope we can get along, Midori!”

They shook hands and then laughed together. Alexandria shook her head at the unprofessionalism.

//   

Midori and Alexandria approached the camp set up on the grassy field. Instructor Hitomi motioned for them to take a seat around a large wooden table.

Instructor Hitomi -  “Right on time, I trust that you two have become acquainted?”

Midori - “Yes! We’re ready for our first mission!”

The instructor smiled kindly and laid down a map on the large wooden table.

Instructor Hitomi -  “Very well, your objective today is to find and eliminate the commander from Class 5-A. They will be trying to do the same to you, so please keep yourself safe. The battlefield is moderately forested, so protect your troops against ambushes. Tanks should stay either out in the open plains to the west, or be escorted through the forest by infantry.”

She motioned towards a large blue circle drawn on the corner of the map.

“Your staging point is here, feel free to set up your units as you see fit.”

Midori followed the map and frowned

“That’s almost forty miles from here, how will we get there?”

Hitomi grinned and reached for her radio.

“Bring it over.”

On cue, an APC burst forth and parked in front of the two stunned students.

“This is my own personal BTR-90R command vehicle. I’ll let you two borrow it for this mission.”

She explained with a hint of pride in her voice. She turned to face the two girls again and with an even wider grin ordered.

“Please give the other instructor my regards.”

Midori and Alexandria saluted, “Yes sir!”

//

Midori smiled as the APC rolled across the countryside.

“This is awesome!” she yelled over the engine.

Alexandria - “We’ve got superior firepower in the form of an autocannon and even an anti-tank missile system!”

Midori had never seen her so excited before. Alexandria straightened up and turned to face Midori.

Alexandria - “Commander. I’ll lead the ground troops. If they get you, we lose, so it would be wise for you to stay in the BTR.”

Midori started to protest but then thought over Alexandria’s words. She frowned but nodded.

Midori - “You’re right, but I won’t hesitate to engage the enemy if you need help.”

Alexandria gave her a thumbs up.

Alexandria -  “It’s a deal, commander.”

The BTR-90 rolled to a stop. The driver turned her head around.

“We’re here, commander.”

The infantry were already lined up at the rally point, and saluted Midori as she stood up on the BTR. She saluted back. Behind them, a tree fell and a tank exploded through the bushes. The sudden sound startled Midori, and she fell headfirst into the dirt.

Akahana -  “Sorry we’re late!” Akahana shouted over the commotion.

Rin - “I got lost.”

Alexandria helped Midori to her feet, scowling at the approaching tank. Midori dusted off her uniform and smiled at the trio.

Midori - “Don’t worry about it.”

She looked over her small army. The girls were anxious. Midori closed her eyes, and clenched her fists. She opened them again and surveyed the land. Her troops waited patiently for her orders. Alexandria looked at her questioningly.

Midori - “Alright.”

“Today, let’s win our first battle!”

The troops threw their fists into the air and cheered. Midori turned to face Alexandria. She nodded.

“Your orders, commander?”

//

Midori’s BTR rolled through the forest slowly, flanked by troops on all sides. Her radio buzzed to life.

Akahana - “We’re in position!”

Midori took out her binoculars and looked at the hill behind them. Akahana waved to her from her tank, hidden by camouflage netting and foliage.

Midori - “Good work, please notify me of any movement, Akahana.”

“No problem, Midori!”

Alexandra motioned for the vehicle to stop.

Alexandria - “Ridge up ahead, we’ll scout it out first.”

Midori nodded and motioned for them to go.

Midori - “Cut the engine, driver.”

The APC went silent as Alexandria led the group of girls forward. Midori anxiously waited for her XO to report back. There was a sudden scream over the radio.

Akahana -  “Commander, tank ahead!”

A loud crack followed as a shell landed near the ridge, kicking up a large chunk of debris.

Akahana -  “Contact!”

Midori - “Can you take it out?”

“Negative, too far!”

Midori clenched her fists.

“XO, retreat back to my location, I’ll move half a kilometer to the west.”

“Acknowledged,”

Midori - “Driver, take us behind that dense bush across the forest.”

The BTR chugged to life and weaved through the trees. She would have to use her missiles if Akahana couldn’t take the tank out. Over the ridge, she saw the squad running frantically, as bullets and explosions rocked the terrain. Behind them, a T-72B rolled over the ridge, and repositioned its turret.  

Midori - “Akahana!”

Akahana  - “Now!”

A loud bang reverberated through the plains as Akahana’s tank round screeched through the air. It struck squarely on the left track, and disabled the wheels on the tank.

Akahana - “It’s still kicking!”

The tank fired a high explosive round, sending one of Alexandria’s squadmates flying.

Midori -  “Gunner, fire anti-tank missile!”

The blast from the launcher blew her hair backwards as the missile flew straight towards the tank. The tank, now noticing the APC, rotated its turret to face it. Moments before it finished reloading, the missile smashed into the side of the turret shutting down the tank. The hatch popped open, and the panicked crew ran towards their base with their hands up in the air.

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Akahana - “Nice shot!”

Midori - “Casualties?”

Alexandria - “Three squadmates eliminated, four injured but still fighting. We need a medevac now.”

“Right,”

“HQ, we need a medic on our location now.”

Hitomi came over the radio.

“Helicopter dispatched, please place them in a clear area and set off a flare.”

Midori motioned for the squad to carry their eliminated teammates behind the tank. She reached into her bag and pulled out a flare gun.

Midori - “Everyone be careful, this will give away our position.”

Her red flare streaked into the sky and created a long, bright trail above their location.

Alexandria -  “Pack up, let’s keep going.”

Midori -  “We’ll stay here to cover them, go ahead with the rest of the group,”

Akahana - “Right away!”

The tank rolled down the hill with the rest of the squad, and disappeared over the ridge. Midori pulled out her binoculars and watched the landscape silently. “Something seems off.” she thought.

//

Alexandria - “No enemies in sight, commander.”

Midori was deep in thought. The area of operation was too small to have missed them.

“There’s no way they could’ve outmaneuvered us unless…”

She suddenly had a realization.

“Everyone, back to my location now! Driver, back us up!”

An explosion rocked the side of the hill. She pulled out her binoculars again and scanned the horizon. Then, she saw it, an enemy command T-90. The other CO grinned, her target now in sight.

“Driver, take us towards our teammates, floor it!”

Another shot blasted the ground several feet off to her left. They sped through the forest, dodging trees and braving uneven terrain with the tank in pursuit.

Akahana - “T-90? There’s no way we can take it on!”

“Our 105mm won’t even scratch the paint against their active defense!”

Midori slammed her fists on the BTR.

“What do we do…?”

Alexandria -  “All we have are RPGs, we can’t do much either.”

Akahana - “Wait!”

“The Arena defense on a T-90 only protects against the front and sides. If we can get behind it…”

Alexandria - “How do you propose we do that?”

Midori -  “I’ll distract it. It’s me they want after all. Akahana, you’ll have a short window of opportunity.”

Alexandria - “No way!”

Akahana -  “We can do it!”

Alexandria - “I refuse!”

Akahana -  “Commander, waiting for your signal.”

Alexandria - “Ugh!”

Midori checked her surroundings and then radioed in.

Midori - “Once we cross the small hill up ahead, drive straight at us.”

Another explosion decimated the tree next to her.

“Now!”

Midori’s BTR flew over the hill and landed squarely, before drifting to a stop. The T-90 came into view as it scaled the side of the hill.

Alexandria - “Rifles, fire!”

Several RPGs streaked towards the tank and struck in multiple spots. However, it was unfazed, and rotated to face Midori. Akahana’s tank climbed up the side as quickly as possible, and parked right behind the T-90.

Akahana -  “Aya, do it!”

Aya -  “Roger that!”

Time seemed to stop as a loud explosion filled the air. Debris rained down from all sides. Midori popped her head out of the hatch. The T-90’s engine caught on fire, and the enemy commander scrambled out of the tank. Alexandria raised her rifle and motioned for her to stop.

“No way…”

The squad let out a cheer. Midori and Alexandria both let out a sigh of relief. Midori reached for her radio.

“Nice shot, very nice shot,”

“That was too risky, Commander.”

“We won thoug-”

“Don’t do that again.”

//

Instructor Hitomi - “Nice work out there, you two”

Instructor Hitomi handed Midori her assessment paper.

“I had no idea they repaired their T-90. You two handled the situation perfectly, however.”

Midori and Alexandria were exhausted, but glad to finally return on campus.

“Feel free to keep my vehicle, it’s my gift to you.”

Both - “Thank you, instructor!”

“That’s all for now, dismissed”

Instructor Hitomi waved goodbye.

Alexandria - “Let’s get some rest.”

Midori -  “No argument here.”

They began walking back to their room. Suddenly, a familiar voice called out to them.

Akahana - “Party!”

Akahana rolled up to the pair in her tank.

Midori - “What?”

“We gotta party! We just won!”

The rest of the infantry were marching close behind, carrying food and drink. Alexandria and Midori looked at each other and sighed.

Alexandria - “Aren’t you guys tired at all? I could barely keep up with you guys running around.”

Midori - “They’re infantry, It’s their job.”

Akahana motioned for them to follow.

“Come! We’re gonna hang out at my room!”

They followed the ecstatic tank commander to the tank school’s dormitories, and made their way to her room.

Alexandria - “Just how do you propose we fit everyone in this tiny room?”

Akahana - “It’ll be okay!”

Several of the students placed down the bags of groceries and began unpacking the snacks. Others gathered into circles and began socializing. Akahana was already surrounded by her two crewmembers. They were excitedly recalling the events of the battle. Alexandria leaned over to Midori.

Alexandria - “My feet hurt.”

Midori - “This music is too loud.”

Alexandria - “I wish I were home reading The Art of War”

Midori - “I’m hungry.”

Alexandria turned to face Midori.

Alexandria - “I don’t agree with your decisions today, commander.”

Midori - “Eh? It was our first battle. I thought we did okay…”

Alexandria - “You put yourself in danger.”

Midori - “There wasn’t any other way for us to win-”

Alexandria - “There’s always another way.”

Alexandria sighed and handed Midori a can of soda.

Alexandria - “Sorry. I was out of line.”

Midori - “Don’t worry about it, you’re right. I should’ve thought it through...”

Alexandria - “...”

Midori - “Well, let’s do better next time around as well.”

Alexandria nodded and held out her drink. Midori tapped her soda against it.

“Cheers.”

//

Midori plopped into bed.

“Ahhhhh.”

Alexandria followed her into the room, brushing her teeth. Midori rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling.

“Hey A-chan, could I ask you a question?”

“Mmmphpm.”

Midori raised her eyebrow. Alexandria motioned for her to wait and walked back into the bathroom. She returned in her uncharacteristically cute pajamas.

“You were asking?”

Midori - “Oh, I wanted to get to know you better.”

Alexandria stopped in place.

Midori - “So… what are some of your hobbies?”

She thought for a brief moment. It almost seemed as if she was struggling.

Alexandria -  “Hm. I don’t have many hobbies, but I like to read. Tactics and strategy doctrines, stuff like that.”

Midori wasn’t too surprised.

“So, you always knew what you wanted to do since you were little?”

“My father was an officer during reconstruction. I always admired his ability to plan and organize anything.”

“That’s nice. I didn’t know what I wanted to do coming into this academy, honestly.”

“Is that so?”

“I’m kinda envious that you knew exactly what you wanted to do already.”

Alexandria sat down on the edge of her own bed.

“You’ll be an alright CO. Midori.”

Midori smiled and pulled up her blankets

“Thank you, A-chan.”

“No problem, commander,”

Alexandria yawned and curled up into her sheets.

“Good night, commander.”

“Good night, XO.”