All Stars Pave the Way!

Chapter One: First Test

Eric sighed before he slowly entered the cramped turret, with the Bermuda Triangle taking up the loader, radio operator, and driver positions in the rare Russian Medium. Chiyo herself sat in the copula before nodding to Eric. "Remember, you will be in a similar situation to some of the resident snipers of the Shensha-do teams, commanding and acting as the gunner. I want to gauge your ability to handle the dual jobs under the best of circumstances: With an experienced crew and in a less hostile environment."

Alice hopped onto the top of the turret before Eric took a deep breath. "Rumi, move forward three hundred meters. Megumi, load an APHE shell. Azumi, inform me of any announcements or changes in orders. M'lady, you are my spotter." The boy commanded as he began to rotate the turret slowly.

The tank bounced a little bit more than what everyone was used too, thank the Soviets, with everyone grimacing at the ride before the tank began to slow. Chiyo looked to the left, humming. "There is a target to the left, range is 300 meters." Eric rotated the turret before speaking. "Rumi, maintain speed at 25 kilometers per hour. I want to test how stable the gun is while on the move."

The tank accelerated, the gun bouncing slightly, making the gun sight move up and down. "Full stop!" The tank lurched before Eric pulled the trigger. The 100mm ZIS-100 gun roared to life for the first time in decades, the shell flying towards the target, a mark up of a Panther, before going completely through and embedding itself in the ground before exploding. The mark up was mostly destroyed from the impact, yet remained standing.

Chiyo looked down before sighing. "Son, your commands are harsh. Not very elegant fora Shimada." Eric sighed before closing his eyes. "Mother, you do realize that this is a Soviet Tank, and that I can trace my lineage to Marshal Zhukov. Got two legacies to balance." "That will earn you an additional strike on the record, Son."

Eric sighed before nodding. "Understood." Chiyo hummed before placing a hand on Eric's shoulder. "Let us retire. Your gunnery is clearly good. But you will need to have a firm grasp on tactics and strategy. And no, we will not be throwing tanks at  a problem until it sticks." Eric chuckled. "We are not allowed that many anyways." Chiyo nodded as Eric looked to Rumi. "Take us back."

After a short ride in silence, everyone dismounted and headed into the officer's meeting room. All the other commanders within the Shensha-do team stood before Chiyo smiled, indicating that they could speak. "Mister Zhukov will conduct the briefing." Eric deadpanned before sighing. "Commander Shimada, who are we facing first?"

Alice hummed before nodding. "We will be facing Maginot." Eric nodded before smirking. "Cavalry and Defense. That will be easy to eliminate if they are not fighting on a defense-oriented field. They field exclusively Pre-war French tanks. They are not a real threat, more of an annoyance." The women muttered amongst themselves. "Is he being serious?" "Is he underestimating them?" "They have taken on a Big Four and won before."

Eric closed his eyes and allowed the girls to stop muttering before continuing. "Now, I propose that we divide into two groups. The Centurion, under Commander Alice with be Force Alpha, with six Pershings as support. They will act as the main force and hit Maginot from the front. Considering the opposition, remaining at long range will be optimal, and thus, the risk will be mitigated." He hummed as the strategy continued to formulate in his head. "Force Bravo, we will skirt the edge of the field, with the T-34-100 leading, in order to outflank the Maginot force. Four Chaffees and Two Pershings will support the T-34-100. We should surprise them from the Rear or rear-flank." He looked to Chiyo and Alice.

The Headmistress frowned before stepping forward. "Such a strategy has massive risk. Maginot will strike the flag tank if they get too close. And Miss Eclair is one who leads them." Eric raised a brow. "And what is special about her? As far as I'm aware, she falls in step with Maginot doctrine."