Andou's Rebellion

Chapter 1 - Rivalry

Andou smiled while she stood outside the hatch of her tank as it rolled along the sparring grounds of BC Freedom's Sensha-dō training area. "We're closing in on them!" called Andou into her radio. "Don't let up!"

Oshida growled as Andou's tank drew nearer. "Split up team! I'll take her head on!" The two tanks driving along side Oshida's peeled away from hers, each moving in one direction of their own. Oshida looked to either side, but saw there was not enough clearance for her to turn the barrel of her ARL 44.

"Don't let them get away!" yelled Andou "You two take the left bank; you, the right!" Andou's tank and the other two escorting her continued along pushing nearer to Oshida as she sped over a small gulch.

"Beta team, fire!" called Oshida. Two tanks drove out from the culvert and took aim for the tanks escorting Andou. Andou gasped as the tanks fired, knocking her escorting tanks out with a spin, followed by their flags popping up.

Another volley came towards, Andou, just missing her. "Damn!" cursed Andou. "Keep following her! Team regroup on me we're going to end this!" Andou smiled as she saw they were approaching a tall sound wall. Which ever way Oshida turned, Andou would have the advantage of having more time to turn in order to cut Oshida off if need be. Her turning would also likely slow them both down, allowing Andou to get a clear shot off on Oshida.

"Turn left!" cried Oshida, as she too spotted the wall. The tank driver pulled at the throttle, but the tank was moving too fast. The brakes slipped and it quickly lost control, entering a spin causing the tank to slam full speed into the wall. A small white flag popped up as Andou fired into the disabled tank.

"Victory is mine!" cheered Andou.

"We won?" asked the driver, looking up from her position.

"Yes we- hey slow down!" cried Andou as she realized the driver had not started decelerating. The grinding of the axles came as her driver pulled the hand brake, but Andou's tank slammed into Oshida's, disabling Andou's as well. Both were knocked out.

Oshida crawled out of her tank and held her head, Andou doing the same. "I got you!" cheered Andou.

"No, the wall got me!" argued Oshida.

"So, you wouldn't have hit it without my pressure." spat Andou.

"Not so, if it wasn't for my driver being a first year this never would have happened."

"Mine is a first year too, so what?" retorted Andou.

"Look where that got you, it looks like your flag is up too!" replied Oshida.

A speedy FT-17 approached the two and upon seeing it the girls looked up to see their commander, Marie. "Miss Marie!" said Andou, posturing herself. "Did you see that, I knocked her out pretty well didn't I?"

"Miss Marie!" said Oshida. "You saw, it was just because of my driver's inexperience, wasn't it. Andou didn't actually get me."

"I saw both of you," replied Marie. "That turn was too hard for any first year to make." Andou's face fell as she heard this, "But, if it were not for Andou's pressure, your driver wouldn't have had to. A wise commander need not rely only on the power of her gun to strike down her foe."

"Yes!" cheered Andou.

"But, Andou, you have much you could improve on. You were too caught up in victory and your rivalry with Oshida. You let your guard down, costing you two teammates, and you were not able to see what your driver missed. The responsibility of the tank crew falls squarely on any tank commander. A good leader will put the needs of those under her before her own wishes, even her own needs."

"W-well," began Andou.

"Wishes like petty rivalry," went on Marie.

"Ha! Told you, you were not good enough to defeat me completely!" cheered Oshida.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." replied Andou, as she climbed defeated out of her tank.

Andou headed home after practice. "Why can't Marie ever just give me one victory without having to step in for that damn, Oshida. She always takes her side in everything! Hmph, it's probably because she's an Escalator as well," grumbled Andou.

"Hey! Andou! Wait for me," yelled someone from behind Andou.

"Hmm?" Andou turned to see her tank driver Fontaine, a first year student who had enrolled in Sensha-dō.

"Andou!" she panted as she caught up.

"What's up?" asked Andou in a cool manner.

"I just wanted to say sorry for crashing earlier, if I hadn't messed up, you wouldn't have gotten yelled at by Marie."

"Ah, no worries, kid, it's all in the job. Those Escalator folk always yell at girls like us, anyway," dismissed Andou.

"My friends say they're really self-centered." commented Fontaine.

"Oh yeah, especially that Oshida, I mean who does she think she is telling me what I did wrong, even when I won." Andou turned to look at Fontaine and realized she was being a little too harsh in front of the girl. "Tell you what kid, let's go get a drink, huh. You want a ramune?"

"Yeah, sure!" cheered Fontaine.

"This is your best performance?" demanded Maho. "You claim you want to be masters of Sensha-dō and this is what I get from you all, you constantly slack off, you can't get a single win, and you are a disgrace upon this school!" she spat while looking at the group of students who stood before her. Maho thought of what next to do with them. It was this group of students specifically who were a problem for her, no others of the Sensha-dō team. "You're behavior is exactly what I'd expect from those 'BC Freedom' girls, always talking back, slacking off, failing! As a matter of fact... why don't I have you all transferred there."

"B-BC Freedom?" cried one of the members.

"Yes, I think so, too. If you want to live like failures, you will be treated as such," said Erika, who stood by Maho's side. Maho didn't want to have to be so harsh with the students, but their behavior left her with no choice. The school was wanting to expel them for their behavior, and they had hoped to be able to get them to straighten out through Sensha-dō, but it was clear to Maho, they needed a much harsher treatment than she was able to give them.

The BC Freedom girls were always ones to promote order and self discipline, at least the Examination faction were. She remembered the gluttonous leader of the Sensha-dō team, but as long as the Examination students were there, they could probably straighten these three out. If there was any hope in getting the girls to get their act together it was sending them away somewhere where they'd be out of their element.

"I just hope the leadership are not a bad influence on these girls," thought Maho.