Andou's Rebellion

Chapter 3 - Contest

The Kuromorimine girls' tank drove carefully down the path ahead of them. Of the BC freedom arsenal they had chosen a Panzer V. "What if we lose this match? There's no way they'll take us seriously," began Elise.

"Then we mustn't fail!" cheered Lisa, pretending enthusiasm.

"Lisa is right, we'll take them on one at a time. Our Panther will crush these little frenchie's tankettes." laughed Helena.

"Oh, oui oui, give me baguettes," mocked Lisa.

The girls laughed and proceeded onward. "First tank coming up, looks like you were right, Helena, it's just a light cavalry tank." said Elise.

"Smoke them!" yelled Helena. Elise loaded a round into the breach allowing for Lisa to fire into the AMR. Without fail, the AMR-35 was taken down easily with a flop, and then it's flag popping up.

"They took the bait, prepare to move out!" called the team from within the AMR to their commander.

"What idiots, just coming at us like that!" jeered Lisa.

"Right! Sierra, Bravo, move out!" yelled Oshida into her radio. Two sets of tanks leaped from the bushes and flanked the Kuromorimine tank on either side.

"Scheisse! It was a trap!" exclaimed Helena.

"Run those things off the road!" yelled Lisa. Helena revved the engine and began turning the tank towards the two on her right flank. All four tanks on her side began shooting at the Panther, peppering the armor of it. Lisa tried rotating the turret to sit over the two tanks on the left, but they stayed too close to body and while she could sit the barrel over them, she could not get a shot off.

"We've got her distracted, Commander, now's you're chance!" said the commander to the foremost AMR.

Oshida's ARL pushed out from cover and aimed it's long barrel in the direction of the Panther, firing at it's flank, but missing. "You're too close, I can't get a good shot!" yelled Oshida.

"Try aiming for the rear of it!" responded the AMR commander.

"Look a bridge!" shouted Helena. "Looks pretty narrow, maybe we can shake them off there!"

"Good, head straight for it, full speed," smiled Elise.

"They're headed for the bridge, pull back!" yelled Oshida from where she was tracking the group.

"Keep heading for the bridge?" asked one of the tank drivers.

"No! No! Stop!" yelled Oshida. The tanks flanking tried to keep on the Panther's side, but on reaching the bridge and applying their brakes to make a sudden stop, three of them fell over the cliff and landed on the SOMUAs waiting in the gulch below causing them to be eliminated.

"What the hell!" yelled Andou. "Why are your tanks knocking out mine?"

"It's not my fault they didn't hear me!" yelled back Oshida.

The Panther turned it's turret to the last tank standing on the ridge and fired, knocking that tank out as well.

"As expected Oshida, I have to clean up after you!" growled Andou as her tank and a couple of Sherman tanks began moving towards the inbound Panther.

"The coast is clear, looks like we made it past them!" cheered Elise.

"Not so fast!" gasped Helena.

Andou's SOMUA leaped over the hill standing between the Panther and the sound wall and fired its gun, landing a shot straight into the side of the hull of the tank. The Panther's engine sputtered for a moment as a loud sound of gears grinding filled the hull before at last the tank's flag jumped up from atop.

"Finished!" cheered Andou as her tank landed ungracefully.

"What kind of Panther is this, to be knocked out that easily!" cried Elise.

Marie's FT-17 rolled up beside the Panther and upon seeing Marie's approach, Andou straightened herself, to look presentable for her commander. "Marie!"

"At ease, Andou," replied Marie. Oshida followed shortly after Marie and parked her tank as the three Kuromorimine girls exited theirs.

"Look's like you got us," muttered Helena.

"Yes, we did. But you did well for your disadvantage. Only three girls in a tank with a crew of five. At least four should have been, since we don't use the small arms too much. Not to mention it was one of you versus all of us, so I look forward to placing you three on our team," stated Marie.

"What!" exclaimed Andou. "You're not really thinking of placing them are you?"

"Why not?" asked Marie.

"We creamed them, it's not my fault that Oshida is so bad that even these chumps can beat her, my team was on the ball!" shouted Andou.

"Andou, mind your tongue with Marie!" shouted Oshida.

"Oh, like you mind yours, you boot licking, ass kissing..."

"Enough!" shouted Marie. "I made my choice, it's final Andou."

Andou glared for a moment before responding, "Yeah? We'll see!" She turned and kicked her tank before leaving the field without another word.

Andou sulked as she walked home by herself again. "Andou!" shouted someone from behind her. She turned to see Fontaine chasing after her once again.

"Hey, kid," mumbled Andou.

"I'm not a kid, so why do you keep calling me one!" shouted Fontaine. "And what's wrong? Are you still mad about Marie's decision."

"To hell with them!" yelled Andou.

"What's wrong." asked Fontaine.

"They never listen to me. I've had enough. I'm done with Sensha-dō."

"You... you're kidding. You can't be!" said Fontaine, as she grabbed onto Andou.

"I can. And I will," replied Andou, pulling her arm away.

"But, you can't! I need you on the team!" replied Fontaine.

"Huh!" gasped Andou.

"You're my role model, I look up to you, Andou! I want to be just like you when I grow up!"

Andou laughed. "When she grows up? She's fourteen." Andou thought to herself. But then again, Andou was eighteen. "Could four years enough to grow up?" Andou did grow a lot in four years. At least sort of, she was still a hot head. But there was no doubt in Andou's mind Fontaine was a kid, and it was Andou's job then, as her upperclassman to be a model student for Fontaine. "Ah, well, fine kid, for you, I'll give it another go. But if those Escalator girls spit on me one more time!"

"They won't. They couldn't bare to lose someone as cool as you," replied Fontaine.