The Tigers of Chi-Ha-Tan ReRise Volume 3: The Tigresses Trial

Our Bond is More Than About Sensha-do

With a nod at her first year's quick response to orders and their steady driving, Tamada close her hatch and took hold of her commanders periscope and watch through the lens. They were closing the distance with the defensive line, and even though this was a practice, Tamada's heart was beating fast for the coming fight.

"Maemi," Tamada call to her driver over the crew net. "Keep a steady hand on the sticks, we're going to get a lot of shaking when they fire."

"Roger!" Maemi confirm back.

"Chisato, make sure our gyro is on, we're going to be firing on the move."

"Ready!" Chisato the gunner said excitedly, her left foot bouncing excitedly and ready to step on the firing pedal.

"Mikik, give me a smoke shell."

Mikik reach down to the stowage unit below her, then loaded the shell into the breach. "Loaded!"

"Good, wait for my call out," Tamada said, as she kept her eyes through her periscope at the defensive line.

Then it happen, as a sudden succession of flashes from the enemy tanks, they all fired in a ragged volley. For only a split second Tamada could see their tracer shells all flying at her tank, then the sudden sensation of being hit. From the inside, it sounded to Tamada like there was a sudden rash of lightning strikes slapping into her tank, making it shake hard, yet Tamada and her crew were veterans and weren't faze, as this was just another day at the office for them.

"Damn! Bouncing those Type 75mm guns and our commanders 88mm is unreal! I know we're using practice shells, but it's still impressive," Maemi bounced in her seat excitedly, her hands holding the driving sticks confidently, keeping the tank steady.

"Now's our turn! Chisato, 11 o'clock, down 10, 500 meters, fire at the Tiger 1!" Tamada order.

Getting her sights adjusted to the right position while dealing with firing the gun accurately on the move, Chisato finally got situated and call her shot as she step on the firing pedal, "on the way!"

The 76mm gun on the Chi-Ha-Tan Jumbo Sherman roar to life, sending its smoke shell right at the Tiger 1 and plastering it and the area around it in white smoke. Yet that didn't deter the Tiger 1's first-year gunner Nomi, who fired through the screen, with the tracer shell coming through the smoke and slapping right into the frontal armor of the Jumbo.

"Jeez! That first-year gunner of Miho's is the real thing, she even hit us through a smokescreen," Kana, Tamada's bow gunner said in a surprised tone, while keeping a steady hand on her 1919 Browning machine gun.

"I can't let her keep outshining me, I'm a second-year after all," Chisato said, as she was quite competitive, and knew that Nomi was the ace gunner among the Chi-Ha-Tan gunner group, but that only made Chisato want to train harder to beat her.

"She's just trying to imitate that Naomi girl from Saunders, she saw her do the same thing in that match with them," Tamada said with grin, as she respected the first year, yet wanted to beat her too.

Yet they had their drill to go through, so Tamada kept her mind on what Miho wanted her platoon to learn to do for the upcoming match. However, a sudden call came over the net from one of Tamada's platoon members, who was also feeling the competitiveness in her heart but was overdoing it.

"Watch me, Miss Tamada, I'm going to show off my warrior's prowess, just like you!" Miyata excitedly said over the net.

Hearing the sound of an engine driving next to her, Tamada turn her periscope to see Miyata's Chi-He who had broken formation and was pushing past her on the right, which made Tamada's blood boil as she open a net call to her first year. "Miyata, get back in formation!"