The Rising North

Chapter 9: Training (3.5)

(Author's note: There is a server to discuss regarding this story, if you're interested, join in! https://discord.gg/JBjVgVwq )

Training field, Observation tower, 14th of September 2015, Afternoon:

The three instructors stood on the platform of the towers, their hands on their own binoculars, watching as the combat training was still ongoing. Rams' battling against each other like dogs, with the Churchill being the most dominant tank in the battle, taking multiple hits and hitting multiple tanks.

"Damn, that's chaos over there." Lieutenant Morrison commented.

"You're right, it's chaos... That Churchill sure is doing fine and dandy." The Captain focused on the Churchill, observing it through the binocular, with a look of amusement on his face.

Then, the tower received an unexpected guest, a blonde lady appeared, wearing a light grey trench coat. The Captain looked back and noticed and recognized the lady, that was Maria Harlington, he then decided to approach her. "Good afternoon Mrs. Harlington, welcome to the training field, I'm guessing you're here to watch?" The Captain reached out his hand to her for a handshake. 

Maria reached out her glove covered hand and shook his hand, "Greetings Captain, and yes, I am here to observe the training."

"Ah, I see that Mr. Harlington sent you here?" The Captain asked, in a very polite tone, keeping eye contact with her in a respectful manner.

"Ah, no. I came here myself to see how my daughter is doing so far." Maria then walked towards the rails, and looked at the chaos that was happening in the distance. "Quite the spectacle out there..." 

"Oh, your daughter? I reckon it's Alisia Harlington, yes? Also indeed, it is quite a spectacle." The Captain handed him a binocular.

"Well, yes. You're correct Captain. Oh, thank you." Maria took the binoculars, and looked around battle that was happening, to see a Stuart on top of a hill, hiding among the bushes, and spotted her daughter that was standing on top of the cupola. "What an interesting tank over there." Maria continued observing on the Stuart, she zoomed in closer to see Alisia up close, noticing bandages on her head, with a few blood stain. "Oh my, she's hurt."

"Excuse me?" The Captain looked towards the direction, noticing the Stuart with Alisia standing on the cupola, hurt. "Oh my, I didn't know it would be this fatal... though she looks fine over there. Quite a good candidate for a leader, being calm despite being hit. I thought she'll be just a clumsy one since she got picked by a pencil or a pen." 

"You're... right. Strange, I don't recall her being much of a resilient person." Maria began to question, how Alisia even managed to regain composure that fast? Did she got abused in the past? If so, who? Many questions appeared inside her mind before she looked back at the Stuart, and noticed another Stuart creeping behind, with its barrel being aimed towards Alisia's Stuart.

Training field, Stuart, Afternoon:

As the battle continued below, the crew of the Stuart continued watching from above a hill, not realizing another Stuart that was creeping from behind. Its barrel aiming down at the fixed tank in front of it. Alisia felt something hit her nerve, and looked back, to see the Stuart still aiming down its barrel. Her eyes widened and she immediately yelled at Anoki in a panicked tone.

"There's a tank behind us! Move!" Alisia ordered in a panicked tone, but the Stuart behind them fired its 37mm cannon, a loud thunderous sound spewed out from the tip of the barrel, as it shot out its projectile, only for it to miss and flew right just above Alisia's head, causing Alisia to froze, shivering from the shell that almost hit her. 

Anoki was fast to heat the engine back up again, hitting on the gas, moving the tank away from its current position to the thick forest ahead. The Stuart behind began giving chase, firing another shell at it, which missed once more. Miyuki looked at Alisia frozen on the cupola, and pulled her back in by the shirt. 

"It's dangerous out there! Don't stay on top like that!" Miyuki panicked, as she sat Alisia back on her seat, and to see Alisia's face being pale. "O-Oi... Alisia?" Miyuki began shaking Alisia up, before then giving her a slap on the face. "Wake up!" The slap on Alisia's cheeks caused Alisia to wake back up from her state of shock, Alisia shivered, before then looking around. Miyuki released a sigh of relief, before then asking for orders. "W-What's your orders?" 

Alisia looked around for a few moment, before then shaking her head. "K-Keep moving in zig-zag and try not to get hit. G-Get the cannon to the direction on the back and try take out that Stuart." 

Both Anoki and Miyuki nodded, before then they began doing as ordered. Anoki began moving the tank in a zig-zag manuever, switching the levers from time to time, keeping the tank on the maximum speed it can while trying to avoid crashing into the trees. Meanwhile, Miyuki began cranking the turret one-hundred-and-eighty-degrees to the rear, aiming down the cannon at the tank that was chasing them. Miyuki then pulled the trigger of the cannon, igniting the shell inside the chamber, causing a thunderous reaction as the powder inside the shell ignited, spewing out the projectile through the barrel. The shell flew through the sky for a moment, only for it to miss, hitting one of the trees instead. 

Miyuki re-opened the chamber of the gun, and a hot steaming shell popped out from it, dropping to the tank's floor. She took another shell from the ammo rack on the lower compartment. She shoved the small small into the chamber of the gun, before then shutting the chamber of the gun, and went back to the control, adjusting the gun to aim down the chasing Stuart, before then firing. The process repeated for several times, until Alisia halted Miyuki. 

"Hold it. we're not gonna hit them, we'll just waste all of our ammo if we keep on like this." Alisia ordered Miyuki.

"Then how are we gonna take them out?" Miyuki looked at Alisia, looking very desperate in the eyes for orders. Alisia thinked for a moment, before she came up with an idea.

Alisia came out from the cupola, looking at the Stuart behind her Stuart shooting at them, with its shell either dropping the ground, the trees, or the sky above due to the unstable roads it was traversing in, and the zig-zag manuever the tank was performing. Shrapnel and dirt fell from above, causing her to cower back in, before then coming back out wearing the Broady helmet, popping her head just showing her helmet. She looked back at the Stuart that was still chasing them, before then looking at the barrel of the Stuart's 37mm cannon. She looked at the 37mm gun that was pointing at the direction of the Stuart. 

Alisia then ordered Miyuki. "Get on the gun, move the gun a few degrees right and keep it stable, and get ready to fire on my mark." 

Miyuki heard the order she just received. "Ok!" She went back to the gun, and began cranking the crank on the turret to right incline on the rear of the tank. She looked out to see a Stuart that was still shooting at them for 8 minutes straight. Now she was just awaiting for Alisia's order on what to do next.

Alisia's eyes was focused on the Stuart in front of her, watching as her tank was driving straight, still trying to hit them, but of course no shots have hit the surface of the tank besides a view scratches. Her mind began brainstorming the posibilities of hitting the Stuart, a line appeared from in front of the barrel, forming a parabola line, with the line as if serving like a laser pointed. She blinked, and was confused by the sudden appearance of the line. She shook her head, only for the parabola like line still appearing on her vision from the barrel. "What's happening with my eyes..." 

"A-Alisia? What should I do?" Miyuki's voice interrupted Alisia's current confusion, causing Alisia to decide to just use the parabola line in front of her. Waiting for a moment for the tank to align with the chasing Stuart. Seconds passed, Alisia sweat, waiting for a moment, feeling frustrated waiting for it to align.

"Fire!" Alisia shouted.

"Firing." Miyuki pressed on the trigger, causing an ignition inside the shell, spewing out a projectile out from the barrel, only for it to miss.

Alisia ranted in frustation. "How did you miss?!" She looked down towards Miyuki with a glare into her eyes. 

Miyuki gulped from the sharp glare Alisia was giving her, she gave a slight bow. "Sorry!" 

There was no time to respond back to that, Alisia ordered Miyuki once more. "Load in another shell!" 

"H-Hai!" Miyuki acknowledged, before then going back down to the lower compartment, pulling out another small shell, before then reopening the chamber, letting the hot steaming shell drop to the floor and shoved the new shell into the chamber, before then shutting it close. "Up!" 

Alisia looked back at the Stuart behind her tank, now knowing that she should order Miyuki to fire seconds before the line align with the Stuart behind. She awaited for a few moments, only for Anoki to yell as she saw a steep high hill ahead. "Dead end ahead! Uhh, we might have to turn away!"

Alisia was even more stressed, she has lesser time to wait for the perfect moment to fire the cannon. She took a very deep breath, before then exhaling it, looking back at the cannon and the parabola line that pointed forward, and as the line was about to align with the Stuart, she ordered to Miyuki in a loud voice. "Fire!" 

"Firing!" Miyuki heard the order and pulled the trigger in a perfect moment, as the barrel aligned with the Stuart. The shell ignited and spewed out a shell from the barrel. It flew in the air for a brief milli-second, before then hitting the center mass of the Stuart, hitting its turret ring and taking it out, with the white flag popping out. 

"Changing course!" Anoki switched the lever to move the tank 180 degrees to the right, still moving it on a zigzag, until Alisia eased up and ordered. 

"Move in a straight line for now." Alisia sighed, and sat back down on the commander's seat, relieved. Her heart was racing and cold sweat dripping down the skin, the same can be said with the rest of the crew. "Bring us back to the hill..." 

"On it.." Anoki continued driving the tank forward, her hands were red and also tired, evident from her hands shaking. She kept her eyes on the view port, looking at the path ahead for any obstacles.

The Stuart continued driving through the forest, traversing through the bush and tree covered terrain, encountering a few large rocks. Anoki was staring forward with a look of confusion on her face, blinking for a few seconds before then asking. "Uhm.. where are we again?" 

Alisia stared at Anoki. "What do you mean by 'where are we again'? She increased her tone at the repeated word. 

"I think she's saying that we're lost..." Miyuki stated. "A-Are we?"

"What do you mean we're lost?!" Alisia's face turned pale, as she looked out from the cupola, looking at the surrounding with a frantic look, to see only the dark forest as the sun began to set on the horizon. Her eyes widened in realization. "We're.. lost." 

"EH?!" Miyuki looked out from the other hatch, and began hearing sounds of cricket and a few roars in the distance, which caused her nerve to shiver, before shutting the hatch. "W-We're lost..." 

"NO! That can't be true!" Tears began falling out from Alisia's eyes, dripping down her cheeks and falling down to the floor, as fear kicked into her mind. She then glared at Anoki with a wet look on her face. "This is your fault!" 

"W-What?! I was just driving!" Anoki defended herself, and was shocked with Alisia's sudden accuse.

"You should've remembered the road, DUMMY!" Alisia began hitting Anoki's back with her hands, while crying, giving a childish look. 

"Ow!" Anoki flinched from the hits she received from Alisia, and without realizing that she has just moved the tank's path. "Stop it!" 

"Alisia, stop it!" Miyuki tried pulling Alisia back, but Alisia's energy overwhelmed her, causing her to hurt herself in the process by hitting the gun chamber, giving a slight scratch.

"It's your fault!" Alisia continued crying, hitting on Anoki's back for a few several minutes, causing Anoki to once more drove the tank to the other direction. Anoki tried focusing on the road, but with Alisia panicking and crying, it didn't help much but cause her to lose focus.

"I said stop it-" Anoki looked back to the front, to notice a sloped ground ahead of the tank. Her eyes widened, she tried pulling the breaks but her hands were still exhausted from the previous encounter. "We're going down!" 

The tank slide down the sloped terrain, unable to be stopped. In front was what remained of the previous large battle that they spectated a while ago, knocked out Rams with white flags popped out from the turrets. Then in front of them was a Churchill, with its turret moving to the left where the Stuart was sliding down, which fired but missed. The Stuart then slammed onto the Churchill's side, both crews having their heads slammed against or onto the interior surface. 

Alisia climbed out from inside the cupola, before falling on top of the roof of the Stuart, breathing heavily and with sweat all over her skin. She looked at the Churchill which has its 57mm cannon aimed at her Stuart's barrel. Her eyes widened as she hopped back inside her Stuart, before the Churchill's 57mm thundered as a shot spewed out from the tip of its barrel, impacting the surface of the Stuart in close range. A white flag popped out from the Stuart's turret, with smoke steaming out from from the impacted zone. 

The radio of each tanks then turned on, with a static sound for a few seconds before the Captain's voice can be heard through. "Six tanks destroyed, one remaining. Jack's team wins."