Chapter 41
The dirt road, once a calm and collected bunch of dirt, now rumbled with the movement of several ton killing machines. Akari's force had moved right into the path that Edward had set for them. two-hundred yards away from the selected dirt road was the hidden force of High Schoolers. Quietly they sat, watching the line of Challengers and remaining Type-10's advance without any knowledge of the inevitable ambush.
Edward had hunkered down behind his tanks commanders hatch and watched fervently. His gaze was that of a predator stalking its prey, intent on jumping forward and taking the kill. For his lust of battle was aching to be sated, and nearly drove him to give a mighty cry of war. However Edward was more reserved then any old warmonger. He would wait for another minute until he knew his opponent was entering his trap.
A brief glance around him showed his friends all lined up and rearing to go just as much as he was. The whole of the American High Schoolers followed him without question, hesitation, and fear.
Akari. She was standing outside the commanders hatch of a Type-10. She glanced around the area scouring for any sign of life or any presence of opposition. She would find nothing. Now. Now was the time.
"Fire!" Edward yelled into his headset. The mass of one hundred and thirty guns roared to life and sprung the multitude of ordinance into the Federation Convoy. Not nearly as many went down as Edward would have wanted, but a good portion all the same. Next plan. "Forward!"
From the bushes and foliage to their East the Federation witnessed a hoard of the High Schoolers tanks emerging from their hiding place and charged directly at them. This time they would be ready for such a tactic. However The Americans were also ready for this same tactic and gave not a groan or grunt of displeasure.
The first tank to reach the Federation lines was the Tiger 1 from Uncle Sam, and right into the side of a Challenger 1 it went. Slamming into the body of the British made tank. The Challenger 1 was hit with enough force to tip it onto its sides, letting the white surrender flag out and signaling its inoperability.
The rest of the scourge launched themselves into the line of Federation tanks and showed similar results. However most of the impacts only pushed or turned the Federation vehicles into a better position for their own counter attack. Without a second to lose the Federation opened fire and immediately showed their new prowess. Taking lessons from old the Federation tanks jerked themselves and moved in rapid succession to each other and quickly formed a new battle line twenty yards away from the road.
Peters 38t moved itself forward, passed the dirt road and onto the grassy field behind it. The tank moved quickly on its own, roughly 26 miles an hour, but with some tips he learned from Rosehip, Chubbs managed to become a better driver with great maneuverability. Through the constant firing and crazy amount of smoke from the many number of shells being fired visibility was decreasing. Which led Chubbs to drive the 38t the wrong way and directly into sight of the Federation lines.
The shot came from a Challenger 2. However this was no ordinary tank shell. The impact was fierce. When the shell hit, the tank was launched as if it was ball. The 38t skidded to a halt and the three occupants just sat trying to catch their bearings before being able to speak.
"What the hell was that!?" Nikoli yelled. Peter had to answers. One, the shell hit a vital point of the tanks body. However that was low in statistics. The second, was that this was one of the High Impact Carbon shells they read about. A groan in pain lead the two to glance at their driver, who was struggling to move anything.
"Chubbs!" Peter yelled as he moved to check on his friend. Upon examining Chubbs left shoulder was dislocated. The blast and impact sent them hurtling into the tank itself. Chubbs got unlucky with this one. "Get on the horn to Ed! Tell him we have confirmation on those High Impact shells!" Peter ordered Nikoli, who acted immediately.
"Ed, this is Nikoli, the 38t is out. but we have confirmation on those High Impact rounds. Chubbs is hurt, we're going to do what we can, but we should end this thing fast!" Nikoli said into the radio.
Edward had heard Nikoli and gave him affirmation on the details. He was right. The percentage of people getting hurt with these things out there was to high. He was glad the girls weren't here.
"Davis! HIC shells are confirmed! Swing around left, Rivers take your shots from a distance and try to hit those Type-10's! They're going to be a big problem!" Edward Ordered.
"Copy that Ed!" Davis replied.
"Roger!" Rivers said.
"Adam, move the Abrams into shuttle position! You and I will clear a section and get a view on the Federation line! Johnathon, when you see the line have your guys open fire!" Edward ordered.
"You got it!" Adam said.
"Will do!" Johnathon replied.
Not even five minutes and already this battle was going crazy. He didn't think that things would've escalated this quickly, but he had to deal with it now. He followed Adam into position and began his small bombardment on the Federation lines. The power from the Abrams was enough to take one of those Type-10's out in one hit, however it was the only one to have that power.
Johnathon saw his opening and motioned for his guys to begin their own barrage of attacks. Three of the Type-14's were enough power to take down a Type-10 but the reload was not fast enough to have the continuous barrage Johnathon hoped for.
The Federation retaliation was swift. A direct hit to the side of one type-14 knocked it over completely. The impact was felt by Johnathon even with his distance from the tank. Another volley from the Challenger types dwindled the American numbers enough for Edward to take his next plan of action.
"All forces proceed to fall back position two! Get distance from the Federation line but make it look like we're gaining the range advantage! They'll advance towards us and expose themselves!" Edward ordered. The mass of acknowledgement and immediate motions of the tanks followed his orders. Retreating to another chosen position would suit them in this battle.
Akari witnessed the retreat of the American line and immediately called for a halt on the attack. While the rest of her forces would love nothing more then to rush and crush the Americans, Akari had learned from previous experiences and knew that the American Commander Edward had some form of trap in wait. She wouldn't fall for another of their scandals this time.
"Signal the Cannon. Give them the coordinates and open fire. I don't know where Nishizumi and the other girls are, but this will get them out of their holes." Akari ordered.
The radio operator proceeded to call and instruct the other end of the line. Several miles north, hidden in the large brush of trees, was a very much operational Schwerer Gustav Cannon. The Cannon operators in the cannon control room received their orders and moved to begin the loading sequence.
"Elevation, nine, zero, zero, distance thirty-two kilometers. Fire for effect." Said the radio operator. The cannon raised its barrel into the air and calculated the distance into its effective radius. Over one of the communication horns was the voice of one of the loading operators.
"Loading is set. Fire is good to go." Said the operator. The head operator looked into the elevation again and smirked.
"Fire." She said. The cannon operator pushed the big red button and immediately the loudest bang alongside the biggest shock the women have ever felt was sent. The cannon shell was sent into the air heading directly for Edwards line of defense. Not one second later was the explosion heard.
The large shell hit the ground and sent both a type-14 and one M6 heavy into the air. The two tanks impact the ground fast and hard enough for Edward to worry about actual damages to his friends.
"What the hell was that!?" Rivers yelled over the radio. That sound was loud and even then the repulse was heard as well.
"Davis! You said you took it out!" Edward accused. The Virginia Commander had an instant rebuttal.
"We did! We sent that thing up in flames! I don't know how they managed to fix it!" Davis said.
"Well it doesn't matter now! All forces, Scatter! That was just the first of many, so stand clear of each other and try not to take a hit!" Edward ordered. His order was followed explicitly. Every standing American tank scattered like dust in the wind.
"Ed. You know as well as I do that the safest place from that thing is within Akari's forces." Davis said. Edward hated to agree with that statement.
"I know. Just hold out for now and keep fighting. We'll get through this." Edward said glaring at the sky.
The massive explosion was heard several miles away. the entire column of Japanese high schoolers halted when presented with the sound. Every eye was directed northward as a large pillar of smoke was rising from the ground. Brows furrowed with confusion and glances were shared between the bewildered high school girls. What was big enough to pull off a noise like that?
"What was that?" Erika asked over comms. Maho glanced at her sister and both shared a confused shrug.
"Yukari. What have you got on that?" Miho asked. the brown-haired girl was already rattling her brain in thought, hand on her chin and her eyes darting back and forth to nowhere in particular.
"None of the tanks on the island have a propulsion that loud. The only thing I can think of is a long-range support gun like the sturmtiger or the Karl." Yukari said. More theories went out amongst the girls, primarily about large amounts of explosives and other illegal means. However the correct assumption was held by one from Saunders.
"The Gustav Cannon. It has to be the that. There's no other form of machine that can make an explosion that big." Alisa said.
"I thought that was taken out? how is it still operational" Darjeeling asked.
"I don't know, but within the time it took us to regroup and save Glendale from Akari's attack it's safe to assume that they had time to repair the thing. Davis and I planted the explosives on things that looked like it would destroy it. We didn't have the plans or anything." Alisa said. She felt terrible. She pushed the button that destroyed the gigantic siege gun, yet here it is mercilessly attacking the Americans.
"Don't beat yourself up Alisa, these Federation women are older and more experienced then us in more ways then one. They had more time to work on and learn about old World War II machines then we have. The real question is what can we do now?" Kay said. There was no real plan to begin with, just move out from the city and hope to find the boys.
"We're going north. We'll find the battle and assist where we can. Remember that the Federation are using High Impact Carbon rounds to their advantage. We move quick and fast. Get into their blinds and decoy as targets to give each other a shot. No theatrics and no heroics. Lets move." Maho ordered. Without delay the force began moving northward. The sound of the explosion sounded like the impact wasn't twenty miles away. they could get there within the hour, however the state that the girls might find their American counterparts in was a frightening one. One look at the girls and one would think they were to fragile for the possible sight that the boys were under. However Maho knew better. The entire time the Japanese girls and the American boys had been together they had grown older, wiser, and stronger.
The evidence was firstly shown back at Hoja City. The girls got their tanks half full of gas and packed with munitions within record time. Time that even the pros would be flabbergasted about. Another example would be a specific Sherman from Saunders. Nothing to notable had changed about it except for on its barrel were two words painted in white. 'Montana's Sisters'. That tank belonged to Fuka and Hina. The two girls, as had the whole of Saunders, had grown a strong siblingship with the boys from Montana. The initial animosity and anger gave way to a strong kinship that would hopefully last through their life time.
The confidence of the girls had skyrocketed to. Most of the younger girls, mainly any and all first years, had taken the life on the island very hard. It was a difficult thing to process. Especially when they had been promised a yearlong Shensha Do match and not a yearlong war. However when the High Schoolers fled Mishima and freed the Americans they found a new side to the situation. The Americans were full of confidence and bravado that it seemed the situation hadn't effected them. it obviously had, yet the boys showed their smiles and even encouraged the feelings of doubt and fear. It gave way for people to latch themselves onto something, and that was what was driving Maho. The fear of losing Edward.
A shell hit the E-75 square in the frontal armor. The impact sent the 75-tone machine sprawling backwards. The white surrender flag popped up signaling its defeat. Yet the groans and screams of pain from the occupants wasn't loud enough to reach the ears of anyone outside. The battle had turned into a massacre.
Edwards Hellcat was parked behind a hill with Rivers and the rest of the injured that had managed to be recovered from the battlefield. Edward looked on at the wounded and silently counted. Thirty-two injured. Three badly, the rest were least likely to need immediate attention but those three were priorities. Samuel and his tank crew just couldn't keep up with all the injured.
"Ed!" Rivers yelled moderately shoving Edwards shoulder gaining his attention. "What are we going to do!? Those HIC rounds are shredding us, and that damn Cannon is moving ever closer to us on its accuracy! We need either a get away or start a line drive straight into Akari's lines!"
"I know, I know! But I cant think of anyway to make this efficient!" Edward responded.
"Efficiency's gone out the window! We just need to make an opening to Akari and blast her down!" Rivers said as more shells hit nearby. Edward knew he was right. They couldn't stay in this fight any longer. Especially with the injured. Several tank crews haven't even been collected yet and more were getting taken out by the minute.
"Get Davis on the horn and tell him and everyone else besides the rear guard to charge at the line and just do what damage they can! I don't care what they do so long as they get that cannon to not hit them!" Edward ordered. Rivers nodded and ran to his tank to relay the orders. Edward was about to do the same when Samuel caught his attention.
"Ed! I cant properly treat these guys here! I have to get them out of the combat area! Can you make an exit for us to start ferrying them away!?" Samuel asked. Edward had not straight answer. Every tank still operable would be needed on the line. The only guards Samuel would have are the three rear guards. Two E-75's and another Chaffee.
"I don't know! Just do what you can!" Edward told Samuel before moving back to his tank. The Hellcat moved out from the cover of the hill and went back to the line of combat. He passed by several steaming wreckages of his friends and their tanks. Donovan was taken out half an hour ago, Peter and his guys much earlier, and even the Abrams was having trouble.
"Ready on your word Ed!" Davis shouted over comms. Edward took on long deep breath before narrowing his vision. He gazed at the Federation lines and scanned them all. He looked at both flanks and even the center formation, but his eyes were caught by a lone Type-10 sitting in the rear of the formations. That had to be Akari.
"All forces charge!!" Edward yelled his order and got an immediate result. the mass lunged forward for the second time this battle. They weaved around to avoid fire and took an advantage of the slower moving turrets of the Federation. Those HIC rounds were more damaging, but they were also heavier. "A lone Type-10 in the rear of the formation! Charge to it!" Edward gave his orders. The boys would follow.
Over two-hundred yards to the first line, Three hundred to the second, and five to Akari. That was a long drive within the current circumstances. Over the radio was more chatter and more yelling. Constant gibberish was being spoken as no one could understand anyone.
"I'm hit!" That was Christians voice. A glance at his direction showed his T-14 in upside down with a small fire on the right tread.
"Move faster! Get into their lines and confuse their fire!" Jonathan ordered. The weaving and dodging wouldn't last forever, and it showed. Another Chaffe was taken out, its body flung and spun around until it tipped over. One of the M6's took a frontal hit before throwing its front into the air before crashing down. Edward knew his dilemma. He was losing to many men.
"More to the right, the right!!" Hans yelled at Austin. The man was trying his hardest to maneuver the Tiger 1 away from the incoming barrage. However it was just to much. He knew this. The Tiger had already ricocheted one of the shells but that was lucky.
Austin saw it at the last second. Another HIC round coming straight for him. In his panic he turned the Tiger right and the Shell impacted on the lower side of the frontal armor. The impact bounced the Tiger into the air and completely demolished the left tread. When the tank settled back onto the ground did any sense of realization come back. Austin screamed in pure agony. His wail was probably heard at the Federation line.
"Austin!" Mark yelled as he moved over to his friend.
"My Leg's stuck!" Austin screamed. Sure enough his left leg was lodged into where the Impact had hit the tank. It moved the metal inward and pressed itself onto the young drivers leg pining him to his seat.
"William!? Are you alright!?" Hans asked. William turned to meet Hans face. his glasses were shattered, and some blood ran down his face, but he weakly smiled and gave an upright thumb. "Alright, lets get the crowbar and get Austin's leg out of there"
Edward noticed by now half of his force was gone. All disabled and unable to fight anymore. He felt as if the world slowed down. He felt like he was moving in slow motion. Tank after tank would fall to the onslaught of the Federation guns. One of the shells nearly sent a T-14 tanks cupola loose from its body. Even the hard-hitting strike from the Gustav Cannon sent more of his friends flying. Davis's M6 took a shell to the left track sending it tumbling and rolling over and over. Johnathon's T-14 took a frontal hit and flipped over landing on upside down. Even Edwards own Hellcat was taking more concentrated fire. It was only a matter of time before he was taken out to. And just like that, a High Impact Carbon shell hit the right side of his Hellcat sending it bouncing into the air before planting hard onto the ground. Edward was thrown from his seat and hit his head on the roof of his tank. When the moving stopped he felt a small stream of blood flow into his vision. He was hurt but he wasn't immobile.
Edward opened his hatch and looked outside. Fire and smoke surrounded the field of battle. The charred remains of his teams tanks and those of his allies littered the grounds. The sorrow and desperation was thick enough to feel in his bones. Even the sun gave some hint of dismay from the outcome of this tirade of unspoken combat.
Edward's peripheral vision latched onto an incoming Challenger 1 that lined up perfectly with its barrel at Edwards tank. It didn't fire but kept the premise of its threatening demeanor as a deterrent from Edward making any actions. Edwards mind began to feel light, and his vision was fading. He felt the utter sting of defeat and felt all was lost.
From a distance of who knows how far, a single tank shell hit the unaware Challenger 1 in the side knocking it out of commission and causing Edward to wake up from his drowsiness. He turned and saw the shot came from a familiar sight. A lone Firefly on the hill where Samuel and the injured were. Smoke coming from its barrel as the appearance of a glowing apparition shined from behind the Firefly. And moving passed it was the familiar sight of the old themes of the Japanese high schools.
Maho hadn't even given the order. The entirety of the Japanese girls were righteously enraged when they came upon the battlefield. They saw the impact craters from the Cannon, the smoldering wrecks of the tanks, and worst of all was the field hospital Samuel made up. The boys that lay barely motionless yet raving in excruciating pain sent the girls emotions over the edge. They charged.
The sight of the Girls had lifted the dread and fear the boys felt slightly. They felt a new sense of hope. As if a new light had shown them the way forward to victory. And they followed it. What remained of the boys followed behind the girls as they raced forward locked onto the heavy centerpiece of Akari's line. for the second time that battle did the lines collide. Taking a tactic from the Americans, the girls plowed head first into the Federation ramming their tanks into each other causing disorder to emerge. This gave the bewildered Americans a chance to regroup and join the fight.
Akari was angry. Yet again had Maho Nishizumi foiled a perfectly good strategy. Since the first sighting of the Japanese High Schoolers Akari had her face pressed into her binoculars in search of that wretched girl. Not two minutes of searching provided her results. The Tiger 1 branded with the 212 on the cupola stayed close to the rear of the formation. Akari was confused by this. Maho Nishizumi had always led from the front not the rear. So why now? It didn't truly matter as Akari reached for her radio and signaled the distant Cannon.
"Aim at point nineteen, elevation 800 mls, focus fire. End it now." Akari's voice was held with strictness. She wanted this for all that had happened.
"Point Nineteen, Elevation 800 mls, focus fire!" Ordered the cannon Commander. The gunners lined up the barrel of the cannon in sequence and locked coordinates. The loading crew set the next shell into place and the mechanism finished the loading procedure.
"Loaded and ready." Notified another operator.
"Coordinates set." The gunner stated.
"Fire." The Commander ordered.
The massive Siege Artillery fired its gun. The shell launched itself at insurmountable speeds. The flight lasted not fifteen seconds before the inevitable. The collision was direct on Maho's Tiger 1. The impact sent the Tiger not into the air, but into the ground. The treads sunk themselves under the weight and the merciless luck of god kept the cupola from collapsing and burying the Tiger crew inside its confines.
Edward stared wide eyed and more terrified then he ever felt before. All he could do was stare, his legs, arms, even his lips wouldn't move. Nothing came from him. Akari gazed at the sight in thrill. She felt so marvelous after that it felt euphoric. So much so she wanted more.
"Again." The fellow Federation women around Akari all looked at her in confusion. The Tiger was out so why continue?
"Ma'am the Tiger is disabled. any more and the hull structure could-." The Commander of another tank tried to say.
"Shut up! I said again." Akari ordered. The women around her looked at the radio with anticipation of the response.
"Roger." Came the reply.
Maho opened her eyes and studied her situation. That impact felt very heavy. It was actually the heaviest thing she had ever felt. Her crew were all moving around, and no major complaints were had, so any assumption of injury would be incorrect. The loader for the Tiger opened her hatch to get a view on what happened but quickly closed it and shouted.
"Brace!!" Maho did so and held herself tight. Another impact. This time it felt as though it was to the left of them. though the impact had that similar punch that the previous one had. Maho instantly new. They were being purposely targeted.
The thundering boom from another shell hit near them. the shacking of the ground caused the Tiger to rock. The metal inside the tank was shifting and causing distorting sounds. The walls of the tank felt as if they were closing in and the feeling of water pouring into the tank was taking an effect.
Maho began to breath heavily. She placed her hands onto her ears and covered them from the thunderous bangs from the repeating shells. A third one hit the ground and this time a small spill of dirt seeped into the tank. Most likely due to it being flung into the air. Maho, however, began overreacting.
"No! No please stop! Please stop it!" She shrieked. She starting howling out her desperation hoping anyone would hear her.
"Commander please calm down!" her driver said. Maho wouldn't have any of that, she just kept screaming.
"Please stop it! I'll do anything please stop it!" Maho wrapped her arms around her and collapsed to the floor. She was shaking out of pure terror. "Stop It!!" her last scream was the loudest yet. Luckily enough the Tigers radio was on and still broadcasting. Everyone high schooler was hearing Maho's heart shattering screams. Edward included.
"NO!" He screamed, grabbed his headset, and hoped out of his tank. He ran directly towards Maho's tank as he switched the calibration onto the radio to specific coordinates. Coordinates he received from Alisa so he could contact both the opposing side and his own at once. "Akari Stop attacking Maho's tank! You have to stop!" Edward shouted out of desperation.
Akari was, at first, shocked to hear Edwards voice. However that was quickly replaced with amusement.
"Why? Why should I stop giving myself the satisfaction I believe I deserve? There's no reason for me to stop." Akari stated. Yet Edward tried again.
"Akari please you don't understand!" He tried to reason but Akari wasn't listening.
"No! You don't understand! I am tired of all of you! I want nothing more than to cast all of you Americans into the ocean! If you surrender to me I'll stop all attacks but until then I will continue to attack Nishizumi's tank endlessly!" Akari stated.
"Akari please I'm trying to tell you-." Edward was interrupted.
"NO! I gave my response to you, now listen to it or I will-." This time Edward cut her off with the loudest and surprising statement.
"Maho's Pregnant!" He yelled. Time seemed to slow for everyone. Akari just blinked not sure if she heard right. But he said it with such assurance that she didn't know if he was being truthful or not. "She's Pregnant! Please stop attacking her!" Edward continued to plead.
The way he said it. The desperation in his voice. The pure echo of terror he was obviously feeling. He was telling the truth. Akari's eyes widened in fear of her own. She quickly brought up the radio to her lips and signaled the cannon.
"Stop firing! Stop firing immediately!" Luckily, she had at that moment, for the cannon had just loaded another round ready to be fired. Akari again to address her whole team. "All Federation forces stand down now!" She screamed.
"All High School Forces stand down, I repeat stand down!" Edward yelled the same order into his own headset. Immediately the fighting stopped. It was quiet. Almost like the end of the Great War. Chaos and gun fire. Then the soft silent swaying of the breeze and the singing of birds. But the silence was mostly do to the realization that Edward had just made. Maho was pregnant?
In a spur of the moment Edward forgot all pain in his body and sprinted faster then he ever had done and reached Maho's tank in record time. He hoped onto the cupola and opened the commanders hatch. Inside he saw the three other crewmembers all huddled over Maho protecting her as if another shell would come down.
"Maho!" Edward screamed and entered the tank. He found his way passed the crew members, who moved away, and grabbed her into his embrace. Maho took a moment to verify he was real and quickly hugged him back. she bawled into his shoulder, tears were coming faster then a raging waterfall. The two just sat there. No words, movements, nothing. Only each other.
"Edward? If it over?" Maho timidly asked. Edward simply nodded and responded.
"Yes. Yes its over. We're ending this war game now." He said. Maho nodded and sunk herself deeper into his embrace. Sadly, the moment was ruined by the ever-persistent Medic of Uncle Sam.
"Ed, Bring Maho up here! I have to get her to a medical facility asap!" his voice was full of authority. Edward nodded to himself and carefully brought Maho up and eased her out of the tank. Samuel was there looking quite cross. "Maho I told you not to get into a tank! Why would you endanger yourself like this?" His question was rhetorical in the sense that he just needed to tell her what she did was stupid. He didn't expect an answer.
Samuel's Chaffee was already alongside the crater and slowly they put Maho inside. Once done Samuel entered and gave one last look towards Edward before ordering the tank forward. At this point Mishima was closer then Hoja City so Samuel was heading that way. Alongside him were two challenger 1 tanks that over heard the conversation. They had called Edward up and mentioned that they would escort Samuel's tank to the city so they wouldn't get attacked. It was surprising but they excepted full heartedly.
With that Edward took a gander at the battlefield. The devastation was catastrophic. The charred remains of the tanks littered the field, the craters from the cannon were everywhere, and now the group of injured had grown exponentially. In fact the entirety of the injured were his boys. Not a single one of the girls tanks, besides Maho's, were hit with one of those High Impact Carbon Shells.
As Edward passed the medical area he saw all his injured friends there. Chubbs was being fawned over by Saori due to his left arm, Klara was bandaging Nikoli's own arm, and Peter rested leaning across a mound with Rosehip rubbing his back. they were the first ones to get taken out on their side and its only now they're getting treated.
Hana was smothering Christian with kisses refusing to let him go for a second. Davis, Timothy, and Donovan were getting treated by the Tea Party girls as well as Alisa. Rivers, while he wasn't hit once during the fight, was still getting thoroughly examined by Naomi.
Austin seemed one of the worst. His leg was partially crushed but he seemed just fine laying back with his head in Nonna's lap, who slowly ran her fingers through his hair. William had a bandage wrapped around his head, his broken glasses in his hand, and Yukari's hand in his other. Hey, even Johnathon was getting looked over by Miho. She seemed to be making sure he was all fine from any injuries he may have sustained. Though the two kept a polite yet awkward distance from each other.
Things seemed to slow down for now. But Edward himself still had business to see to. But that would have to wait as a hand clapped his shoulder.
"Come on Ed, you need to get your head looked at." Anzu told him. Both Momo and Yuzu were with her. the latter having a roll of bandage in her hand. Edward groaned but complied sitting down on the ground, providing Yuzu with the means to check his head.
"Now what were you going to do?" Anzu asked smugly.
"I was going to talk to Akari. She has answers to questions I have, and she will answer." He said. Anzu smiled and nodded.
"Fair enough. I'll go with you. I may have a question or two myself." She said. Edward nodded. Who was he to deny her that.
"OK, your good to go. Just take it easy Ed." Yuzu advised.
"Thanks girls." Edward said. He stood up feeling the bandage on his head and walking towards Akari's area, Anzu in close pursuit.
It took him ten minutes to reach the Federation group. The women were all sitting or standing around talking and just not caring that the two high schoolers were there. In fact they seemed out of sorts, which was highly unusual for them. as the two approached Akari's tank they were ran into another women who stopped them. Edward recognized her. Her name was Chika. He couldn't for the life of him remember her last name.
"I take it you're here to talk to the Commander?" She asked. Edward nodded. Chika motioned for them to follow as she led them into the camped area.
Akari was sitting and leaning against her tank staring out into space. She didn't notice Edward and Anzu approaching her until they were right in front of her. Edward looked on angrily yet quizzically.
"Whats wrong with her?" He asked Chika. She simply shrugged her shoulders and Edward turned back to Akari.
"What do you want?" Akari said. Edward squatted down to her eye level. His eyes bore both anger and resentment, yet pity.
"There's no way you were able to get all this military equipment onto this island without outside help. Who is it?" He asked. Akari only stared. She remained silent and seemed as if she had just chosen to give up on life. Edward made notice of this and questioned it. "What are you staring at? There's nothing to see. Whats wrong with you Akari?"
"Was it true? About Nishizumi. Is she really with Child?" She asked. Edward raised an eyebrow confused by the question. Yet he answered truthfully.
"Yes, she is." He said. Akari looked down for a second before raising her head and looking into his eyes.
"Yours?" She asked. Edward nodded slowly. Akari lowered her head again. All of a sudden she started to weep. Tears flowed from her eyes and she chocked on her cries. Edward didn't know what to do. Why was she crying, was it because she almost injured a pregnant person? It couldn't be that she's tortured people. What else could it be.
"Whats wrong with you?" Edward asked again, this time more gently. He needed Akari to be cooperative so he could get his answers. But who knows. He might gain more valuable information.
"Seven years ago, I miscarried." Akari said. Edward's eyes widened. His mouth gapped open. He honestly couldn't tell if he misheard her or not, but her tears and cries were real. That he could tell. "Seven years ago I got pregnant myself. I fell in love with this American Marine who was stationed on Okinawa, where I lived at the time. We met up a few times, had some nice dates, and then we sleep together. A few months later I find I'm pregnant. I went to tell him, but he just shoved me away. I couldn't understand why but said that what we did was nothing but fun and he wouldn't be apart of anything. Then he requested a transfer to another base. I was so racked with fear and the anxiousness to tell my parents that I ended up over stressing. I lost it not long after." Akari cried through the whole explanation. Edward and Anzu just stood in silence. They had never thought that this would be the reason for Akari's seemingly giving up.
"Oh good lord." Edward exclaimed. He couldn't believe a United States Marine would do that. He thought maybe Air Force might but a Marine? That was to much of a blow. But this realization came with an answer. One Edward had for a while now. "That's why you hate Americans so much. Because of what happened between you and that Marine." Edward stated. Akari nodded.
"I thought that if I got rid of your Tankery then no more puffed-up arrogant jerks would be eager to join your military. Might prevent another young impressionable women from making such a mistake." Akari said. "But then I go and launch several hundred tons of highly launched metal at another pregnant women. I cant help but fear that I may have done to her what I did to myself." Akari's current actions and the way she spoke gave all Edward needed to know. She was terrified of what she possibly has done.
"It wouldn't have happened if that cannon was never on the island. Tell me Akari who gave it to you? I can find and lock their ass up, so they cant do any of this anymore." Edward pleaded with Akari to share her knowledge with him. She chocked on a few more sobs before she answered.
"I don't know his name. He only called once a month and from a satellite phone I have. He sent me all the Type-10's, the two Karl's, and the cannon." She said.
"So Shiho Nishizumi wasn't the one providing all the illegal things." Edward figured. Akari nodded.
"He wanted me to get you to believe that it was Ms. Nishizumi, so I lied and said my orders were from her. she never gave me any such orders. She wasn't even the one that chose me to lead the Federation forces." Akari said.
"Who was it? Do you know?" Anzu asked getting into the conversation. Akari shook her head.
"No. but the papers were all signed properly so nothing felt strange about anything. All I wanted to do was beat you Americans. I didn't expect things to go this far. And when the high school girls rebelled I got so mad that the possibility of ending your Tankery might not work, so I lashed out. I know I wont be forgiven and I don't expect it to happen." Akari said.
"Your right. I wont forgive you. You've hurt my friends and I more then once and now you've even put the love of my life in danger. I will never forgive you. But that doesn't mean you cant make it right." Edward said. Akari could only nod at him.
"The Phone is in my bag inside the tank. I don't want to go in there though." Akari said. Anzu immediately hopped onto the Challenger to fetch the bag. "One more thing. Who ever was on the other end of the phone is powerful. They have contacts all over Japan and they won't come out easily."
Edward took Akari's warning seriously. What ever was going to happen would determine the whole of both Japan and American Tank Sports.
After a while everyone was well enough that they decided to day trip it to Mishima. A select few of the girls and boys would go back to Hoja and collect every ones bags but for now every High Schooler was at Mishima resting and reading for the officials to arrive. That's right Edward and Chika talked and ended up declaring the American Tankery Association the winners of the game. Not only had they more Capture Points but everyone was exhausted from all the fighting.
Now the Commanders of all the high schools, along with their closest friends, sat inside the infirmary waiting for Samuel to emerge with news. Edward had immediately gone inside, found Maho, and hasn't left since. That was yesterday. Now the rest of their friends waited. It was a long and stressful waiting time. No one wanted to really hear anything for fear of it being bad news. Yet hope was still in abundance.
Maho was a very strong-willed woman. She had gotten through these things before and with a strong-willed man like Edward with her she would no doubt be getting better. Especially now that the two were expecting. They would have to throw a party for the two and explain to Miho exactly when It happened.
The moment of dread came when Samuel emerged from behind the hallway doors. Everyone was one edge. Pravda, Saunders, St. Gloriana, Kuromorimine, Ooarai, Uncle Sam, Montana, Virginia, and Edison all waited for Samuels news. the young man took a deep breath and exhaled before explaining.
"With enough time we managed to get Maho here quickly and got her to rest and relax enough for me to perform my observation and checkup. My conclusion is that Maho will be physically fine." He said. A huge sigh of relief was given as the whole of the waiting room softly cheered and expressed happiness. "However." Samuel said stopping everyone from their cheers.
"With the already established anxiety and the added stress from not just what happened in Hoja City but on that Battlefield, it is my heavy regret to inform you all that Maho has lost the baby." Samuel finished.
The air went dead silent. No one could believe it. Some of the girls even started crying throwing themselves into their stronger willed friends and lovers. In no time everyone started shedding tears. There was not one dry set of eyes anywhere this day.
Edward simply stared out the window still seated on that same chair from earlier. Its been six hours sense Samuel told them the news. six hours since both Ed and Maho learned their baby was gone. For hours, the two cried. Maho, In her pain, turned and faced the wall as she lay on the bed. Edward wouldn't dare leave her, even if she wanted him to. He had just been staring outside that damn window for hours. Now he turned his gaze to Maho. She had not said anything at all since the news. how could she? The worst news anyone could receive was just said to her, how would anyone be able to say anything?
With her silence came the silent crying. Edward heard not a peep from her, but he could clearly see her shacking and chocking on coughs and sobs. But now was different. He started to hear her. her sobbing became audible. Her shacking more visible. Her pain clearer.
Edward gazed at her sobbing form and immediately stood from his seat, walked over to her bed, and sat himself upon it. He turned himself and lay down behind her wrapping his arms around her body pulling her into him to kiss her nape. He then nuzzled her head into his chest kissed her head. Maho finally let it all out. her agonizing pain all let out in very audible cries. She roughly turned her whole body to face Ed and plant herself into him. She does not dare look at him, but she does not dare take his love when she needed it the most. And that was all she did. She cried. She sobbed and sobbed with her cries of sadness. Eventually it got to tough for Edward to do nothing, and the only thing he could do was cry with her. His eyes to spewed tears of sorrow pain enough for him to cling onto her for dear life as if letting go would make him lose her to. In the end the two's tears and cries lasted until they could no longer stay awake and drifted off to much needed slumber.