Barstow
January 7th, 2013
A new year. A new semester for the students of Mojave Rose. In the early morning hours, before the early bird students made their arrival, Redwood was at the garage inspecting the new vehicles. Over the winter break, they had been transported from the abandoned mine shaft to the garage. Also during that time, Redwood had ordered all the necessary equipment for the Jumbo and SU-14 so that the new crews can immediately familiarize themselves. However, they may be. As of now, those vehicles have no crew to operate. Thankfully, finding students to crew them will not be an issue at all. For weeks, Redwood has students ask him repeatedly when will more space be on the team will be available. And for weeks, Redwood told them the same thing. Soon. Well, soon is now. He departed the garage and headed for his office in the administration building. He had a crew to recruit.
Students began arriving on campus. Some were mingling outside braving the mild winter weather. Yet in one of the buildings in a hallway flanked on either side by classrooms, was a display. Behind the glass was all the achievements the school had earned over the years. Within were two new additions, the trophies the tankery team had won. Students were going out of their way to seem them. Whenever Valarie would walk down that hall when going to class, she would often pause and look at the trophies. She had held them. She knew what they weighed and how they felt. The sunlight from the windows made them glisten. They were polished recently so Valarie could make out her reflection. Inside the display was room for more rewards, the empty space just beside the trophies. Nothing would please her more to see that display filled to the brim.
At her final class of the day, Valarie was reading her textbook when a student from across the room walked over to her.
"Hello, you're Valarie? Captain of the tankery team?"
Valarie set aside her book.
"Yeah, what's up?"
"Well, I'd just thought to let you know that my friends and I will be joining the team today."
Valarie found this surprising.
"Oh?" But, we don't have room on the team right now...last I remember
"That's not what Mr. Redwood told me. He found me during lunch and offered the chance to join."
Now that was something Valarie could relate too.
"There must be new vehicles then." Valarie with a tinge of excitement.
"What's your name, by the way."
The girl smiled and extended a hand.
"Jacqueline."
They shook hands. Valarie wined slightly as Jacqueline give a firm handshake, more than she had ever received thus far. Soon after, the dismissal bell rang.
"Let's head to the meeting."
The two girls headed to Room 34. Even just a few minutes after the school day had ended and already was most of the team there, including the new recruits. Valarie and Jacqueline went to their respective groups. With her crew, Valarie conversed.
"What's with the new people?" Emma asked
"Looks like we got some new tanks. Can't wait to see what they are." Valarie responded.
Heather looked at the new crew members. She saw how they were in groups. One with four people, another with seven. The latter is what drew the most curiosity from her.
"What vehicle needs seven people to use?" she questioned internally
She thought about the matter. Ever since joining the team, Heather has been teaching herself all the potential vehicles that the team could encounter. It was still a work-in-progress as it is astounding just how many vehicles were designed during World War II and their more numerous variants. Yet what she did know is that vehicles that have crews as much as seven are not the standard tanks. She shuddered. She didn't want to believe it but knew that it can't be anything else.
"Fucking artillery."
Buchanan entered the room not long after.
"Afternoon everyone. Now, unless you need your eyes checked, you will have noticed that we got some new people on board. And new people means new vehicles. Let's head out to the garage."
The team followed Buchanan to the garage, something utterly routine for them. But for the new crews, the walk was something that sparked excitement among them. They all had seen the garage but never the inside. Now their curiosity was about to be sated, not just for them but for the whole team. Everyone was intrigued to find out what new things were within the garage. When they entered, they saw them immediately. Side by side was the M4A3E2 Sherman Jumbo and SU-14-2 self-propelled gun. The sight of them drew sounds of awe. From the team, Valarie stepped right up to the Jumbo and laid her hands upon it.
"Wow. This thing is bigger than in the pictures."
Buchanan gathered the new crew members and passed around the uniforms and other equipment. After they put them on, Buchanan said,
"Redwood should've told you what vehicles your crewing. So get to them. They'll need a tender woman's touch."
As the new girls walked off, Buchanan noticed Ray and the boys looking on.
"Um...hey it's just some words."
At the T-44, Valarie and her crew were just lounging about. Work on their tank was near non-existent as there were no repairs or maintenance to be done. Staying in a garage over the holidays would do that. They all laid on top of their tank looking around the garage. Their focus was on the SU-14.
"Wow, seven people in one enclosed space? Sounds like my own personal hell." Ashley remarked.
"You claustrophobic?" Valarie inquired.
"Only a little!" Ashley responded
"If I didn't like you guys, I'd enjoy being in the tank a whole let less."
As they talked, Heather remained silent as she stared at the gun of the SU-14-2. It dwarfed the guns on the Bishops that grated against her very soul when they fired upon the team. Anger brewed at just imagining what it would feel and sound like if a gun of that caliber landed even near the T-44. She took a few breaths.
"It'll be different. They'll be on our side." Heather told herself.
Valarie stood up and did a stretch.
"Why don't we see the new crews? See how they're doing."
The T-44 crew jumped off their vehicle and walked toward the SU-14. They saw the new crew exploring the artillery to get a feel for the thing.
"Hey guys, how are you liking your machine?" Valarie asked.
Jacqueline hopped off the vehicle.
"Man, this thing is awesome. A gun like that looks like it can take down a building with ease."
Valarie smiled.
"So, you've already figured out roles?"
"Yep. I'm the commander."
"Cool. What about you guys? Thoughts?"
The other crew stepped forward.
"Whoever heard off..." one began
"...two gunners?" another finished.
"Or two loaders!" a duo said in unison.
"Captain, allow me to introduce the Debs sisters. Amber and Gwen are our gunners and Raven and Abby are our loaders." Jacqueline said.
"All four of you are sisters?" Valarie asked, partly amazed.
"We were all born the same day." Amber explained.
Valarie couldn't believe it. The four sisters looked identical to each other with only their already personalized uniforms the only way to distinguish them apart. For sure will Valarie call the wrong sister the wrong name.
"And then we have Lana, our driver. Her and I are the only people of the crew who aren't related." Jacqueline said.
Lana stepped forward and cracked her knuckles.
"I can already tell that that thing will be slow as hell. But we won't be moving much, are we?"
"Ideally? No." Valarie answered.
"Well, with roles settled, you'll now need a call sign. Gotta be desert related. Vaguely."
The SU-14 crew convened and huddled together. After just one minute, Jacqueline returned with an answer.
"Sierra."
"Oh, very nice. Take care now."
Valarie and her crew began their walk toward the Jumbo but Jacqueline happened to get a good look at Ashley. She was awfully familiar to her.
"Hold on just a second."
Jacqueline walked up to Ashley and was snapping her fingers as she tried to remember.
"Did you ever go to.... Stallings Middle School?"
"Maybe."
Jacqueline studied Ashley more, squinting eyes and continued snapping.
"Have you ever participated in a talent show?"
Ashley began to blush.
"Possibly."
"And in this talent show, did you sing and play John Brown's Body on the piano?"
Ashley rose her hands in the arm.
"Guilty as charged."
"I knew it. I knew it was you! You got in trouble over that. One week detention if I remember right."
"Really now?" Valarie remarked.
Emma and Heather could only look as they saw Ashley in a new light.
"Ah, that detention was over a verse. They blew it way out of proportion." Ashley said.
"A verse that you said you wouldn't sing but did anyway." Jacqueline reminded.
"It was just one verse!"
Jacqueline began to mimic marching.
They'll hang Jeff Davis to a sour apple tree!
They'll hang Jeff Davis to a sour apple tree!
They'll hang Jeff Davis to a sour apple tree!
And they'll go marchin' along!
She sang the verse that got Ashley in trouble years ago. Ashley was embarrassed but was also surprised that Jacqueline remembered.
"Um...you see I like history so it was important for me to incorporate the original lyrics."
"Sure. Sure. It wasn't totally because the verse about hanging was just cooler. Hey, when I saw you sing and play, I thought you were the best act of the show. Sucks that the middle school blocked you from winning anything."
Ashley blushed even more.
"...thanks."
The T-44 crew departed though Heather remained for just a bit longer.
"I hope you all understand the concept of danger close, if not, you better understand real soon." Heather said, somewhat coldly.
She left to rejoin her crew. Jacqueline watched as she did so.
"Well. Nice to meet you too."
When Heather caught up with her crew, they were badgering Ashley with questions.
"You can sing?" Valarie asked.
"And play the piano?" Emma prodded.
Ashley was annoyed. She felt like she was being interrogated.
"Hey! I'm out of practice in both regards. So back off."
"Alright...alright. We won't ask any more questions about your past life as a performer." Valarie teased.
Ashley shot her a glare before heading toward the Jumbo. Its crew were looking around but Valarie noticed one of the crew was a perplexed expression.
"Overwhelmed?" Valarie asked when she arrived.
The perplexed girl turned.
"No kidding. I got no idea what to do first. What a thing a commander to say, huh?"
"We all feel like that when doing something new. Especially in a sport like this."
The girl paced around a bit and glanced at the Jumbo and back at Valarie.
"Um...can you help? Please?"
"Of course." Valarie said with a warm smile.
She climbed on top of the rear of the Jumbo and began opening hatches.
"Checking the engine is a good first step. Come on up, I'll show you what to look for."
Valarie gave the Jumbo crew a crash course in engine maintenance, which they all listed to intently. As she was talking, she saw that Jumbo commander was doing something with her hands with another girl watching. This made her curious. Afterward, she gave the commander a pair of binoculars
"Just something for commanders. Considering that you are one, you ought to know all the commanders of the team meet regularly for strategy sessions.
"Oh how cool."
The Jumbo commander analyzed the binoculars she was given. She found them interesting and peered through them.
"Did I ever catch your name?" Valarie asked.
"The Jumbo commander slung her binoculars around her neck and put her hands on her hips.
"Haley."
Haley turned around and introduced her crew.
"Danielle drives, Heidi shoots, and Harper loads."
Danielle and Heidi said hello though Harper just gave a friendly wave. Haley then put her arms around Valarie.
"Here's the thing about Harper...she's deaf."
Valarie was taken aback.
"E-excuse me?" she stammered.
"She can't hear a thing. Had it since birth. Don't worry though. I know sign language. Watch this."
Haley got Harper's attention and used her hands to sign the letters 'AP'. Harper immediately went toward a crate and presented an armor-piercing round. At more signals, she retrieved both high-explosive and smoke shells. Valarie was amazed.
"That's so cool!" Valarie exclaimed.
Valarie was delighted that a handicapped individual could still participate in tankery. She absolutely loved the sport and the more people who can join, the better. As she and the crew were about to leave, Valarie had a question to ask.
"Oh by the way, you guys will need-"
"A call sign? It's Sonora."
"Huh?"
"We caught on pretty quick that we'd need a call sign. So we figured it out."
"Oh. Great!"
Valarie and her crew returned to their T-44 and rested upon it. After only a few seconds, Valarie jumped off and grabbed something from her bag.
"Almost forgot to show you guys this..."
She withdrew the gift from her parents and put it on.
"Wow, Val, I would never think you'd be into that sort of stuff. Hey...I'm not shaming." Ashley said.
"What? No! It's not that! It's a German throat microphone from World War II."
The girls looked on as Valarie flaunted her new fashion. Emma, in particular, loved how she looked.
"So, how does it work?" she asked.
"It detects the vibrations of a user's throat. Perfect for noisy environments, say, like the inside of a tank."
In another part of the garage, Buchanan was with Jacqueline giving her a tool that no other commander of the team has.
"A stopwatch?" Jacqueline said, confused.
"Yes, a stopwatch. Firing for you will be different compared to the rest of the team. When you do the math for a shot, you'll get a 'time to target' from your numbers. With a stopwatch, you'll track that time accurately."
Jacqueline looked at the watch and saw something that gave away its age.
Made In West Germany
"West Germany!?"
"Hey, it still works."
At the press of a button, the stopwatch produced a satisfying tick as it counted the seconds. She put it safely in her pocket.
In the garage office, Redwood was sat behind the desk typing away at the computer. He was multitasking. On one tab was a piece of equipment that caught his eye and was debating on purchasing. On another tab was him trying to find the identities of the former crews of the Jumbo and SU-14. He was no super sleuth as he had no luck. But he will press on. On a third and final tab was something more...secretive. He was trying to find a particular person but kept Buchanan completely in the dark. If she ever found out who he was trying to find, she would hurt him. Yet he was determined to take the risk. Hopefully, in the end, it will be worth it. If not....well....he didn't want to think about it. As he worked, he saw a silhouette from the window approaching the door. It was unmistakably Buchanan. He closed his tabs except one. She entered and sat on the chair opposite of Redwood. She reclined.
"Looks like the new crews are adjusting well. I'm very much looking forward to seeing what that SU-14 can do. And I'm interested to see how the deaf girl, Harper, will manage. I'm sure she'll do great, though."
Redwood looked up from his screen.
"That's great to hear. Hey, so, I was just doing some research on the upcoming Phoenix match and found something interesting. Take a look."
He turned the screen toward Buchanan and she liked what she saw.
"A T-44-100 upgrade kit? That, I love."
"It is well within our budget. I'm sure Valarie would love the improved firepower and protection. I just wanted your input on the matter."
"I give it a big, fat seal of approval."
Pleased, Redwood placed the order and printed out the purchase confirmation.
"One T-44-100 upgrade kit coming our way."
"Nice! When will it arrive?"
Redwood read the purchase confirmation.
"Ah, by February 11th."
Buchanan's eyes widened
"What? Where is it coming from! The Moon!?"
"From Russia. But it's not just distance. The company selling the kit has to clear with the Russian government to get it out of a surplus warehouse and then modify it to be used in matches. They're selling military hardware, after all. "
Buchanan rubbed her temple.
"So...you're telling me that the company, as of now, does not actually have the kit?"
"No....not yet."
Buchanan stood up and paced around.
"Ah, let me tell you all the contents. There's a 100mm gun, but you'd get that from the name, Haha." Redwood said and gave off a nervous laugh.
"A redesigned turret to house the gun, a 12.7mm heavy machine gun, and some spaced armor. Neat, huh?"
Buchanan got real close to Redwood.
"Martin. If or when the delivery comes and the crate is empty, I will use you spaced armor for the T-44." she said sternly.
He nodded. Buchanan sat back down and looked at the floor.
"Spaced armor?" she said in a now calm tone.
"We'd need a welder for that. We can't have the girls do it themselves, it's too dangerous for them.
"Oh, so you'll do it then?"
Redwood regretted his words the moment he said them. Buchanan stared daggers into his eyes.
"No, Mr. Redwood. I won't."
Redwood sank into his seat. Then an idea came which sparked a smile.
"Has Valarie ever told you about her mother?"
The week was dedicated to getting the news crews up to speed. Valarie shared the playbook among the new commanders. She told them to read it well.
"Soon, you'll both get a chance to add to the book. But you'll need some experience first."
By the start of Saturday's practice, they were already well on their way to being fully comfortable on the team. The team drove the place they had driven many times before, the same area that they first conducted their practice. On the driver on there, it was clear to the team that the IS-3 was no longer the slowest vehicle on the team. That title was now held by the SU-14.
"Not exactly light speed." Jacqueline joked.
The SU-14 drove slowly to the firing position that Buchanan had instructed them to go to. Over the radio, she gave them further instructions.
"Okay, at a location marked on your map is a target five miles away. Aim and prepare to fire."
The SU-14 set to work. Abby grabbed the large projectile and inserted it into the breech. Raven hauled up the propellant charge and place it just behind. With a ramrod, she pushed both deep into the breech.
"Ready!" they both yelled in unison.
Amber and Gwen were putting pencil to paper as they worked out the trajectory. They passed paper to each other repeatedly until they gave each other a nod. They then maneuvered the gun to the correct heading.
"A degree here..." said Amber
"...a degree there." Gwen muttered.
"Target acquired."
With glee, Jacqueline reported over the radio,
"Instructor, target acquired."
Buchanan double-checked that she was wearing hearing protection.
"Fire."
Jacqueline relayed the order and a moment later the relative science of the Mojave was shattered as the 152mm launched a shell into the sky. The smoke that came out of the barrel was greater than any other tank on the team could produce. The very instant it fired, Jacqueline activated her stopwatch.
"Nine seconds to impact!"
The shell had reached its zenith and now pointed down toward the earth. At the target site, the Puma was there. They were to observe and determine if the SU-14 landed an accurate shot. They sat there, waiting for the fireworks.
"Did they miss or-" Aurora began but was interrupted by a thunderous explosion.
The target they were overlooking, a hill, was obliterated. Sand and dirt were flung into the air and showered back onto the surface. All this debris coated the Puma in the Mojave, hearing every ping and patter that hit against the vehicle. Aurora, very much startled, grabbed the radio.
"Instructor. Target hit. Man did it hit..." she reported.
Buchanan was pleased to hear this. The SU-14 was going to be a welcome asset to the team. Just how well it will perform will depend on the crew and whatever strategy the commanders cook up for it. The artillery continued to fire downrange while the rest of the team shot at targets they could actually see. They fired upon the same hill that they first shot at during their first practice. So pummeled was this hill that the team had a name. Crater Hill. If someone were to walk upon that hill and look closely, they'd be able to spot minuscule pieces of metal from exploded ammunition. Though they wouldn't want to stick around for long for there were one or five rounds that have not detonated.
The Jumbo, as was everyone, was lighting up the hill with its long 76mm. After a couple of shots of armor-piercing, Haley tapped Harper on the shoulder and signed the letters 'HE'. Harper instantly grabbed a high-explosive round from the rack and loaded it into the breech. A second later, the gun fired and the empty canister was ejected and fell onto the floor. Haley and Harper looked at each other with satisfaction. Having a deaf loader won't be an issue in the slightest. If anything, it made the Jumbo crew unique among the team, a fact that they enjoyed.
At the conclusion of that day's practice, after the team had returned to the garage and parked their vehicles, Haley and Harper approached Buchanan with a suggestion.
"Miss Buchanan, I've been talking with Harper and she has told me that she thinks the team would benefit from learning morse code."
Buchanan was intrigued
"Morse code huh? Why does she think that?"
"Well, Harper isn't totally new to tankery. She has seen a match or two. And she remembers one in particular where one team intercepted the radio communications of another to gain an advantage. Having more than one way to talk to each other, in case the normal way gets compromised, is a good idea, we think."
Buchanan thought about what the girls suggested and the more she did, the more she liked it.
"Hmm. That is a good idea. I'll set aside some days so we can learn it. Say, what match did Harper see? Tapping a team's radio isn't against the rules, per se, but most, if not all, teams very much look down on it. I feel like I would've heard of this."
Haley turned toward Harper and signed. The two entered into silent conservation. Soon, Haley turned back toward Buchanan.
"She doesn't know the exact details. But she's certain it was a foreign match."
"Foreign? I guess they did things differently overseas. Thanks girls, good to see you're already looking out for the team."
Buchanan departed and the team was dismissed for the day. For the new crews, it was the most exhausted they have felt in their lives. The loaders especially. Their arms were incredibly sore. Abby and Raven were touching their muscles. It hurt but they loved how strong it felt.
"We're gonna be buff as hell by the end of the tournament!" Raven said, all giddy.
At home, Valarie was staying up late. She was sitting on her desk studying the map of the battlefield for the upcoming match. Somewhere near Phoenix was where Mojave Rose would face off against Valentine High School. Being near Phoenix, the match would once again be in a desert environment. Valarie and the team were well accustomed to the desert, but so was Valentine as they were an Arizona based school. She looked at all the geographical features and placed a cross on a spot on the map.
"That'll be good for Sierra" she said softly.
She studied the map for a few more minutes. Her eyes were tired and couldn't focus for too long. A sign for her to stop and go to sleep. All of the material was stowed neatly away and put on some sleepwear. The light was turned off and climbed into her comfortable bed. As she drifted to restful slumber, Valarie thought about her family, her friends, the team, and the school. Things were certainly looking up. She fell asleep and savored some sweet dreams.
This would be the last good sleep she'd get for some time.