Chapter 7

Race day! Nilgiri fancied she could feel the excitement coursing through the paddock. There was a capacity crowd in the stands. Nilgiri wondered how they were split between racing fans and sensha-dō followers. She hoped they would not come away disappointed; the race would be run at much slower speeds than the former were used to and there would be none of the combat that the latter favoured.

The tanks were being moved from the closed park where they had spent the night to the starting grid. Nilgiri was standing by the pit lane guard rail enjoying the atmosphere when she became aware of someone approaching behind her. Turning, she was surprised to see Radicchio.

"Radicchio-san! May I wish you good luck today?"

Radicchio blushed and swallowed visibly.

"Thank you, Nilgiri-san. I wanted to apologize for Anchovy-sama the other day". Her voice was barely audible.

Nilgiri waved her hand dismissively. "Oh well, that's just her way, isn't it? We ought to be used to it by now. Are you looking forward to the race?"

Radicchio nodded without hesitation. Nilgiri noticed that her racing coveralls were obviously secondhand. They were a size too big and unadorned except for a few Anzio emblems someone had sewn on.

"I'm happiest when I'm driving... it's like I understand the tank and it understands me". Her voice had strengthened perceptibly, but then she blushed again. "I guess that sounds like nonsense."

Nilgiri smiled encouragingly. "Not to a fellow driver."

Radicchio nodded again. "I must go and get ready."

"See you on the track!"

Nilgiri turned went back into their garage. With their work done until the race began, the rest of the team minus Darjeeling was having tea. They were all wearing their scarlet sensha-dō team uniforms and Ceylon had on her lucky pink and blue striped scarf.

"Where's Darjeeling-san?"

"She's gone to meet someone at the gates," said Ceylon mysteriously.

She returned a moment later, and not alone.

"Tanaka-sensei!"

"Hi everyone. How's my star pupil doing?"

Nilgiri bowed. "Your only pupil, you mean. I got pole position!"

Mr. Tanaka returned her bow. "Yeah, I saw your excellent work in qualifying yesterday on the news, and made a last-minute decision to take the train over here this morning. The tickets were sold out, but then I thought I could watch from here. Darjeeling-san was nice enough to finagle me a pass."

Unprompted, Orange Pekoe silently handed Mr. Tanaka a plate of Jaffa Cakes.

"Drivers, to your vehicles!" The announcement echoed around the starting area. Nilgiri and the other drivers walked over to their tanks and stood by them. The spectators began applauding. Once everyone was in place, the announcer came back on.

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, welcome to the first tank grand prix at Suzuka Circuit!"

The stands responded with enthusiastic cheering.

"Please welcome the drivers! In position one we have Nilgiri-san from St. Gloriana Women's Academy, driving a Vickers Mark VI!"

Nilgiri waved both hands at the crowds.

"In position two, Kitaguchi-san from Kuromorimine, driving the Pzkpfw II Luchs!" the announcer continued the introductions. Nilgiri pulled on her gloves and donned her helmet. The sound was suddenly muffled and she could hear her pulse, faster than usual.

A few minutes later: "Drivers, ready!" She climbed into the driving compartment, hoping that she wouldn't slip in front of so many onlookers. Sitting down, she placed her hands and feet on the controls. Looking to the front, she could see the first curve away in the distance. Heat haze was rising off the track. It was sunny now, but a storm front was looming off to the southeast.

"Start engines!"

Motors turned over up and down the grid, spewing exhaust fumes. To their embarrassment, the team from BC Freedom Academy had to have an auxiliary battery wheeled out to their tank to get it running. The steady beat of engines dominated the air. Nilgiri checked the gauges, carefully moved the gear preselect lever into first and looked up at the five lights that would signal the start.

The first light illuminated. The growls of the engines rose in pitch as the drivers brought the RPMs up. Second light. Nilgiri replayed her perfect start over and over in her mind. Third light. The unfortunate drivers in the rear of the formation were coughing as a blue miasma of exhaust smoke covered the track. Fourth light. The stands were twinkling with camera flashes. Fifth light. The revving reached a crescendo.

Then, that long, dreamlike pause until the lights went out. Nilgiri's world compressed down to the five red signals on the overhead gantry. Her foot pressed down ever so slightly on the gear change pedal.

Between one blink and the next, the lights were extinguished. Nilgiri engaged the gear, pressed the accelerator and began moving. Her speed came up quickly and she began to move to the outside of the track in preparation for the first turn ahead. In her peripheral vision, the Luchs was creeping up on the inside, using its speed advantage. Nilgiri tried to ignore it and hold her line.

In the scrum behind them, the exhaust cloud was causing visibility problems. Metallic clanks and squeals sounded as the vehicles made contact with each other.

Nilgiri was just ahead of the Luchs as she started her turn and as she doggedly bored in towards the inside of the track at the apex, it was forced to fall back. Ceylon and the others watching the live feed clapped their hands in appreciation. Their attention was soon diverted, however, as Pravda's T-34 and Saunders' M5 began to enter the curve.

Like Nilgiri, the M5 was ahead slightly and following the ideal racing line, but the T-34 attempted to cut in on the inside. The T-34's driver either never saw the Stuart with her restricted field of vision or else her competitiveness trumped her better judgment. She didn't yield and the two tanks met at an angle in a crash that sent the Stuart spinning halfway around and forced the Russian tank to a halt. Those watching from afar could see the drivers gesticulating at each other angrily. Yellow flags appeared by the side of the track to denote the accident and the other tanks following had to detour carefully around the stalled vehicles. Pravda's tank recovered first, but had to wait for the traffic to pass before it could proceed. The Stuart started a three-point turn just as the T-34 got underway, and the two collided again. The marshals with the yellow flags shook their heads in disbelief. At last, both tanks were pointing in the right direction and roared off in pursuit of the rest of the field.

Up in front, Nilgiri was dueling with the Luchs through the esses. The faster tank had no opportunity to pass and contented itself with riding Nilgiri's heels and waiting for her to make a mistake. Once into the Dunlop Curve, the Luchs pulled alongside, but was then forced to slow for the Degner Curve as the Vickers again had the better driving line. They both turned into the downhill stretch passing under the crossover and again ran side-by-side. They hit the unpaved portion simultaneously. This time, the Luchs held the position advantage going into the hairpin, but Nilgiri's training let her drift around quickly on the inside while her opponent struggled. The obstacles on the west half of the course prevented either tank from reaching top speed, and Nilgiri maintained her lead. The German tank lost more time in the chicane, and although it tried to pass on the main straightaway, it was still behind Nilgiri as the second lap started.

"So far, so good," said Ceylon.

"If she can do that for the next nine laps, she's got it," agreed Mr. Tanaka.

"We are seeing a real battle for first place between St. Gloriana and Kuromorimine," the commentator enthused. "But the competition for third is heating up as Ōarai challenges Anzio!"

Almost unnoticed in the hurly-burly of the start, Radicchio had out-accelerated Mako's heavier tank and was successfully defending her position. The CV-33 nimbly danced around the obstacles and always seemed to be in the right position to block the Panzer IV.

More tanks began their second lap. Saunders and Pravda had already moved up several places, easily passing the slower tanks in the back of the pack.

Nilgiri remained consistent for the next two laps and the Luchs was content for the moment to follow her closely and wait for an opportunity. Radicchio and Mako were still some ways back fighting their own private contest. The M5 passed the T-34 on the main straightaway and caught up to Koala's Universal Carrier in sixth.

Nilgiri and the Luchs had by now begun to lap the back markers. BC Freedom Academy's tank was labouring along in last place when they caught it coming into the right-hander before the underpass. Nilgiri was holding in tight behind the slower vehicle, planning to pass it after the turn, when she noticed flames licking from the engine compartment. There were only a few at first, but then they started shooting out from everywhere. The engine blew suddenly in a great rolling cloud of smoke, engulfing Nilgiri. The crippled tank proceeded to dump oil all over the track. Worried about a collision, Nilgiri hauled on the steering levers and found herself spinning out of control. She had the briefest glimpse of the Luchs' mottled camouflage pattern speeding by and then she was in the gravel of the runoff area.

"No! What's happened?" cried Ceylon back in the pits. A camera helicopter hovering overhead was showing the Vickers at a standstill in the gravel trap. The BC Freedom Academy tank had exited the track on the opposite side and was smouldering away by the tire barrier. The driver leaped out of the vehicle and sprinted to a safe distance. The downwash from the helicopter blades cleared the smoke, showing the Luchs disappearing in the distance and the tanks from Ōarai and Anzio coming up fast.

"Drat!" muttered Nilgiri under her breath. The engine was still running, so she eased forwards. No sign of any track damage. She crunched over the shingle back towards the track. Red lights flashing beyond the fence announced the arrival of the fire trucks.

"You've got company," warned Lapsang on the radio. "Anzio and Ōarai are just entering the turn."

Nilgiri gunned the engine, accelerating as hard as she could. She merged in just ahead of the CV-33. She kept ahead of them through the hairpin, around Spoon Curve, along the west straight and through the Casino Triangle into lap five.

"What a recovery for St. Gloriana!" cried the announcer. "Kuromorimine leads after four laps and it's a three-way struggle for second!" Farther back, Natalie had moved past the Universal Carrier, but Shelia was still denying Pravda's T-34. The Stuart's left track hit the side of a hummock and the tank tilted over and ran along balanced on one track for several meters. The spectators heard a faint "Yaaahoooo!"

The positions remained unchanged for another lap. The Luchs was slowed by more back markers, and the trio of Nilgiri, Radicchio and Mako gradually closed in.

The dark clouds over the ocean had advanced bit by bit until they blotted out the sun and the air grew suddenly cool. A fat raindrop landed in Keemun's cup of tea as she paced around by the pit lane. She retreated hastily inside the garage as the heavens opened. Rain sluiced down sending sheets of water cascading over the gutters.

Out on the circuit the tanks continued on, throwing up huge rooster tails of spray. With no windshield wipers, the drivers were forced to rely on the transparent tear off strips on their helmets to help them see where they were going.

Nilgiri was starting to feel tired. The rainwater trickling down her neck didn't help matters. By the seventh lap, she could see the Luchs ahead of her and concentrated on getting within striking distance. Every low-lying area in the off-road section was turning into a small lake. The tanks were covered in globs of mud flung up by the treads. She bumped over the undulations, trying to keep control of the tank as the surface became more and more slippery.

The situation was worst on the overpass, where the drainage system was compromised from all the earth that had been dumped on the pavement. The Luchs was almost all the way across it when the berm it was climbing suddenly crumbled, sending it sideways. It slid smoothly and inevitably into one of the deeper holes. A wave of thick, viscous mud sprayed up and over the edge.

"Ha! Kuromorimine's tank is bogged down!" shouted Keemun triumphantly. "It's Nilgiri's race now!"

Nilgiri saw the accident and angled to avoid the stuck vehicle. She was past it and in the clear, or so she thought, when the Vickers struck something unyielding and came to a dead stop. The motor stalled instantly.

The yellow flags came out for the third time. The camera view on the monitor in the garage showed what had happened: the Mark VI had hit one of the wall obstacles, almost buried under a layer of muck. Darjeeling put her hands to her mouth.

"Gordon Bennett! Not again!" groaned Lapsang. Mr. Tanaka grabbed the microphone.

"Nilgiri-san! It's not over yet! You've got to get going again!"

"I'm trying!" replied Nilgiri. She pressed the ignition and the starter ground away. First Radicchio, then Mako threaded their way carefully past the shunt.

"Come on old girl, come on," muttered Nilgiri. She tried again and the engine caught once, coughed and then quit.

Nilgiri tried to stay calm. "Third time lucky…" First one cylinder fired, then another, then all six. "That's the ticket!"

"Good work! Now go! Don't worry about the other tanks, just drive!"

Nilgiri reversed, turned and eased forwards. She gave a quick wave to the approaching recovery unit.

"Saunders and Pravda are coming up fast," said Lapsang, reaching for the radio. Mr. Tanaka stopped her. "Don't put pressure on her yet. She has to get her rhythm back."

The M5 and the T-34 had finally returned to the head of the field and were engaged in a no-holds-barred battle. They were taking the turns side-by-side, sparks flying as the tanks clashed together. Nilgiri was still ahead of them, but the gap was narrowing.

"Her lap time is way down, even with the rain," said Lapsang as the Vickers passed by to complete its eighth lap.

"It's easing up," said Ceylon, looking outside. "That'll help, won't it?"

Mr. Tanaka picked up the radio again. "Nilgiri-san, remember where you are. This is Suzuka Circuit, one of the best in the world. You know you can do it justice."

A chuckle came over the speakers.

Under pressure from Sheila, Marianne overshot the hairpin and the Universal Carrier cut past the French tank into sixth place.

During the penultimate lap, the first five tanks bunched together as Nilgiri fought back up to the leaders and Saunders and Pravda joined her. Radicchio was as consistent as ever and foiled every attempt made to get by her. Their order remained the same going into lap ten.

"It's the final lap!" the announcer called. "Five are in contention, but there are only three places on the podium! We can expect an exciting finish with everything to play for!"

No challenges from turns one through seven, everyone just trying not to make any mistakes. The T-34 moved up beside the Stuart on the Dunlop Curve only to fall back on the next turn. Mako tried to out brake Radicchio going into turn nine, producing an ear-splitting shriek as the tracks locked up briefly, but Radicchio went around on the outside and used her quicker handling and acceleration to pull ahead.

Now they went into the mud for the last time. Mako showed her driving chops, drifting around the hairpin and pulled level with the CV-33 on turn twelve. Radicchio held her nerve and was faster in the Spoon Curve. Nilgiri was feeling more confident, and matched all their moves in third place. They all zig-zagged down the back stretch, spreading out over the width of the track as much as they dared. Throwing caution to the wind, the M5 and the T-34 were bounding over the hills flat out and drew up on either side of Nilgiri. She found herself sandwiched in between them with no room to maneuver.

They all slowed for the turn into the chicane and Nilgiri realized that neither Pravda's driver on the inside nor the Stuart pressing in towards her from the outside were going to give way. The Stuart's tracks clattered around only inches away and getting closer…

Nilgiri glanced ahead and saw the Pzkpfw IV as broad as a barn door in the middle of the next bend. The angle looked about right. She floored the accelerator, shot out in front and yanked the Mark VI left, cutting the second corner as much as she could. She was going far too fast for the right-angle turn – but she had judged correctly and the side schürzen of the panzer loomed up beside her. The heavier German tank barely reacted as she glanced off its side with a ringing concussion.

"Yes! Bank shot!" shouted Mr. Tanaka. The others gasped and applauded. The Mark VI came into view around the last turn, outpacing Mako. The audience in the stands was on its feet and the wall of noise was deafening. Nilgiri could see the bright red of Radicchio's tank ahead as they all charged at the line. The chequered flag dropped and there was a cacophony of shouts over the radio.

"Anzio wins! St. Gloriana second! Ōarai is third!" roared the PA.

The rain had finally passed and sunlight glistened on the wet pavement. The vehicles were mobbed when they arrived back at the garages with team members offering compliments or commiseration.

"You did it! You did it!" yelled Ceylon, hugging Nilgiri the moment she emerged from the tank. Then Darjeeling was there, shaking her hand and telling her what a jolly good show it was. Mr. Tanaka just bowed and then slapped her on the back. "Too bad it wasn't first place," sympathized Keemun. Nilgiri just shook her head. "All the more reason to continue holding this event, I'll have another chance next time."

The other teams stopped by to congratulate her. She went over to Anzio and Ōarai's garages, but was told that Radicchio wasn't there and Mako was napping. She didn't see them until the podium ceremony a while later. They were each handed bottles of sparkling mineral water. Radicchio held hers awkwardly and smiled timidly through the camera flashes. Mako gave a lazy salute-wave to the audience with her usual unreadable expression. Nilgiri tutted in exasperation, then shook up her bottle and sprayed the other two thoroughly. There was a shocked silence. Then, all three of them dissolved into fits of giggles.

"You're pretty good drivers," said Mako as they shook hands.

"Congratulations, Radicchio-san," said Nilgiri. "That was some very fine driving indeed."

"Thank you," whispered Radicchio. "This will mean a lot for my school."

In the crowd, Keemun turned to Ceylon. "What really sticks in my craw is that Anchovy will be insufferable now."

"Don't be too sure," said Ceylon looking over her shoulder. To Keemun's surprise, Anchovy was standing at the back with a smile on her face, oblivious to the tears coursing down her cheeks. "I think she's just happy that her team actually won something for a change."

There was a press interview afterwards, where Nilgiri did her best to boost the tank racing concept. Then it was back to their encampment in the parking lot.

"So, what are you going to do with your prize money?" asked Ceylon.

Nilgiri smiled. "I have decided to make an anonymous donation to Anzio High School," she announced. "I know they need the money."

Darjeeling nodded approvingly. "Let me tell you a proverb: you may light another's candle at your own without loss."

"Pardon?"

"What are we waiting around here for?" demanded Keemun. "There's celebrating to be done!"

"Well," said Nilgiri. "I suppose the orange juice is on me, then."

The End

Author's notes: Well, that's it. I hope you all enjoyed it. As always, thanks very much for the reviews, follows and faves.