Born of Iron

Tabac Iberez

(Advanced warning- The above-the-vowel bar is not a key I have. Sorry about that)

Chapter 1- Honor's Failings

It was two weeks after Ooari's incredible victory against Black Forrest Peak, and Miho was not feeling relaxed. The tide was turned today- but one mark of honor wouldn't save their school forever. Time marched on, and it ground down the achievements of the mighty as sure as the waves that lapped against Ooari's hull, saved by two hairs from the hands of the breaker yard or the "retirement" shoals, where she would be abandoned until times changed and called for an out-of-date wreckage- probably to serve as the basis of an artificial reef. Miho would not go gentle unto the night, though. One tournament brought them breathing room: it was their duty to secure their future securely. Taking that thought in hand, Miho sought out her telephone. A few quick punches brought their student council president up, and the dialing went through in less than a blink.

"Hello, Student Council President speaking."

"Anzu-san, it's Miho. Can I come by and talk later?"

"Miho-san? Alright! Listen, would lunch at the Tankery sheds be good for you?"

"Of course, Anzu-san."

"Thank you, Miho-san. I have a pair of people you need to meet, by the way. Bye!"

"Bye…"

The brief conversation did not help Miho's nerves. Still, she made sure her things were in order. Lunch would be interesting today, if Anzu was in one of her energetic moods. Checking her watch, he figured she had about a half hour until lunch. Looks like it was time to grab something and go.

Arriving at the Tankery sheds, Miho looked around for Anzu. The short redhead could be something of a magnum, so it was always best to be prepared. Still, Miho was a little surprised by the sight of a picnic table sitting to the side of the parade ground, in the shade of the reviewing tower. With Anzu there were a pair of people Miho had never seen before. One was obviously a teacher, with steal gray hair laced liberally with silver sitting over an as-yet unlined face. She was pretty, in an older and more mature way, wearing a knee-length plaid kilt that bore no resemblance to the uniform with a dark blue blouse that suggested one of the below-deck trades. Next to her was a pale-skinned girl with bright copper hair bound in a pair of horsetail braids, wearing a similar blouse with a dead black work kilt covered in pockets. As Anzu waved Miho over, she wondered who exactly the pair Anzu had stolen from below the decks were.

"Hello, Miho-san!" Anzu called out cheerfully, waving her over. A respectable spread was laid out on the table, all untouched. Sitting down, Miho regarded the food with one eye and her Student Council president with the other. After being dragooned into Tankery, Miho had quickly discovered Anzu's iron will where matters concerning the school came in- as well as her absolute power in bending things she needed to her way. Whatever was coming, Miho sensed it to be big- which meant that she would be forced to ride the wave of change or be swept away, just as she was in the Pravada battle.

"Hello, Anzu-san. Have you been well?"

"Of course, Miho-san, of course! Food, then business, yes?"

"Of course."

After a thanks for the food and a brief moment to dish, all four began to eat. Still wary, Miho caught the fact that both the teacher and the unusual student had appetites that rivaled Hanna's while eating in a neat and fast manner. By contrast, her and Anzu were moving at a snail's pace, almost like a Renault FT compared to a ELC AMX. As the food was finished, the unknown student thanked Anzu for the meal, smiling happily.

"Now, to business." Anzu said, smiling the all-hands-brace-for-impact-now-go-to-ramming-speed grin Miho knew all too well.

"First off, introductions." Anzu began. "Thanks to our unexpected victory and the cup prize money, the Headmaster of Ooari decided we needed a full-time support staff as reward for our work in preserving his beloved academy. Miho-san, meet Valance Therese, or Valance-sama. She was one of the supply managers below decks, but is now in charge of our supplies."

"Thank you, Kadotani-san. You can call me Valance-san, or Chieftain by the way. Most of what I'm going to do is scrounge around and get you some stuff out of deep storage- rather like that Porsche Tiger your… Rabbit Team found. More importantly, you're going to be working with my apprentice, Feraxii Anamana. Feraxii-san, if you could introduce yourself?"

"Certainly, Chieftain." Anamara said, nodding her head gently. Grinning a small Cheshire smile, she continued. "I would be Feraxii Anamara, Valance-san's apprentice supply chief. You all can call me Quartermaster, though. My job is to make sure you can do yours, in essence. I keep you stocked up, and can put in a call to the machinist's shops for new parts you need. I also am going to be working on getting you some better equipment, as well as possibly more tanks if everything works out."

Miho looked moderately surprised. Schooling her face, she got to the meat of the discussion. The student Council had done most of the logistics before, but Miho still remembered the curt, businesslike manner of the Kuromorimine logistics team. They had a record that was unparalleled, and could mothball a tank in less than a week. While Ooari's automotive club had a better track record, it was a strain on them to keep eight tanks working well above their factory statistics and participate in matches. A dedicated logistics team would ease much of the strain on the entire Tankery team. Still, the talk of new tanks was a bit over the top. Anzu seemed to be in agreement there, as she carefully probed Anamara.

"So, Feraxii-san, how would you get us more tanks? It would be a miracle if we could expand our force some, as we have never been on equal footing numerically."

"Please, call me Quartermaster. Getting more tanks isn't hard- you just need to know who to ask and how to phrase it. As a matter of fact, I already made some arrangements soon after getting the news I was reassigned to the Tankery staff, and put in a requisition with Saunders."

Anzu and Miho were both shocked. As rich as Saunders was, the notion of them simply handing over a tank if asked politely made no sense to them. Anamara continued, with a touch of a predatory gleam in her eyes.

"A good quartermaster is never more than eight degrees separated from something she needs, ladies. Saunders has a standing policy of having other schools lease them storage space for a modest fee or the usage of a facility or item. I lent them approximately enough space for one Ram II, and waived the fee in exchange for us to use it. Considering they haven't fielded a Ram II for twenty years, I figure they'll never notice. For all I know, they might want to Lend-Lease us more tanks, or sell them outright."

Miho and Anzu were both now well more than moderately shocked. This unassuming girl had just delivered them an enormous boost in their program, and seemed ready to continue rocking the boat to get them more of everything. Anzu recovered first, smiling and thanking Anamara. Miho sat back, and smiled. Yukari and Anamara needed to meet, and at the first possible circumstance.

(A/N: Gonna say sorry again about the not having bars above the vowels that need them. I don't have that button, so if anyone can send me the QR code that would be wonderful. Anyway, reviews are welcomed- just keep it civil please.)