The Last Tankery Match...

Erika's Fall

So I just kinda realized that this is mostly about Erika, so if you love Erika and her tank then it's your lucky day. Pretty long chapter btw.

"FIRE!" Erika screeches out, her Tiger II takes out a BT-5 that was quickly charging in.
Many more are coming.
"Reverse! Stop. Then shoot!" She ducks down as the BT tanks shoot their machine guns.
Her gunner spots a new target ahead of them.
A T-34.
"Gunner, new target! The T-34 dead ahead. Hit them with our German might!" She screams out.
Her crew all agreed that she was very aggressive in her approach to the Scorchers.
Erika took notice to the amount of Soviet vehicles charging at her.
So far there have only been BT, T-26 and T-34 tanks.
It was a relief.

"T-34 destroyed!" Erika's gunner yells out as she sees a T-34 burst into flames.
Their radio operator adds another tick to their kill count.
"That's 56 kills,"
Immediately after that the gunner takes out another BT.
"Make that 57!!"

They had destroyed 57 Scorcher tanks.
57 tanks full of young tankers, this was their first real battle. But Erika didn't let it get to her head.
Her and her crew had murdered countless of Scorcher lives.
But these monsters had deserved it.

"Keep firing! I'm not letting them hurt any more innocent lives!" Erika was in a state of rage.
Their 88mm gun had been firing non-stop.
Heat distorted the light around the long barrel, it had reached a high temperature after being fired so many times in quick succession.
Erika found some sort of inner satisfaction every time she saw a Scorcher tank explode or the turret pop off. She kept in the back of her head.

Sweat dripped off of the gunner's face, she hadn't lifted her face off the gunner's sight for a long time now. Their loader ached in soreness, 88mm Panzergranate 39 shells were not light.
Erika's driver kept them still, as they were a defensive fighting force, rather than an offensive frontline unit.
And the radio operator ticked down kill after kill.
Now they were at 66 kills.

"Only a few more rounds left!" The loader calls out.
Erika had been lost in the situation.
Soon they would run out of ammo, and need to resupply.
"Don't give them a chance! You know what they'll do if they get a hold of us!"
"Easy Eight dead ahead!"
Erika sees an M4A3 Sherman with a long barreled 76mm gun.
"Oh the Americans are here! Hit 'em har-"
A shell hits the tank, making their ears ring.

The Scorcher Easy Eight had got a direct hit on the Tiger's turret face. But the APHE shell failed to penetrate 7 inches of solid steel reinforced with a carbon nanotube coat.
The Easy Eight almost instantly retreated back behind the hill.
Then nothing.

"Keep an eye on that Easy Eight's location! Shoot 'em when you can!" Erika screamed out her commands to her comrades.
The gunner kept the gun aimed at the Sherman's last known location.
She waited for the exact moment for the tank to roll up again. But nothing.
Erika scans the hill line, and sees nothing not, even engine exhaust.
Suddenly she sees something from the corner of her eye.

Three M22 Locusts rush from the far left.
"Gunner, new targets 9 o'clock!"
Her gunner starts turning the turret.
The three small but fast tanks are quickly closing the gap. They sacrificed armor for speed.
"I'm on it! I'm on it!" Her gunner fires, hitting one the Locust tanks.
A few but painfully slow seconds later, the loader reloads and the gunner makes another perfect shot. Another Locust down.
The final one gets closer, and is worrying Erika.
Finally the gun is reloaded.
"You puny insect!"
The gun fires.
A cloud of smoke fades.
And reveals the now destroyed tank.

Their radio operator marks down the kills.
69 confirmed kills.
Erika laughs at the Locusts' meek attempt.
"Erika!"
Suddenly she looks back ahead.