Dust Devils - A Girls Und Panzer Story

Mojave Rose v. Port Chalmers

Saturday August 31st, 2013

Brandenburg, Germany

Around 76 kilometers from the German capital of Berlin laid a nature park named Dahme-Heideseen. An expansive place of nearly 600 square kilometers of divine wilderness, and of which, only a small portion of it will be seen by both teams today as it has been sectioned off for today's match. Another round of the world competition was soon to begin and already was the spectator's area absolutely rife with activity. A normally empty valley now hosting thousands of people who have come to see the match live as it goes down as close as they can be allowed. It was seven o'clock in the morning and both teams were there along with their machines. Despite the early hour, not one member of the Mojave Rose team felt groggy in any sense of the word. The inherent exciting nature of a tankery match has seen to that. As before, the team were spread out among the spectator's area to enjoy their small amount of time before they had to head out. Valarie was with her crew as they walked around at a leisurely place. The girls had no place in particular to go visit, just going whatever captured their attention the most. Some cups of coffee were the first thing they enjoyed when they arrived, but coffee does not last forever.

"We still have half an hour to kill before we have to drive to the starting area," Ashley informed. "Not in the mood to browse any of those tacky gift shops."

"Well, how about the mood to eat?" Heather suggested.

"I could do that," Ashley replied. Then she turned to Valarie. "Your sister runs a food tent around here, right?"

"Yeah," Valarie confirmed. "All part of that cultural exchange that's traditional to international tankery."

"Let's go pay her a visit then."

The T-44 crew, newly motivated by their hunger, went directly to Catalina's food then that was thankfully not too far them where they were. At the tent, they could see that it was serving a sizable crowd of customers. Peaking over their heads, Valarie caught sight Madison who was overseeing the cooks and cashiers. By the look of her pleased face, Valarie could tell that things were going very well. She maneuvered through the crowd to get her attention.

"You guys are pretty popular, huh? Just like in Spain?"

"Better than Spain!" Madison corrected with a proud smile. "Word definitely spreads around when you serve exquisite steak and eggs, among other fine items on the menu. Speaking of which, you here to place an order?"

Valarie nodded. "Nothing to heavy. I'm thinking scrambled eggs."

"Hmm. A bowl of scrambled eggs mixed with sausage?"

"That'll do nicely. Four bowls please."

Despite the crowd, the T-44 crew were handed their food within a few short minutes. Valarie suspected that Madison had told the cooks to prioritize their order but she wasn't going to complain. As they ate, they were joined by Louise who was wandering about the area. Her hands were behind her back and was looking toward a stage nearby to them."

"Hey Louise, what's up?" Valarie greeted.

"Not much. Just mentally preparing for the match."

"Same here."

Louise glanced at her. "Got any idea what they'll do with that stage?"

Valarie shrugged. "Who knows. Could be anything."

A moment later, a large group of girls made their appearance heading in the direction of the stage. They were all wearing uniforms stylized after the quintessential British explorer of the Victorian age; khaki-colored shirts and pants, long brown boots that reached beyond their knees, and on the top of each of their heads the familiar pith helmet. The girls got on the stage and got organized. To Valarie, who they were was unmistakable.