>>3038813
> Go find Griselda. She did say she wanted to see you.

>>3038813
>> Go find Griselda. She did say she wanted to see you.

>>3038813
>Go find Griselda. She did say she wanted to see you.

> Go find Griselda. She did say she wanted to see you.

You find Griselda at the other end of the plane, packing her things. “Ellie, Ellie, just the girl I wanted to see.” You nod to her and help her pull down a suitcase from the overhead compartment. “You see the match last night?” You nod. “Oh who am I kidding, of course you did.”

“Got a plan?” you ask.

“Not yet,” she says. “We don’t even know Mei’s full roster at this point. Though I’m guessing it’s going to be nothing but Centurions.” She grabs her suitcase then motions past you. You start walking with her down the aisle. “Ellie. Before we get into this match though, I want your reassurance on something.”

“That I’m not going to sacrifice my team for a shot at Mei?” you ask.

“That-…” Griselda pauses, then looks at you, confused. What –else- would she ask you honestly? “Huh. Okay. Yeah. I mean. I don’t want to make light of your little rivalry with her and I don’t want to cut your pride or anything. But this is a team. And you are one of our more competent girls. I need everyone to be 100%. You’re not going to be the Flag tank out there, but if you get knocked out, we stand a serious chance of losing.”

“I understand,” you say. “Trust me, I’m not that kind of girl.”

“I know.” Griselda smiles at you. “But please. If Mei does anything out there to provoke you, or taunt you, or to try and get your dander up. Please.” She steps up, giving you a motherly look. “Just beat it.”

> Boast
> Neutral
> Polite

>>3039007
> Polite
We didn't come this far to lose to our ego.

>>3039007
>> Polite

>>3039007
Polite

>>3039029
We can leggo our ego.

> Polite

“We didn’t come this far to lose to our ego, Griselda. Trust me.”

Griselda squeezes your arm, grinning. “That’s what I love to hear. Come on!”

She takes you out of the airplane and down the steps onto the tarmac. No adoring fans disappointingly, nor anything you would consider an actual welcome. Just the flight crew bringing the plane in and bringing your more precious luggage to load onto trucks. However, Griselda stops. You almost run into her. “Griselda. What’s-“ You look forward and see exactly what she’s staring at.

The Commissioner, and Mei Xiang.

Well. Speak of the devil. The Commissioner waves Griselda over. “Griselda. Mei and I would like to talk to you about something.” You and Griselda walk up to her. Commissioner Durocher smiles at you. “Elodie Zumwalt. Good to see you again.”

“Good to see you too,” you say. “What’s this about?” you ask.

“Nothing you need concern yourself with,” says the Commissioner. “This is squarely between Mei and Griselda. However. I should tell you both right now. We’re delaying the Finals by a day. They will be happening on Sunday rather than Saturday.” Griselda blinks, weirded out by this. Mei however looks rather stoic. Does she know something we don’t?

> “I don’t know. It seems like it involves me too.”
> “Well. Alright. Griselda, it’s you then.”
> Other

>>3039244
>“Well. Alright. Griselda, it’s you then.”

>>3039244
>> “I don’t know. It seems like it involves me too.”

>>3039244
>“I don’t know. It seems like it involves me too.”

> “I don’t know. It seems like it involves me too.”

“I don’t know,” you say. “It seems like it involves me too.”

Commissioner Durocher folds her arms, giving you a curious look. She looks at Mei. Mei says, “If she wishes to join. So be it.”

“Very well.” Commissioner Durocher nods to you. “Come on. It won’t take long.” Griselda looks at you, then nervously walks forward with the Commissioner and Mei. Whatever they have planned, it can’t be good. So you may as well be there when they announce it. The Commissioner welcomes the three of you into her limousine. And what a comfy limo it is. It’s not a stretch or anything, but it certainly has that luxurious charm. You sit on a leather seat facing the Commissioner and Mei. Griselda sits next to you and immediately points to something. “Yes, that’s a mini-fridge. Go ahead. There’s soda in it.”

Griselda quickly opens it and fishes out a Sprite. She motions to you. You shake your head. No, you’re not thirsty. “So,” says the Commissioner. “Let me just cut to the chase. What are your opinions on Cold War tanks?” she asks. Oh. Oooh no.

“I’m neutral to them,” you say.

“Are you introducing Cold War tanks to NATO?” asks Griselda. She didn’t even get to do a proper spit take.

“Yes.” Commissioner Durocher sits back in her seat, crossing her legs. “Mei Xiang here made a very good case for their inclusion. And I’ll be honest, NATO needs to grow separately of the ITL. The ITL has its strict restrictions around 1945. I believe we can push that just a little bit farther. Perhaps into the 50s.”

“You know tanks were much better in the 50s, right?” you ask, as if she were joking. “It wouldn’t be fair to teams that can’t afford them.”

“I’m well aware of the balance issues,” says the Commissioner. “I’ve been talking it over. And I believe we can go ahead with it. But not next year, no.” She puts her hands in her lap, blinking. “This year. During the finals.” She can’t be serious. You look at Mei. Nothing about her betrays any expression or any planning on her part. And yet… “This will be a trial run. Granted, a trial during the Finals is a little iffy. But, what matters for NATO’s continued survival is ratings and money flow. My colleagues tell me a sudden swerve for the Finals will draw people in for the show.”

> “Let me guess. Mei. You bought a lot of Cold War tanks, didn’t you.”
> “That doesn’t seem very fair to me, Commissioner. What about us? We don’t have time to purchase tanks of our own.”
> Remain silent. See where this goes.
> Other

>>3039516
>“Let me guess. Mei. You bought a lot of Cold War tanks, didn’t you.”
> “That doesn’t seem very fair to me, Commissioner. What about us? We don’t have time to purchase tanks of our own.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IC8k4Y407II

>>3039516
> “Let me guess. Mei. You bought a lot of Cold War tanks, didn’t you.”
> “That doesn’t seem very fair to me, Commissioner. What about us? We don’t have time to purchase tanks of our own.”
A one sided stomp of a final wouldn't bring in ratings.

>>3039516
> “Let me guess. Mei. You bought a lot of Cold War tanks, didn’t you.”
> “That doesn’t seem very fair to me, Commissioner. What about us? We don’t have time to purchase tanks of our own.”

>>3039516
> “Let me guess. Mei. You bought a lot of Cold War tanks, didn’t you.”
> “That doesn’t seem very fair to me, Commissioner. What about us? We don’t have time to purchase tanks of our own.”

> “Let me guess. Mei. You bought a lot of Cold War tanks, didn’t you.”
> “That doesn’t seem very fair to me, Commissioner. What about us? We don’t have time to purchase tanks of our own.”
> Remain silent. See where this goes.
> Other

> “Let me guess. Mei. You bought a lot of Cold War tanks, didn’t you.”
> “That doesn’t seem very fair to me, Commissioner. What about us? We don’t have time to purchase tanks of our own.”

“Let me guess. Mei. You bought a lot of cold war tanks, didn’t you?” Mei remains poignantly quiet on the subject. As for you, you won’t be. “Commissioner, that doesn’t seem very fair. What about us? We don’t have time to purchase tanks of our own. Not to mention we’ll be outnumbered anyway. And they’ll have the advantage. A one sided stomp isn’t exactly good for ratings.”

“Don’t be so sure, Elodie.” Commissioner Durocher quirks her brow, looking at you two. “The way I see it, the nature of a changing medium attracts the attention of those who like change. And besides, a one sided stomp only occurs when the other side isn’t up to par anyway. I believe your team stands a good chance of winning. It’s still going to be a thirty on thirty flag match.”

“How much money did they pay you?” asks Griselda. Commissioner Durocher immediately looks at Griselda in shock. Even you’re kind of surprised that Griselda just went and asked something like that. “There’s no way the Tankery community would just allow something like this. Hell, there’s no way –I’d- allow something like this! You know for a fact that Mei probably just dumped a lot of money into buying nice and fresh tanks that we can’t afford! And it wouldn’t matter how skilled we are, numbers and quality equipment are going to tear us down!” She’s… taking the words right out of your mouth, goodness.

Commissioner Durocher holds a hand up in defense. “Griselda. Calm yourself. Trust me. NATO, and by extension, Tankery, as a whole needs to adapt or die. We’ve ignored tanks beyond 1945 for long enough.”

“But choosing the Finals?” you ask. “You couldn’t have at least waited until next year?”

“No.” Mei folds her arms. “Now.” You glare at her. This is beyond simple rivalry. This is way too far, Mei. “By the way. This has always been under consideration since the very start. You should not be surprised this is happening.”

Commissioner Durocher says, “We’ll make the announcement later tonight. You’ll have an additional day to prepare. And from then on, whether who wins or loses will be in God’s hands.” Commissioner Durocher’s driver opens the door for you and Griselda. “You’re free to leave.”

Griselda seethes quietly, but relents and leaves the vehicle. You look at the two of them. Mei stares at you, not giving off any smugness or sense of victory. And yet you can tell she was behind this.

> “This isn’t over.”
> “Mei. If you can’t win with the tanks you’re given, maybe you shouldn’t be in this sport.”
> “I’m disappointed, Commissioner.”
> Other

>>3039806
>“Mei. If you can’t win with the tanks you’re given, maybe you shouldn’t be in this sport.”

>>3039806
>> “Mei. If you can’t win with the tanks you’re given, maybe you shouldn’t be in this sport.”

>>3039806
>Sigh and relent. Then bring up that the Commish’s old team is feeling like getting back together.
I mean, we’re right here anyway

>>3039806
>> “I’m disappointed, Commissioner.”
mei had already a advantage.

I’m blaming the bloody judge for being bought

>>3038813
I wish their tits were bigger

Also 30 vs 30?

Has she not seen our team?

We only have 17! 17 TANKS!

But doesn’t that mean we can upgrade the Swedish tank though ? That was a 1950s design

>>3039806
> “Mei. If you can’t win with the tanks you’re given, maybe you shouldn’t be in this sport.”
"You're already a failure as a follower of the old school, if your new way doesn't work, even with the deck stacked in its favour, well..."

>>3039910
Ramon what can we upgrade to Cold War standards ?

Al I can think of is the super Sherman’s and the Swede tanks.

Maybe convert the panzer iii to a stug.

>>3039915
Not much worth considering to be honest. The Swede tank, the Super Sherman's a bit jank, but doable. We absolutely should not do a Charioteer conversion on the Comets/Challenger though, that thing's jank.

Honestly, we're out of time anyway, the conversions would take too long, especially as we've lost our chief tech.

>>3039930
I’m kind of pissed that they pull Cold War shit on a team with weaker tanks and barely enough for half a team. Pisses me off.

Also why is the charioteer junk ? Least compared to the challenger

>>3039806
"If this is how Tankery will evolve then I want no part in it."

Finally back to reading LGA2 and I see Zhou Enlai is still up to its old tricks.

>>3039936
Because overloaded suspension, literally no armour on the turret, and basically has to have the commander on the engine deck to operate the gun effectively, or standing on the ground 15 feet away.

>>3039942
How about The IS series or is that moot?

I’m confused on the commissioner when she said 30 vs 30.

We only have 17 tanks

>>3039948
We could modernise the IS-2 to its cold war setup yeah, with better FCS and optics, a new engine and stuff, but the same time constraints are going to be a problem.

On another note, updated the Team pastebin for the Christie match: https://pastebin.com/bUU2v0z8

>>3040001
Holy shit we still had a SU-100 and Gertrude couldn’t get a team for it. I forgot about it and I assumed German did as well

> “Mei. If you can’t win with the tanks you’re given, maybe you shouldn’t be in this sport.”

“Mei. If you can’t win with the tanks you’re given, maybe you shouldn’t be in this sport.” Mei doesn’t even respond to you. Neither does the Commissioner. The Commissioner looks over at Mei, expecting a response. “You already had numbers. I didn’t think you needed anything else. If this doesn’t work, even with all you’re getting, I can’t say what your reputation is going to look like.” You shut the door on them. The limo drives off, leaving you two on the airfield. You look back and see all the girls watching curiously.

Then Griselda slams her soda can against the ground. It explodes in a shower of soda. “FUCK!” Griselda kicks it away. “Fucking, fuck fuck fuck, FUCK!” she screams.

“Griselda-“ You try to calm her down.

“Fuuuck!” Griselda stomps her foot, crying out. Luisa and Yuno quickly run over. “Agh! Why! Fucking, why!?” She stops herself once Luisa and Yuno practically bearhug her. “Agh! Damn it! You guys don’t have to-“ She quickly calms down.

“Please, calm down,” says Yuno. “Not in front of the crew.” Griselda takes a breath, sighing deeply. Part of you thinks this is your fault. If you hadn’t made a rival out of Mei. No. Even if you hadn’t made a rival out of her, she probably still would’ve pulled these underhanded shenanigans. Absolute disgrace to Tankery it is. You fold your arms, rubbing your now aching forehead. Goddamn it.

Griselda blinks. “We have seventeen crews. I haven’t done enough. We don’t have the idle tanks either to fill our gaps. And we only have two days to do anything related to conversions, mods, the works.” She folds her arms, just as Iris walks over to see what’s happening. “We are up shit creek without a paddle.” Denise comes up too, as does Fina and Hilda. The entire team walks up, concerned looks on their faces.

…

[1/2]

>>3040001
M46 Pattons are probably reasonably well available, but not "next day" available.

>>3040035
[2/2]

Griselda looks around. “What. You all think I’m giving up? Fuck no.” Oh. Well. Okay. Griselda takes a breath. “This is my fault. I wasn’t diligent. I thought our experience would trump numbers. And given that Iris and Elodie have been carrying us, we may have been spoiled. No. We need crews. And we need tanks.”

“Where are we going to get them?” asks Iris. “Even if we wanted to bring in tanks and modify our existing ones, we don’t have the numbers to convert them in time.”

Denise clears her throat, getting everyone’s attention. “Um.” You look at her too, curious. “I know a girl.” She holds up her cell phone, showing her contact.

> CAPTAIN SPRUANCE

…

Griselda blinks, looking at Denise. Denise frowns. “Griselda. I don’t know if you know this, but Naval Studies has always loved you for what you’ve done for us. You’ve never asked us to return any favors you’ve done and by God you never asked any more from us than say Regina or Elodie or Hadley or any other Naval Studies student here.”

Regina steps up, looking at Griselda. “Remember all those times Agriculture asked you to help fix their tractors and harvesters!? You always did it!”

“Or those times when you helped us Freshmen around the upper deck,” says Hadley. “You didn’t have to. You’re a General Studies student, but you still helped us anyway.”

“You may be a GS student, but you’re one of us. And Naval Studies takes care of its own.” Denise adjusts her belt, determined now. “Let’s make the call.”

Griselda looks at you. “I-…”

> “Do it.”
> “Let me talk to the Captain. Griselda, you work on getting things organized.”
> Other

>>3040047
>> “Do it.”

>>3040047
>> “Let me talk to the Captain. Griselda, you work on getting things organized.”

We could at least get the SU-100 running at least!

>>3040047
> “Do it.”

Letting cold war tanks in, what's next, boys in Tankery?

>>3040047
>“Do it.”

>>3040092
I want to do my quest on that

> “Do it.”

Griselda takes the phone and looks at you. “Do it,” you say. “It’s worth a try.”

Griselda turns to look at everyone. They all look expectant, ready to see if she makes the call. They’re not disappointed or worried or concerned. Now it was Griselda’s time. Griselda looks down at the phone, then quick-dials Captain Spruance. She brings the phone up to her ear. You all lean in to listen in.

“Captain Spruance here,” says the Captain. “Denise, what’s up?”

“Captain. It’s Griselda Pool.”

“Griselda. What’s up? Congrats on your victory against Christie by the way.”

“Yeah, yeah. Um. Listen, Captain. I need a favor. A really, really, really, big favor,” she says. “See, we just learned something really big that could us down in the upcoming match in the Finals. And we need people that can fix our tanks, modify them, get them up to spec, all that stuff. And I know maybe we don’t talk much and I know that I’m General Studies and you’re Naval Studies but… I really need your help, Captain. It would mean the world to me.”

…

“Aw jeez. When you use those pretty words, heh. Hold right there, Griselda. Let me come and talk it over with you personally.”

You smile. Griselda does too. The Captain is considering it.

Maybe there’s a little hope after all.

File: __girls_und_panzer_drawn_(...).jpg (2.25 MB, 5720x4055)

2.25 MB JPG

That's it for tonight. We'll return tomorrow for more. Hopefully you all enjoyed and you're looking forward to the upcoming match with Zhou Enlai. It's gonna be a doozy.

Follow at: https://twitter.com/GermanSchteel
And if you ever feel like shooting the shit with me, you can hit me up in my discord: https://discord.gg/9e9yvfv

See you next time.

I wonder what the NATO League's rules are in regards to filling in empty spots on the team roster with volunteers from other schools. Maybe we can call some of our friends like Meryl and Oryola, see who wants to shoot up some Zhou Enlei tanks that can get here by Sunday morning, and "LGA der Film" this thing.

>>3040279
Thanks for running Schteel.

An MH-60 Seahawk bearing the sigil of LGA comes hovering in to land on the airfield. It had been a few hours since LGA was somewhere near Japan instead of off the coast of China. You, Iris, Griselda, your crew, and your retinue have come to greet the arrival of Captain Spruance. Its tires touch down, and the side doors open. Captain Spruance steps out, not needing to duck for safety for rather obvious reasons (she’s short). She steps forward, smiling. “Griselda!”

“Captain.” Griselda nods, smiling back a little nervously. “I hope I’m not-“

“LGA happens to be in the sea of Japan,” she explains. “Actually, Elodie. I probably should tell you this right now. In a couple of months, we are going to be performing an exercise with the JSDF sooooo… just so you know that.” Good to know. “So what happens to be your problem again?”

“I need help,” says Griselda. “We have two days to make conversions and to buy tanks and fill out crews. Now, I can’t ask you to actually crew tanks for us. I know you guys are busy and unfortunately I don’t think we have time to train whole entire crews in the usage of tanks. But I know you have garages, you have mechanics-“

“Slow down, slow down, I’m gonna stop you right there.” Captain Spruance takes a sip out of a juice box then says, “Griselda. Just calm down. Let’s have lunch first. We’re in China! May as well sample the local flavor.” She looks to you. “Elodie, is Griselda always this excitable when discussing tank related business?”

> Boast
> Neutral
> Polite

File: 1473575855137.jpg (708 KB, 1300x2000)

708 KB JPG

>>3042021
>> Polite

>>3042021
>Polite

Can a Pershing b upgraded to the M46?

Though to be honest I rather have late War tanks just to prove we don’t need it

>>3042021
>> Polite

> Polite

“She’s enthusiastic. Helps drive the rest of us,” you say.

“I hope we’re not bothering you by doing this,” says Griselda. “So please forgive me if-“

“Hey, hey, look. I’m happy to help.” Captain Spruance smiles at the lot of you, then says, “I can’t provide crews. But I can provide some help. And parts. But first lunch. Let’s discuss things over it, alright?” She starts off. Iris takes a sip of tea, following her. You and Griselda as well, as does everyone else. “Way I see it, Griselda, I wish you had have asked earlier.”

“Why?” asks Griselda.

“We’ve always been willing to help, but you never contacted us,” she says. Captain Spruance looks to you and Griselda. “I figured you had things in hand anyway but if it’s this bad…”

> “Griselda wanted to build a team herself. It’s understandable.”
> “I didn’t think you’d actually help to be honest.”
> “I’m just glad you’re on board but how much?”
> Other

>>3042153
>> “Griselda wanted to build a team herself. It’s understandable.”
>> “I’m just glad you’re on board but how much?

>She didn’t want to become Gertrude 2.0. Even if it was to spite herself

>>3042153
>“Griselda wanted to build a team herself. It’s understandable.”

Got that independent streak.

We should get some calls going. See what we can whistle up for "transfer students" or any other Cold War Bullshit.

Also we should go public with this shit. Timing is obvious bullshit payoff

>>3042153
> “Griselda wanted to build a team herself. It’s understandable.”
>>3042169
I know what you mean, but the best way to do it may be to let the circumstances speak for themselves. Ho would it look if there was a sudden rule change that only really benefited one team. It would probably kill NATO, especially since it was founded in part because the ITL was dominated by rich schools fielding heavy and late war tanks. Now NATO will be the same, rich schools dominating using Cold War tanks.

>>3042230
Perhaps timing is everything. Just before the match begins, release something (a tweet) that says we were informed of the rules change as of x nights ago, but we're going ahead with the match anyway. We'll do our best"

Be all smiles and cheer. If we win, they are utterly humiliated. If we lose, we look like good sports and they look like toads.

Commish needs to burn for this bullshit.

File: 1469914750298.jpg (849 KB, 2035x1414)

849 KB JPG

>>3042255
I feel like commenting publicly on it would come off as petty. All the other schools know, anyone who follows tankery would know, Mei already has a reputation for using money to get what she wants.

>>3039806
At this point I would have spit Mei in the face, refuse to do the match. and just gone back to Lafayette. But that's me.

>>3042263
Everyone knows that Mei buys the best tanks and crews, but dropping a major rules change 2 days before the finals is too much. And if she has a slate of the newly allowed tanks?

And yes, I'm a smidge upset at the plot appropriate betrayal by Commissioner has caused the exact reaction Schteel was shooting for.

Well played, sir.

>>3042153
>“Griselda wanted to build a team herself. It’s understandable.”
>We would have been fine if it weren't for Mei getting an unfair rule in her favor in place.

>>3040310
If they want anything other than the one-sided farce than it is now they'll allow it.

>>3042153
>> “Griselda wanted to build a team herself. It’s understandable.”

>>3042291
This pissed me off more th one time that German team threw oil barrels and burned our tanks in lga 1. In which they go no punishment for it

> “Griselda wanted to build a team herself. It’s understandable.”

“Griselda wanted to build a team herself. It’s understandable. Even if it was cutting her nose off to spite her face in my opinion.”

“I built the team to prove to my sister I could do without her,” says Griselda. “And I think I’ve gone above and beyond. We would’ve been fine if it weren’t for Mei. She’s doing everything in her power to put us down and lift herself up.”

Captain Spruance shakes her head. “Yeah, those Chinese. Always taking advantage of their wealth to get above everyone else! Sickens me.”

“Um.” Griselda looks at her, confused. “It’s not specifically the Chinese, it’s just-“

Captain Spruance huffs. “Let’s talk details in your tent and over lunch.”

“Who’s setting up the tent?” you ask. Griselda smiles. She folds her arms, giving you a very knowing look. Uh. You don’t know who’s setting up camp for the lot of you. Is that supposed to mean something?

…

…

“Griselda!” The tent that has been established for you all resembles more a prefabricated hotel than a tent. It’s all the work of one man though. He opens his arms, grinning. Griselda runs into his arms and hugs him. “Good to see you!”

“Dad!” Griselda pulls back, her grin gone. “What the fuck are you doing? You should be in the hospital!”

“Hey, hey, hey.” Mr. Pool pinches Griselda’s mouth shut. “Is that any way to talk in public, young lady?” Griselda gives him a ‘really?’ expression. “Just joking.” He lets go of her mouth. “Hospitals can’t hold Pools. Your great-great-grandpa for instance. A hospital couldn’t hold him! Because he was sent to a Sanatorium.”

“Dad, please.” Griselda sighs. “You know, Elodie and her friends. This is Captain Spruance too. She’s here for lunch.” Captain Spruance salutes.

“Pleasure to meet a real US Diplomat, sir,” says Captain Spruance. Oh. That’s where he got this tent then. “I don’t suppose you-…”

“Chicken stir fry,” he explains. “The Chinese have this lovely spice that kicks it up just a tinge but makes it delectable. But first. Pickles.” He starts walking with you all to the lunch table. Denise quickly tugs on your sleeve.

“I knew this would work!” she says. “Even Mr. Pool is on our side!”

> “It’s not going to change that the Commissioner’s against us.”
> “Let’s see what Captain Spruance does for us first.”
> “Denise, you did well. Thank you.”
> Other

>>3042312
This had lots of lead-up. The clues and hints were laid out well before this. I'm not surprised by it or upset with the writing, just with Mei and Commissioner.

>>3042361
> “Denise, you did well. Thank you.

Denise is a good girl and gets headpats

>>3042361
>> “Let’s see what Captain Spruance does for us first.”
>>3042380
Oh no thwell hints were there l, I agree this is why I was annoyed with Griselda throughout the wuest, despite NATO being harder then standard tankery she could have been better prepared for this and instead let tanks go unused and refused gifts when we were badly needed for funding because Gertrude offered it (even if she was being a cunt)

>>3042361
>“Denise, you did well. Thank you.”

>>3042361
>> “Let’s see what Captain Spruance does for us first.”

>>3042361
>“Denise, you did well. Thank you.
> “Let’s see what Captain Spruance does for us first.”

> “Let’s see what Captain Spruance does for us first.”
> “Denise, you did well. Thank you.”

“You did well, Denise.” You quickly pat her head. She giggles at her praise, happy as can be. “Thanks. Let’s see what Captain Spruance does for us first though.”

…

…

You were all served a plate of Chinese chicken stir fry with Sichuan peppers in the mix. Mr. Pool is right. This stuff is good. Still, he was in on the conversation. “My God. What are they doing to my little girl?” he says, clearly not happy with what’s going on. “I oughta lodge a complaint! Hell, I’ll give that Commissioner a piece of my mind-“ He starts coughing. Griselda quickly hands him a bottle of water. “Ah! Son of a…”

“Dad, please.” Griselda looks to Captain Spruance as she stuffs her face. “Captain, whatever you can do for us, we’d really appreciate it.”

Captain Spruance says, “Unfortunately, I can’t provide crews, at least not many. But I can provide you mechanics, parts, and even a little cash to kick you guys into upgrading what tanks you have. As for crews, if I find volunteers I’ll see if I can get them. But I’ll be honest, I’m not sure who will come.”

“People will come,” you say. “Even one more crew to man our tanks will be enough.” Denise blinks, quietly eating her stir fry. “And if we have more cash, we can buy additional tanks too.”

“I see, I see.” Griselda nods slowly, thinking on it. “I just-… I don’t think I can accept-“

“Griselda.” Captain Spruance stops eating. “You can and you will. Trust me. We’ll do everything to help you.”

“Well, what do we do then?” asks Griselda. She looks at you and Iris. “We have two days. What do you guys think?”

> “We need manpower and tanks. Now.”
> “Upgrading our current roster should take priority.”
> “Griselda. It’s all you. You decide.”
> Other

>>3042556
>> “We need manpower and tanks. Now.”

>>3042556
I'd bet that especially St. Gloriana and the other schools that lost to Mei have some "transfer students".

>>3042556
>“We need manpower and tanks. Now.”

See if we can pull some transfer student bullshit. I wonder what NATO's rules are for air support?

>>3042556
>“We need manpower and tanks. Now.”

File: 1474748038707.jpg (866 KB, 1398x1984)

866 KB JPG

>>3042556
> “Upgrading our current roster should take priority.”
See about the feasibility of transfer students and tanks, if not then see if Spruance can scrap togethera few crews for us.

Dear Perrine,
We have finalized the paperwork for your transfer student. Good news, we have room for her on our NATO team as she requested. We look forward to having Miss Karla Morser onboard.

Your super extra biggest fan,

Winona (and Cuddles)

>>3042556
>We need manpower and tanks. Now.”
Our current roster is fine. We will be overwhelmed

>>3042556
> “Upgrading our current roster should take priority.”

We can't exactly rely on crews that may or may not come. But we can rely on the Tanks we already have.

>>3042556
>> “We need manpower and tanks. Now.”
Still hoping for Denise in a Tetrarch. Also they didn't give us a date, just 'into the 50s'. We won't be able to afford many cold war tanks, if any, so we should push it to the limit, and aim for a Centurion Mk 8/2 and/or a Conqueror, having the 105mm L7 and 120mm L1 respectively, both of which will pretty much core any tank of the period nose to tail.

> “We need manpower and tanks. Now.”

“We need manpower and tanks. Now. Anybody you can provide us, we’ll take them. Just people who can get into a tank, drive, and fire, that’s it.”

Captain Spruance leans back in her seat, nodding slowly. “Okay. Slight problem with that. I’m not sure how many people I can muster for that.”

“It’d just be for one match,” you explain. “They don’t even have to stay on the team after that.”

“I know. As for tanks. Bigger problem. There are no more tanks on LGA, at least none that we can use or ones that don’t belong to the ITL team.” You think on Gertrude. She should be helping with this too. Oh, if Griselda weren’t so stubborn. “I can give you crews to man the tanks you have idle right now. And I can upgrade whatever tanks you want upgraded now. But you’ll have to purchase more. We can front some cash for that.”

“No, no, we’d need the cash for the conversions, and we’d need the extra cash to have them shipped here priority post haste,” says Griselda. “There may be more that we need but I don’t see how we can get the necessary manpower without bankrupting the team.”

“Why not bankrupt us, this is our final match,” you say.

“And leave the team open to failure next year?” You pause. Griselda shakes her head. “No. I have to leave even the barest amount of money for the team for the future. I’m not going to dump all of our money into this one match that we could potentially lose.” Alright. Fair point. You rub your forehead, sighing a little.

“Elodie.” You look up and see Miss McPherson walking up. “I see you’re all having quite the discussion.”

“We are,” says Captain Spruance. Miss McPherson looks at you, curious.

> “Commissioner Durocher’s stacked the odds, we’re trying to figure out how Captain Spruance can help.”
> “We can talk about this later, Miss McPherson.”
> Other

>>3042725
>> “Commissioner Durocher’s stacked the odds, we’re trying to figure out how Captain Spruance can help.”

>>3042725
>> “Commissioner Durocher’s stacked the odds, we’re trying to figure out how Captain Spruance can help.”

>>3042725
>“Commissioner Durocher’s stacked the odds, we’re trying to figure out how Captain Spruance can help.”

>>3042725
Commissioner Durocher’s stacked the odds, we’re trying to figure out how Captain Spruance can help.”

> “Commissioner Durocher’s stacked the odds, we’re trying to figure out how Captain Spruance can help.”

“Commissioner Durocher’s stacked the odds against us, she’s going to be implementing Cold War tanks days before we have our final match, it’s likely that Mei Xiang will have Cold War tanks before we do, and we’re trying to figure out how Captain Spruance can help.”

…

Miss McPherson places her hands on the table, giving you a very stern glare. “You what.”

“That’s what they told us,” you say.

“Ah.” Miss McPherson looks at Denise. “You got the keys to your Kettenkrad?” Denise nods. “Can I see them?” Denise reaches into her pocket and pulls out her keys. Miss McPherson takes them and quickly walks out of the tent. Everyone watches her go. Where the hell is she going? You stand up and jog after her.

“Miss McPherson!” you shout. She doesn’t stop. In fact, she starts speeding up. She exits the tent and gets onto Denise’s Kettenkrad, then drives off towards the fairgrounds in the distance, probably where the Commissioner plans to watch the match. Uh oh. Oh no no no.

> Well, nothing you can do now. Guess you’ll leave her to do that.
> After her! Before she makes things worse!
> Get Miss McPherson’s girls together. They have to stop her!
> Other

>>3042946
>> Get Miss McPherson’s girls together. They have to stop her!

>>3042946
>> Well, nothing you can do now. Guess you’ll leave her to do that.
I feel like getting the rest of her crew together would just make it worse.

>>3042946
>> After her! Before she makes things worse!

Cue Benny Hill theme.

>>3042946
>Get Miss McPherson’s girls together. They have to stop her!

>>3042946
>> Get Miss McPherson’s girls together. They have to stop her!

>>3042946
>> Get Miss McPherson’s girls together. They have to stop her!

>>3042946
> After her! Before she makes things worse!

Denise!
> Get Miss McPherson’s girls together. They have to stop her!

As much as the Commissioner needs to go down, the impending ass-kicking and assault charge are not the way I hoped for.

We have to save Miss McPherson from her justifiably violent urges

>>3042946
>>3043061
Changing my vote to this>>3043092

>>3042946
>> Other
Round up as many people as possible to watch McPherson chew out the commissioner. Only intervene when McPherson moves to hurt him.
Seriously, why stop McPherson, whose side are you guys on ?

>>3043162
Miss McPherson's side. I'm expecting a pummeling.

> Get Miss McPherson’s girls together. They have to stop her!

Oh shit.

“Denise. Get a car. And get Miss McPherson’s girls. They have to stop her!”

“Why?” asks Denise as she runs up to you.

“Someone’s about to get murdered,” you say. Denise gasps in shock. “Figuratively. I hope.”

“Let’s go then! Griselda!” Griselda tosses Denise the keys to her Dodge truck. “Thank you! Thank you! Come on, Elodie! Let’s go, go, go!” The Dodge truck is parked around the side of the tent. Denise takes up the driver’s seat while you get in the back. Hopefully Denise is fast and can make it in time. She starts up the engine, puts it in gear, then speeds out and away. You hold on for dear life as she goes. Okay, maybe this was a mistake going along.

…

…

Denise managed to gather up everyone in the span of about ten minutes. “Is she nuts!? Dottie and Mattie haven’t spoken in ages!” yells Miss Sandusky.

Miss Dillon holds onto the side for dear life. “This is gonna end in a lot of blood and tears! Hopefully tears if she wants to avoid rotting in a Chinese jail!”

Miss Emerson shouts, “We gotta stop them! Before things get ugly!”

You arrive in the fairgrounds at the Commissioner’s personal prefab. One of the guards stands outside, seeing all these old women jump out with the grace of swans and the fury of wild hogs. You run up to him. “Did an old woman about in her 40s or 50s come in through here?”

“Oh her?” The guard nods. “Yeah. Are you her friends?”

“Yeah, yeah, you gotta let us in, boyo!” yells Miss Sandusky.

“I mean.” The guard blinks. “Normally, I wouldn’t. But the first one threatened to cut my balls off and shove them up my eyes so.” He opens the door and motions you all inside. “Go ahead.” Wow. That was easy. All of you hurry inside.

“- and you are absolutely destroying everything we have done, everything we lost, just to fulfill some petty ego!” screams Miss McPherson. You catch the two of them in an argument. Thank God, a verbal one. Commissioner Durocher sits behind a desk in a chair. This personal prefab was set up to be an office it seems, sparsely populated with furniture save for a desk and a computer. But that wasn’t relevant. What was Miss McPherson screaming her head off. “These girls have nothing to do with us, they want to win as much as we did in the past! Why do this!? Why do any of this, Dottie!?”

“First off. This isn’t to fulfill some petty ‘ego’. I have a budding sports organization to run and to expand. We need to differentiate ourselves from the ITL in order to survive.” Commissioner Durocher sits in her chair, calmly. “Secondly. You say that as if Lafayette Girls Academy and the ITL weren’t the ones that wiped away all of our achievements, all of our history, all of our glory, all of those summers we had just because of one season.”

“They had every right to and you know it,” says Miss McPherson. “I know you regret it deep down too. We all do. But we’ve moved on. We’re past that now. Tankery is still in our blood! You can’t just punish these girls just for coming from an institution that shunned us!” Commissioner Durocher quietly sits, not betraying anything. She leans back in her seat and sighs before pulling out a cigarette box, thumping a cigarette out and lighting up. “We had a lot of fun, Dottie. Those summers together. You remember? Those days are over.”

“They are,” says Commissioner Durocher. She looks at the door, then sighs. “Deedee. Emma. Sandy. And Elodie Zumwalt.”

You wave nervously. “… hi.”

Oh boy.

File: Spoiler Image (1.05 MB, 1400x1000)

1.05 MB PNG

Unfortunately, that's where we end it for tonight. We'll be back the following weekend for more so I hope you all enjoyed. We're still on the same day canonically for next time.

Follow at: https://twitter.com/GermanSchteel
And if you ever feel like shooting the shit with me, you can hit me up in my discord: https://discord.gg/9e9yvfv

See you next time.

>>3043250
Yikes

>>3043250
Thanks for the fun, boss.

>>3043250
Thanks for running Schteel, catch you next time.

File: 1530405453773.png (15 KB, 400x400)

15 KB PNG

>>3043250
Thanks boss, good time tonight.

How are the lewds coming along?

>>3043284
Slowly.

>>3043291
Take your time

Commissioner Durocher stares at you for a few seconds, then looks at Miss McPherson. “So you’ve brought the entire crew back.”

“She did actually,” says Miss McPherson. “Granted. She kinda dragged us into this. But all the same. We came together because it was time to move on from Tankery, that doesn’t mean we’d have to abandon it.” Commissioner Durocher leans back in her chair, clearly trying to tune out what Miss McPherson is saying. “Dottie. It’s not fair to them or to us or to anyone to just spring this rule change willy nilly.”

“It wasn’t fair back then either,” says Commissioner Durocher. “You think it was fair that the ITL completely trashed any records of our being in Tankery and LGA wiped us away just because of us cheating? I’m not saying it’s wrong, they were in their rights to punish us. But to get rid of all those years we spent toiling and trying to win. That wasn’t fair.”

Miss Sandusky steps in. “You knew the rules. Everyone did. It was the first time anyone ever managed to cheat like that in Tankery though. What were they supposed to do?”

Miss Emerson says, “And even besides the past, think of the future. If rich schools can buy Cold War tanks and poor schools can’t, what then? You wouldn’t look any better than the ITL anyway. I thought you founded NATO in order to equalize things, not split them apart even more.”

“There’s always going to be rich schools and poor schools,” says Commissioner Durocher. “I’m not going to be lectured on how to run my enterprise by the likes of you.” Everyone shuts up. Commissioner Durocher leans forward on her desk. “You know, Tankery isn’t as popular a sport as it used to be. Now everyone’s going on about helicopters and airplanes instead. This is going to make us or break us.”

“But what about LGA?” asks Miss Sandusky. “It’s not fair.”

“Did you not listen to the last minute of this conversation? So what if it’s not fair,” she says. “Tankery is never fair. We’ve had to face tough odds before when we played. Hell, Tankery is never going to be fair. That’s one of the great things about this sport. Isn’t it? That a bunch of high schoolers in some two-bit tanks can face off against juggernauts and come out on top. Or how an ad-hoc alliance of schoolgirls from all over Japan can face off against the University All-Stars and still somehow win.” She motions to you. “And I beat she thinks she can win anyway. Given you’re outnumbered, outgunned, and out-everythinged in almost every match you’ve been in.”

> Boast
> Neutral
> Polite

>>3052892
>> Neutral
If nothing else, last minute rule changes would discourage participation in NATO. Who wants to join a tournament for the rules to change the day before the next match? Especially for the Finals, and with a rule change that blatantly favors one team, who already has the advantage in numbers and tanks.

>>3052892
>Neutral

>>3052892
>Neutral

It’s not a matter of expecting to win you cunt!

It’s that they tried KNOWING what they were getting into. They knew the odds and tried!
Oorai went in not expecting any help.

Gertrude pulled a underdog with her connections and hard work.

Both with following the rules thatndid not change!

Having to do this last minute bullshit is not that scenario.

CUNT!

>>3052980
Also part two of write in rant.

It’s not even a matter of rich vs poor, it’s about expectations of the league. If rules can be changed at any time without notice no one will joint

At the very least very few teams will only participate in NATO due to the fact that they can’t suddenly shift their entire lineup and it will look shady as well for Mei as well for last match to have suddeny Cold War tanks at the last minute

Putting the organization into danger because favoritism whether warranted or not.

> Neutral

“It’s not about expecting to win. No one is going to participate if they know the rules are going to change at the last second which they did.” Commissioner Durocher quirks her brow, giving you a very stern look. “The fact that your rule change clearly favors Mei and her team over ours isn’t anything subtle. It’s clear to everyone that you’re favoring one team over the other for no good reason.”

She squints. “You raise a good point. But once we amend the rules, we can continue-“

“That’s not good enough,” says Miss McPherson, interrupting her. “You’re setting a dangerous precedent. This isn’t about winning or losing anymore. It’s about what’s fair.” Commissioner Durocher is about to say something, but she’s interrupted. “No, don’t give me more of that bullshit about Tankery not being fair. LGA isn’t a rich school. It had to claw its way out of getting scrapped. Zhou Enlai is a rich school. They get everything they want and more. What more could they possibly want?”

…

Commissioner Durocher stands up out of her chair, sighing. “I don’t think you all understand the position I’m in. I need this organization to survive. To survive I need money. Whether that money comes from ZES or from sponsors or from loyal fans is none of your business.”

“It still looks shady as fuck though,” says Miss Dillon. You look at her, appalled. “What. We can swear. She just did.” She points to Miss McPherson.

Miss Emerson steps around the desk. “Dottie-“

“Don’t –Dottie- me. I’ve made my decision,” she says. “Now, we’re going to announce the cutoff date tonight. And we’re going to continue on. Besides, Cold War tanks aren’t –that- different from their World War 2 counterparts. All that matters is skill and ingenuity in the end. That’s the Tankery I know.” She looks around at all of you. “I know you all disagree. And I know this ruling may be unpopular. But what’s done is done.”

“No.” Miss McPherson slams her fist on the desk. “I won’t accept that.”

“What does it matter to you, anyway!?” shouts Commissioner Durocher. “You don’t even participate in Tankery activities anymore! Even after they banned us, I still kept with it!” She slams her fist on the desk too. “I worked hard in college to study so I can at least be in a pit crew on a professional team! I had to work under some of the best and brightest in Tankery so I can at least be near a tank and so one day I could do something like this! All you’ve done is waste away!”

“I’m their advisor, damn it! I help coach them! I teach them not to make the mistakes we did!” Miss McPherson fiercely glares at Commissioner Durocher, silencing her. “Sure, I may not do Tankery anymore. Sure, I may not operate a Tank anymore. But I’ve moved on. That’s what matters. Tankery is not my life. We all have to learn to move on from that mistake.”

“Mattie-“

“Dottie.” Miss McPherson tilts her head. “I know Tankery is your life. But if you’re nothing without it. You’ll never be enough with it.”

>>3053115
[2/2]

…

“Go. Now.” Commissioner Durocher points to the door. Miss McPherson glares at her, before shoving off and stepping out of the door. All the other ladies start moving out the door as well.

“It was nice to see you again, Dottie,” says Miss Sandusky. You move to follow them. But then you’re stopped.

“You.” She points to you. Commissioner Durocher points to a chair. “You stay. We need to talk.” Miss Sandusky tries to stay as well. “Shoo. Go.” She hesitates, then exits out and shuts the door. Now it’s just you two. “Go on, sit.” Alone with the Commissioner of NATO.

Oh shit.

You sit down, awkwardly.

Commissioner Durocher folds her arms, glaring at you. “You know. I’ve been watching your career pretty closely. Same with Griselda and Iris too. They’re pretty good.”

“The best,” you say.

She snorts. “Well.” She sighs, rubbing her nose. She’s conflicted. You can see it in her eyes. “Goddamn it. Why did you bring those old hags with you?”

> “They’re your friends.”
> “They’ve helped us. I’ve helped them. It’s a relationship.”
> “To talk some sense into you.”
> Other

>>3053117
> “They’ve helped us. I’ve helped them. It’s a relationship.”
> “To talk some sense into you.”

>If I’m being Frank, Griselda and I told you similar points earlier and you dismissed us and left. If I a participant can’t get through to you, I brought in a third party of sorts but one that went though a similar experience as you have.

If they seem bias we can bring another group and another. And I’m confident any other team and spectator will find this bias, especially if Mei has a whole line up of Cold War tanks ready just after the announcement.

>>3053117
>“They’ve helped us. I’ve helped them. It’s a relationship.

Man, a part of me just want to walk out of the match and not participate.

NATO needs a show to keep sponsors and viewers interested but if this bollocks happens, why give them what they want.

I mean besides the narrative?

>>3053135
Backing this

>>3053117
>> “They’ve helped us. I’ve helped them. It’s a relationship.”

> “They’ve helped us. I’ve helped them. It’s a relationship.”

“They’ve helped us, I’ve helped them. It’s a relationship,” you say. “How could I not? Those old bags are your friends after all.”

“I suppose so.” Commissioner Durocher rubs her eyes, grimacing intensely. “Now listen, I know it’s not fair. And I know that-“ She sees the look on your face. Just because she knows it’s not fair doesn’t make it anymore right. And you express that clearly. “I’m not going to get through to you, am I?”

“You’re lucky that I haven’t decided to talk to Griselda and have us pull out,” you say. “You’d be left without a World Finals. That’d hurt you even worse in my opinion.” She nods, agreeing. “I want to make this work. But I don’t want to let us be stepped on. This isn’t war. This is a sport. We deserve to have every chance we can get.”

“Right.” Commissioner Durocher crosses her legs, turning to face the wall. “I’m so sorry that it’s happening this way. Truth be told, I wanted to wait until next year. But Zhou Enlai agreed to donate quite a large sum of money if we expedited the process to now. And I can’t ignore that.” Well. That figures. “I’m sorry. But sports is not about sportsmanship. It’s a business too. And I have to look out for the organization’s bottom line.”

“And if we refuse to play?” you ask, trying to get a rise out of her.

“The WL runner up goes instead of you,” she says. “Simple. I’d rather it not come to that though.”

“Maybe it will,” you say.

The Commissioner is quiet at that response.

> “I can see why you’d want to cheat in circumstances like this.”
> “It will. I promise you that.”
> “If we win, you lose. If we lose, you still lose. It’s that simple.”
> Other

>>3053355
>> “If we win, you lose. If we lose, you still lose. It’s that simple.”

>>3053355
>> “If we win, you lose. If we lose, you still lose. It’s that simple.”

>>3053355
>> “If we win, you lose. If we lose, you still lose. It’s that simple.”

And if they refuse?

What makes you think the WL will accept this as well. Not all of us are flushed with cash to refit our machines in such short notice, even more so that they are more pressed for time then we are?

>>3053451
I mean runner up.

But still she loses regardless

>>3053355
>> “If we win, you lose. If we lose, you still lose. It’s that simple.”

Does anyone find it annoying that now she is apologizing after fighting with her friends

> “If we win, you lose. If we lose, you still lose. It’s that simple.”

“If we win, you lose. If we lose, you still lose. That simple. No one is going to watch a team get curb stomped by another team with equipment and numbers greater than their own,” you explain firmly. “That’s just the facts. Why do you think Tankery’s popularity was dying in the first place?”

The Commissioner is quiet, looking up at the ceiling. “Well. I guess we’re in a pickle then.”

“You could just refuse to let the change go through,” you say. The Commissioner frowns a little. “Or you could help us. Simple as that I think.”

She stands up and rubs her chin. “Elodie. I am in charge of the organization. If I were to suddenly back down, people would not stand for it. It has to happen.” She places her hands on her hips, frowning deeply. “But. You make a good argument. I have to admit that much. Same with Mattie and Emmy and DeeDee and Sandy. They…” She stops, then rubs at her eyes again.

“So what now then?” you ask.

“I don’t know,” she says. She motions to you. “What’s your suggestion?”

> “A minimum purchasing date. Anything after that date can’t be used. At least for this year.”
> “Maybe not using Cold War tanks.”
> “It’s up to you, Commissioner.”
> Other

>>3053576
>“A minimum purchasing date. Anything after that date can’t be used. At least for this year.”
As much as I'd like to say no entirely, I don't think they'd go for it.

>>3053576
>> “A minimum purchasing date. Anything after that date can’t be used. At least for this year.”
>> “Maybe not using Cold War tanks.”
>> “It’s up to you, Commissioner.”

All three give her the hard deal, make her pick her poison

>>3053576
>>3053667
Backing this.
NATO getting a large donation from Zao Enlai and then getting rule changes would destroy the Leagues credibility, its literally paying for rules changes.

> “A minimum purchasing date. Anything after that date can’t be used. At least for this year.”
> “Maybe not using Cold War tanks.”
> “It’s up to you, Commissioner.”

“A minimum purchasing date. After that, can’t be used, stuff like that. At least for this year. Personally I’d rather maybe not use Cold War tanks in the first place but really, it’s up to you, Commissioner.” She stares at you, clearly not enjoying the decisions. “That’s my way of seeing it.”

She sighs, then points to the door. “Out with you. I need to make a decision.”

“But-“

“Out. I’ll let you know what happens tonight.” Hmph. Fine. You stand up. “Let’s keep things civil for now, Elodie.”

“Yeah. Civil.” You hate to use that term considering how angry this makes you. But for now, you do have to keep it civil. No rants, no yelling, nothing of that sort. Just let it go. You walk to the door and open it. “Good luck, Commissioner.” You step out and meet with Miss McPherson and the other ladies.

“What did she say?” asks Miss McPherson.

“She’ll make her decision tonight,” you explain. “I laid it out for her.”

“I hope it’s a good one,” says Miss Emerson.

Yeah. So do you.

Unfortunately, that's where we end it for tonight. We'll be back tomorrow for more so I hope to see you there. Hope you all enjoyed.

Follow at: https://twitter.com/GermanSchteel
And if you ever feel like shooting the shit with me, you can hit me up in my discord: https://discord.gg/9e9yvfv

See you next time.

>>3053917
Really hope Gertrude loans us some of her team

>>3053917
Thanks for teh fun, boss. I just caught up. See you tomorrow

You make it back to camp to find Griselda and Captain Spruance talking more as more tents are set up to accommodate the crews. “And the way I see things, I’m not sure if the Commissioner will even-“ She turns to you. Griselda blinks in surprise. “Elodie.” She sees Miss McPherson and the other ladies there too. “Miss McPherson. How did it go?”

“Not well,” says Miss McPherson. “I’ll admit, I said some things I probably shouldn’t have.”

“You let her have it,” you say. “But the way things are, I think it’s safe to say that maybe we got through to the Commissioner.”

“Got through how?” asks Griselda.

You shrug. “We won’t know until we see her announcement.”

Captain Spruance grins, snickering a little. “Heh. I think she’ll turn over a new leaf. She has to, doesn’t she?”

> Boast
> Neutral
> Polite

>>3055758
>> Neutral
Who knows?

>>3055758
>> Neutral

>>3055758
> Neutral

She sold herself out to Mei and Zhou Enlai, so I'm not too hopeful.

>>3055758
> Neutral
She's already taken ZES's money. Now she's trying to figure out how to keep it without killing NATO with rules changes

>>3055758
>>3055775
This

> Neutral

“We’ll have to wait and see. She’s already taken their money. So she can’t exactly back out. I’m not too hopeful.” Griselda nods, understanding.

Captain Spruance says, “Well, tomorrow I’ll bring some mechanics around. We’ll do some tinkering and see what we can do.” She looks to Griselda. “As for you, Griselda. We are going to do some fine work the night before the match. Alrighty?” Griselda smiles, then offers her hand. Captain Spruance shakes it vigorously, and then turns and walks off. “Later then, y’all!” It’s quite gracious of Captain Spruance to do this. You have to remember to find some way to thank her later.

Griselda sighs, her smile fading a little. “Really wish we hadn’t been thrown into this situation regardless.”

“I’m sorry,” you say.

“It’s not your fault,” says Griselda. “I mean, Mei will do anything to win.” You think back on –why- Mei wants so desperately to win though. To prove her worth over the Shimada school. Everything. “I mean, I can actually sympathize. I want to win too. But I’d like to win fairly. Winning’s not winning if you’ve already won before you won, you know?”

Uh. You squint. Sure?

> “It’s probably my fault. She wants to win one over the Shimada school.”
> “No matter what. We’ll win.”
> “You’re going to have to explain that one to me, Griselda.”
> Other

>>3056001
> Other
Mei's lost touch with the sport. Its only about winning for her. Showing she's better than everyone else by being right.

She believes that money can beat tradition and discipline. She's using us, mostly me, to show up the Shimada school.

File: 1542515023253.jpg (287 KB, 860x1104)

287 KB JPG

>>3056001
>> “It’s probably my fault. She wants to win one over the Shimada school.”
>>3056017
Both, its a combination of these two things really.

>>3056001
I can back >>3056017

>>3056001
>>3056017
This

> Other

“Mei’s lost touch with the sport. It’s only about winning for her. Showing she’s better than everyone else by being right. She thinks money can beat tradition and discipline. She’s using us to show up the Shimada school.”

Griselda sighs. “If I knew we’d be caught in a little philosophical war between the Shimadas and Mei, maybe I would’ve delayed joining NATO by a year or something.” A fair assessment. “Regardless, I guess we’ll just have to deal with it. Have you talked with Mei at all about this?” You shake your head. “Tell you what. Here’s my suggestion. You don’t have to follow it if you don’t want to. Their camp is right across the way from ours.” Where is she going with this? “Maybe extend the olive branch to Mei.”

“Extend the olive branch?” you ask. “To –Mei-?”

“It’s just a suggestion,” she says. “At the very least, you can let her know that this stuff is not going to stand with us or anybody else. She’s not going to look like a victor if she wins this match. And she sure as hell isn’t going to look good if she loses. She’s risking everything just to win now. I guess that’s all money can really buy you, wins now. But nothing later.” Normally you’d be the one to defend the use of money and the idea that money is actually good. But in this case you might have to agree with Griselda. In this case, money corrupts. And it’s turned what should be a fun sport into something horrible. “Anyway. I should go make sure all the tanks are offloaded.” She gently punches your arm. “Go ahead and retire for the day. Relax. And make sure you watch when they make the announcement.”

You nod. “Of course.”

With that, Griselda takes her leave. “We’ll be watching,” says Miss McPherson. “And we’ll be rooting for you.” You smile at them, shaking their hands one by one.

“Kick their ass for us,” says Miss Sandusky.

“I will.” With that, they leave you alone as well. That just left you Denise.

Denise stands there, confused. “So… what now?” she asks.

> Maybe Griselda is right. Best pay Mei a visit.
> Go retire to your tent for the day.
> Explore the festival grounds. May as well have some fun.
> Other

>>3056203
> Maybe Griselda is right. Best pay Mei a visit.

We gotta try, at least. Could save NATO a lot of trouble

>>3056203
>> Maybe Griselda is right. Best pay Mei a visit.

>>3056203
>> Maybe Griselda is right. Best pay Mei a visit.

> Maybe Griselda is right. Best pay Mei a visit.

…

…

“Well, well, well.” Freya Ward greets you and Denise to the absolutely impressive Zhou Enlai camp. All around you, you don’t see many very many Chinese girls. Just more foreigners. Their tents are huge. You can smell fried chicken and barbecue being cooked up. The tents look more like houses it seems. You look farther in. Even the tanks have their own separate tents. And they have their own mechanics working on them. But what was more striking were the tanks being brought in. One of them rolls past Freya behind her.

A T-54. A T-54-3 by the looks of it. They were painted a stark grey with the ZES emblem painted on the side of the turret. There were dozens of them. And you can still see Centurions. So even if they were to give up their T-54s, you’d still be at a disadvantage.

“What are you here for?” asks Freya.

“To see Mei,” you say. “Where is she?”

Freya smiles. “She’s in her tent. Come on, I’ll show you. Want me to take the reins on your little steed?” She leans over, smiling at Denise.

“I have a name, it’s Denise,” says Denise, not particularly amused.

“Of course. Come on.” Freya starts leading you down the lot. When you arrive, everyone stops what they’re doing to stare at you. They seem to be quite in awe of you, or rather disbelieving that you’d actually come to visit them.

You come up to the Command tent. You step off the Kettenkrad and tell Denise to stay put. Freya folds her arms, smiling at you as you pull the flaps.

Inside is Mei, reading a book at her desk. The place is rather Spartan. Only a cot, a map table, a desk for work, and a TV in the corner. She looks over at you, adjusting her glasses. “Elodie Zumwalt.”

“Mei Xiang.” You step inside, not bothering to ask for permission. “I think we need to talk.”

“What is there to talk about?” she asks. She shuts her book then places it on the desk. “That you can’t handle extraordinary circumstances or that apparently you take issue with the school donating to NATO.” Maybe a little bit of both actually.

> “I’ve come to extend the olive branch. Griselda told me to.”
> “Don’t give me that. You and I both know it’s not fair.”
> “Why are you doing this? Why go through so much effort? It’s a sport.”
> Other

>>3056435
>> “I’ve come to extend the olive branch. Griselda told me to.”

>>3056435
>> “I’ve come to extend the olive branch. Griselda told me to.”

>>3056435
>> “I’ve come to extend the olive branch. Griselda told me to.”

>>3056435
>> “I’ve come to extend the olive branch. Griselda told me to.”

>>3056435
> Other

We both know this move was just to win. Fine. But it will humiliate you, when you win. You'll look like you can't win except by buying victory.
And no one will know if your way is better, or just more expensive.

Try to make her see this is petty, and still won't let her beat the Shimada-ryo

>>3056435
> “I’ve come to extend the olive branch. Griselda told me to.”

File: tumblr_p7kh9nxG3K1v0qryco(...).png (1.23 MB, 1200x1200)

1.23 MB PNG

>>3056435
>>3056470
Modifying my vote to add what he says, as a passing comment.

>>3056484
This is really making me want to pull the Gup movie and have other teams join up as last minute transfers just to fuck with her

>>3056560
I wouldn't argue against it, to be sure.

> “I’ve come to extend the olive branch. Griselda told me to.”

“I’ve come to extend an olive branch. Griselda told me to.”

“It’s funny that you say that and then immediately follow up with saying that you were told to do that,” she says. “Normally peace offerings come with actual heart behind them.” You can’t fault her logic there. She points to the bed. “Take a seat.” You walk on over to the cot and sit down on it. She turns her chair to you to face you then says, “Alright. What is this olive branch you wish to present?”

You cross your arms. “Here’s what I want to say. I think we both understand that this match is incredibly fucked. And you know it as well as I do. Cold War tanks and buying them all up is one thing. But getting the rules changed at the very last second so we couldn’t get ours in too?”

“It’s business,” says Mei. “I don’t know if you know this, but sports is a business now. And in business, you do everything to win.”

“What about the Shimada School?” you ask.

She snorts. “Dead in a couple of years for all I care. The old houses of Senshadou are dying or almost dead. Like your… cowboys when the Old West closed. Noble yes. But all the same, gone when progress comes.”

“You call throwing money around to buy all the best crews and equipment ‘progress’?”

She nods. “Yes.”

Wow. You didn’t think she’d answer that so bluntly. “Mei. This is a lot of effort just to win one match. I mean- how recently did you buy these tanks anyway?” you ask.

“A few weeks ago,” says Mei. “I’ll be honest with you, they were complaining about having to give up the Centurions but I guarantee that even operating at 50% effectiveness in a T-54-3, they’ll still be able to crush you.” You glare at her, trying not to put out angry words or anything to dignify her responses. “You know. If Griselda were a better commander of your team, she’d have all the tanks she’d need, all the crews as well. But she’s still outnumbered here. And outgunned. If I were facing her sister, I would actually feel threatened.”

You huff. “If you were facing Gertrude, you’d do everything in your power to cheat.”

“It’s not cheating if it’s not against the rules,” she says. She shakes her head. “I’m sure you didn’t come here to listen me to rant about why I’m right and why you’re wrong. Still though, I have to say, you seem offended at the concept at doing anything and everything to win. Why?”

> “We do. But we still have fun in the end. This isn’t fun.”
> “A woman once said that if you’re nothing without winning, you’ll never be enough with it.”
> “You’re not here to just win. I know this is all about showing up the Shimadas too.”
> Other

>>3056580
> “You’re not here to just win. I know this is all about showing up the Shimadas too."

>>3056580
>And if the rule book can be changed with a simple signature from a checkbook. Then not only you are setting a precident, you are going to kill any team from participating in tankery let alone NATO. How many schools in the world besides yours will do this or have the funding. You will essentially kill NATO before it can take off as some rich kids club of what 5? 10 teams? And even then no one will watch it.

>>3056580
> "Because you're dragging more than one Tankery Team into your little spat with the Shimadas."

>>3056580
>> “You’re not here to just win. I know this is all about showing up the Shimadas too.”

The meta-commentary here seems be about the history of professional sports. Home-town teams get eaten up by for-profit franchises, unique styles get homogenized for the sake of efficiency and to appease the moneyball stat-nerds.

Mei is correct, this is progress. It's the boring, world-flattening progress of when an enthusiast activity becomes marketed for public consumption. Most pro-sports are boring to watch nowadays because the metagame has become tightened to the point that outcomes can be predicted, even by the casual watcher.

>>3056580
>>3056591
>>3056642
A bit of both of these, anon is on point tonight.

>>3056580
>> “A woman once said that if you’re nothing without winning, you’ll never be enough with it.”
and yeah >>3056642 this anon is on point.

I wonder if Mei's crew knows how it will look if this match isn't a complete slaughter. Vastly better tanks, outnumbered opponent, last minute advantage. Not a good look on an application form.

Overall Anon >>3056642 is right, but convincing Mei that she was wrong, and progress for the sake of progress is crappy is a hell of a boulder to push up a hill.

The easiest way to get under Mei's skin would be to illustrate that her victory here wouldn't fully discredit the Shimada style, as it would be under auspicious circumstances that everyone in the Tankery community would quickly pick up on.

If she was really behind the idea of "this is progress, deal with it" then she woun't be so fixated on defeating a ghost of the past. There is some cognitive dissonance going on in Mei's head.

>>3056711
Part of me wishes NATO burns

>>3056745
Mei's got that well on the way

>>3056767
Does that mean I should root for Mei?

> “You’re not here to just win. I know this is all about showing up the Shimadas too.”
> Other

“You’re not just here to win. This is about showing up the Shimadas too.” She stares at you, quiet. “Fine. Go ahead. Spend your money. Do everything to win. That’s fine. But don’t hide it behind the talk of progress and the future. You’ve got everything in place to revolutionize Tankery and make it all about stats and money and having the best everything like it is in all other sports.” You stand up and say, “But Tankery is the one of the last sports where it’s about having fun and making oneself better, not worse. All you’ve done is drag everyone down with you, not lift them up. And even if you win against us, you’re not sending the Shimadas into their grave. You’re showing them you can’t win without making things fair.”

Mei continues to stare at you, a scowl on her face as she tries to read you. She seems to think there’s some ulterior motive to what you’re saying. But no, there isn’t. This is all about her and the sport, not about making her uncomfortable. She glances away, then again looks back at you. Part of you thinks that for once, maybe she’s actually at a loss for words.

Then Josie comes in. “Mei. The Commissioner is making her announcement.” She looks at you. “Oh. Elodie. What are you doing here?” she asks.

“I was just-“

Mei turns on the TV, interrupting you. An applause dies as the Commissioner holds the podium. The three of you look to the TV and watch.

The Commissioner begins.

“Many of you, indeed most of you have already heard the rumors that Cold War tanks are coming to NATO. And even more of you have probably heard the leaks that they are now coming to the World Finals. Everyone is speculating the reason why this is. Is it to make us different from the ITL? Is it to show them up? Is it to start a long line of rule changes to help bring parity to Senshadou? Truth be told…” She’s silent, pausing for a few seconds. “I don’t know. I’ve always liked those kinds of tanks myself. I personally own an M60 Patton. I love it. It’s a good tank. But it’s too good. It wouldn’t fit well with our World War II brethren. That’s why we have the cutoff. And… that’s why we have other rules surrounding that cutoff. And yet I have to admit something that I feel I should’ve admitted to a long time ago.

[1/2]

>>3056828
“When I was a young girl, in high school. I cheated. I convinced my crew to go along with it. And I cheated. Made our tank unkillable. At least that’s how I remember it. But the ITL found out. The school found out. We were blacklisted. We had our records wiped. And all traces of us from Tankery were washed away forever. Everything we did, all our kills, all our wins, everything was gone. And it killed me inside. I wanted to win. I wanted to win so badly. That it drove me to do that. So when we were blacklisted, I did almost kill myself. It was like having part of me amputated. It was as if my whole world came crashing down. I could not understand why the school did that. But I’ve had years to do everything over again. Years to make up for it. And now today, I stand before you as the Commissioner of the North Atlantic Tankery Organization.

“And now. I… I have regrets and doubts about this rule change that we are doing. I was of one mind about this but now I feel I can’t let it go. But at the same time, making the change is done. I’d have to say to my fellow officials and the judges, ‘hey, we can’t do this. I’m sorry for flip flopping on you after a day that we announce this.’ I am in a no-win position that I have unfortunately crafted for myself. And what’s worse is that I did it because I wanted NATO to win. And in the end, I was repeating the same mistakes that robbed me of the one pursuit that made me feel whole.

“Make no mistake. Winning is a wonderful thing. It drives everyone in Tankery. And it makes heroes and villains and mythology from all of us. But it is not the greatest thing in the world. Nor is it even the most important. What’s important is the sport, not winning the sport. And I feel… I feel as if I’ve betrayed the sport that I have loved so much.

Silence. Absolute silence from the reporters, from you, Mei, and Josie.

The Commissioner starts again. “That is why. When this rule comes into effect. And it shall, with no amendments.” Fuck. “It will be exclusively for this year.” What? “Who wins or who loses in this match shall be the ones who decide what is needed. Whether Cold War tanks should come now or should come later shall be decided by this match. We shall draft the rules based around this instead of by the money we were given. If the Cold War tanks shall come, they must earn their position. The rules need more time to be further amended. And they need someone better than I to actually change them. That is why I’m choosing to resign as Commissioner of NATO. NATO deserves better. The sport deserves better. And I feel I’ve done nothing to deserve this post.” She steps back, apparently finished. All the reporters in the room immediately stand up to ask their questions.

Mei shuts off the TV. “So she takes the money and runs. That’s typical,” she mutters.

> Leave. You’ve heard enough.
> “She’s willing to admit she’s wrong at least.”
> “Just remember, whoever wins decides the fate of this sport.”
> Other

>>3056837
> Other

You bought yourself a chance to prove that money is stronger than skill.

Then leave.

>>3056837
>> “She’s willing to admit she’s wrong at least.”

>"Typical politician, becomes frank the moment she sees the exit."

>>3056837
>> “She’s willing to admit she’s wrong at least.”

>>3056837
> Leave. You’ve heard enough.
> "For what it's worth, I can respect your determination to prove the Shimadas wrong. But not how you go about it."

>>3056837
> “She’s willing to admit she’s wrong at least.”
Ironically, if we win, what we prove is that Cold War tanks don't break the sport, and therefore the rule isn't borked, but if we lose, we prove they do, yet ZES gets to force it.

>>3056837
>> “She’s willing to admit she’s wrong at least.”

>>3056917
So lose if we win and lose if we dont?

> “She’s willing to admit she’s wrong at least.”

You walk over to the tent flaps. “She’s willing to admit she’s wrong at least.” Mei crosses her legs, clearly not amused by your response. “I just want to tell you both, good luck. I’m looking forward to a good match when we meet.” Josie nods, a little concerned. Mei simply sits there, not wanting to dignify that with a response it seems.

You start walking out of the tent. Those T-54-3s are going to give her an edge. But they’ll be her downfall too. She’s only given her crews a few weeks to train them. But your crew has had months to work with their tanks. And what’s more, you’ve given them every opportunity to let them excel and grow as a team.

Just you wait, Mei. You’re coming to claim that trophy.

And you will prove that in the end, all the money in the world won’t buy you a victory.

That's it for tonight and this weekend! Hopefully we'll be back for more this coming weekend too. But regardless, hope you all enjoyed.

Follow at: https://twitter.com/GermanSchteel
And if you ever feel like shooting the shit with me, you can hit me up in my discord: https://discord.gg/9e9yvfv

See you next time.

>>3056955
Thanks for the fun, boss

>>3056955
Good times as always boss.