>>Panzergeist >“Sandstorm to the left flank, sir!” >“We’ll have to outrun it. We need to get to Uzbek by sundown. Rommel will have our asses if we don’t take it back from the Brits.” >“Sir!” >Heidi squatted lower in her combat rigging, the 5cm KwK 39 L/60 over her right shoulder bouncing with the dunes. >Anon skated alongside her, his Mobiler Anzug easily keeping pace with her Panzeranzug, kicking up large puffs of sand. >By nightfall, the pair had hardly made it halfway. >“We’ll have to… keep… going through… the night… otherwise…” Anon wheezed. >Heidi showed no signs of fatigue. >“Panzer Kommandant, do you require assistance?” >“No… I don’t…” Anon gasped, before collapsing face first into the sand. >“Kommandant!” >Heidi rushes over to anon. >Anon has passed out from heat stroke and dehydration >She slings Anon over her back, careful not to injure him. >Over her radio, she begins to broadcast. >“Panzergeisteinheit-14, requesting medical attention at grid reference 584-625.” >Unwilling to abandon her commander, Heidi moves to a nearby dunetop, surveying the endless fields of sand. >Out in the distance, she spots a group of 4 headlights. >She begins to broadcast her distress call once more. >The lights begin to bear down towards their position. >Heidi peers through the optical gunsight on the 5cm KwK. >As she does so, a 5,7cm shell whizzes past her, it’s yellow tracer burning brightly through the night. >Heidi returns fire, her KwK 39 L/60 sending a AP slug at 835m/s >The recoil rocks her chassis, the autoloader already loading another round into the breech. >The other three A15 Crusaders begin to fire, 40mm rounds impacting all around her, leaving soccer-ball sized craters. >Heidi begins to back off slowly, ensuring Anon wouldn’t be crushed under her tracks. >The group of Crusaders pull into formation, ripple firing, rounds landing one after the other, a constant hail of 40mm and 57mm shells. >Heidi can see their commanders in their exoskeletions; they skirt around behind, issuing orders for the British Tankgeists. >She takes aim with her KwK 39, firing once again, the AP slug ricocheting off of the Crusader’s combat rigging, leaving a brilliant tracer ricochet into the night. >A 40mm round smashes into Heidi’s chestplate. >It didn’t penetrate, but it left a sizable dent. >Heidi fires again, this time with an APBC round. >The round flies true, and strikes one of the Crusaders. >The tankgeist stops in her tracks, her rigging beginning to smoke. >Her commander rushes over to her, and tries in vain to apply medical attention. >The other Crusaders are enraged by this, and with renewed intensity, return fire. >The lead Crusader puts a 57mm round into Heidi’s left leg. >Heidi screams in agony, having lost her left track. >In both defiance and hate for the enemy tankgeists, and out of love for her commander, Heidi makes her decision. >Wielding the dual MG34’s on both of her wrists, she specifically targets the commanders of the British Tank column. >‘For you, Kommandant.’ Heidi thinks. >She knew the ramifications of the war crime she was about to commit. >Green tracers lit the desert night as Heidi unleashed 7.92mm rounds at the British Tank commanders, killing most of them. >The British Tankgeists screamed in agony, having lost their beloved commanders. >With his dying breath, the commander of the Crusaders, gave one last order the the A15 with the 57mm. >“Avenge me.” >Heidi could feel the hatred from the enemy Crusader. >Relentlessly, the Crusader pummeled Heidi with 57mm shells, tearing Heidi from limb to limb as she advanced. >Broken and battered, Heidi accepted her fate. >‘As long as Anon lives, I can die happy.’ Heidi thought. >The British Crusader approached the disabled Panzer III. >Heidi could see the fury in the A15’s eyes. >The crusader rammed her, over and over, each time thrusting a knife deep into the sides of Heidi. >But to Heidi, she could feel nothing but love for her Commander. >Until the crusader brought Heidi’s unconscious Anon into her view. >Coughing up blood, Heidi screamed “NO!” >With a twisted smile on her face, the british Crusader brought her foot up >and slammed it down on the poor Anon. >“NOOOOOO!” >smile still plastered to her face, the Crusader stares at Heidi. >“I have denied you your commander. And I shall deny you the pleasure of death.” >with those words, the A15 Crusader turns the 57mm cannon on herself, and pulls the trigger. >Heidi stares at the remains of the battlefield. >The remains of the british tank column, having committed suicide due to the loss of their commanders. >But what drew Heidi’s attention the most was Anon’s corpse. >Millions of scenarios ran through her mind to see what could’ve prevented it. >‘What if I just surrendered? What if I hadn’t shot their commanders. What if, what if, what if?’ >Heidi’s tormented brain thought itself to death.