Run, Rabbit, Run [Tankiverse fanfic]

[Hippin_in_Hawaii 639]

Run, Rabbit, Run

Fanfic in the Tankiverse by Hippin_in_Hawaii

 
“Ok, Liza, traverse to the rear and stand ready. Al, hit the turbo.”
 
Fred felt his tank surge forward, lunging at the horizon, as fast as any armored vehicle had ever traveled.  “Stand ready, Liza.  Ready, steady, fire!”
 
The recoil of the cannon coincided with Golf Echo Two’s treads leaving the edge of the overhang, boosting their already-considerable momentum a bit more. Fred flipped a switch, dropping a mine that fell squarely atop Golf Echo Seven as his own tank sailed scant centimeters overhead. The impact with the ground was harsh, to say the least, and the squeal of pneumatics told Fred his tank was due for some serious service.
 
“Three down, seven to go!” called Al.
 
“Work your magic, but head us northeast,” replied Fred. “Liza, traverse left, come to forty-five degrees.”
 
On his display, Fred could see the enemy forces scrambling to react to their unanticipated maneuver. Who said tanks couldn’t fly?
 
“Ok, Al, take any of the next three lefts, then slow to about half. When I say ‘jump,’ you slue left and floor it.”
 
“Got it,” said Al.
 
“Liza, hold your angle. When we slue left, you’ll cross an incoming hostile nose-on.”
 
“Got it,” replied Liza.
 
Fred watched dots converging on his monitor. “Al, just a little faster. Faster yet. Good. Good. Ready. Steady. Jump!”
 
The tank slalomed left and lept forward. The cannon spoke. On his display, Fred saw another hostile disappear. “Fantastic shot Liza!”
 
Ohoh. “Al, stop! We’ve got two lining up to take cross shots at the next intersection!”
 
Tanks only stop so fast, but Golf Echo Two slid to a halt with almost a meter to spare before the fatal intersection. Dust flew from the treads as they scrambled for purchase in reverse.
 
“We’re going through that warehouse,” said Al.
 
“Traverse left! Ninety degrees!”
 
Fred heard the turret servos whining, felt the tank turning as it ran backwards towards the beckoning warehouse doors. On the other side of that thin sheet metal wall lurked something much larger and tougher than they were.
 
“Plan nine!” yelled Al.
 
Plan nine was a bad plan. There was a reason they named it after the worst movie known to man. But sometimes, a really bad plan was the best you could do. “Drive backwards really fast, shoot at what’s in front of us, and drop mines” was the one-line entry in their playbook.
 
They emerged from the warehouse, darting straight across the enemy’s line of fire.  His shot missed; Liza’s did not. But the monstrous enemy hull shook off that first hit and rumbled forward… straight over the mine Fred had dropped.
 
“Yes!” trumpeted Fred. “I can not believe that worked!”
 
Five down. “Al! Return to northeast! Liza, traverse forward.”
 
Being tricky and wiggly was good, but at the end of the day, there were still five enemy tanks who knew about where they were, and they were converging. Two could shoot them from across the entire map, given half a chance. Fred wiped the perspiration from his eyes.
 
“Al, I think it’s time to revisit the canal evasion!”
 
Al just smiled, not that Liza or Fred could see it.
 
That it was risky wasn’t opinion, it was fact.  They had danced around that canal in three previous fights, and had gotten stuck twice. But Al felt confident he had learned just how to handle it, or so he said. So…
 
There was a sickening lurch as the left treads flew off solid ground a full half-second before the right. They were falling and tumbling; Al was laughing like a maniac. Wham! The lopsided impact was decidedly uncomfortable for the riders, and the screams of twisting metal from the undercarriage left little doubt that the suspension was toast. But they were upright, and mobile.
 
“No ten-seventeen today!” cheered Al.
 
On the screen, Fred could see an enemy moving to intercept. “Liza! Traverse right! One three five degrees! He’s approaching right side from behind. Stand by to fire as we exit!”
 
The drainage ditch in which they were hiding ended with a steep upramp. As Golf Echo Two lept from that subterranean cover, Liza fired, scoring another miraculous hit on the tank that was stalking them. Unfortunately, Golf Echo Nine also had a supremely skilled gunner; Golf Echo Two was hit squarely.  
 
“Ok, Al, wind her down,” called out Fred.  His wounded tank slowed to a halt.
 
“Golf Echo Actual, this is Golf Echo Two. Reporting we are KIA at this time. Congratulations go out to Golf Echo Nine. Nice shooting, Larry!”
 
While six kills actually was not the battalion record for a game of rabbit, the four minutes and nineteen seconds in which they had scored them was. And it was worth noting that while the record for kills was seven, it had been scored by a heavy tank with a penchant for sniping and favorable terrain. However, the previous standing record for a light tank was four kills, and that was Corps-wide.
 
As Golf Echo Two began limping home on its tortured treads, the crew celebrated within, reliving the details of their victories. Later, at the canteen, they basked in the adulation of their fellow Tankers. It would be a long, long time before Liza, Albert, or Fred paid for their own drinks again. They did insist on buying rounds for their “killers:” Larry, Chip, and Alba. The competition of buying each other’s drinks and toasting each other’s triumphs dragged late into the night. Just like in the field simulation, neither crew won. Or perhaps both did.
 
 
 
 
 

Mahalo (thank you) for reading; I hope you enjoyed! This story is part of a series. Information on the series, and links to the other stories, can be found here.

Edited October 17, 2018 by Hippin_in_Hawaii

[Destrod 2,634]

Approved.

 

-Formatting changes

- Correction of a spelling mistake/typo 

 

Wonderful! Your expression never ceases to amaze me, if you had arrived earlier in the year, I would not have been surprised to see your name in the Best Writers list. I'm really looking forward to reading the next installment. This, is what we look for in an Amateur Writer. 

I would advise spending more time in your presentation and choosing a suitable font. Great content can be swept away if it isn't presented well enough. 

[tweezers 1,034]

Love it, love it, love it. The fact that it doesn't have any specific plot other than the moment that is presented makes it excellent as a standalone piece as well. 

 

May I suggest that you use a header or title image for your next article? These definitely deserve some sort of opening presentation. 

[Hippin_in_Hawaii 639]

Approved.

 

-Formatting changes

- Correction of a spelling mistake/typo

 

Wonderful! Your expression never ceases to amaze me, if you had arrived earlier in the year, I would not have been surprised to see your name in the Best Writers list. I'm really looking forward to reading the next installment. This, is what we look for in an Amateur Writer.

I would advise spending more time in your presentation and choosing a suitable font. Great content can be swept away if it isn't presented well enough.

Thank you! I surely do appreciate the praise! I'm secretly hoping that I can keep this up for an entire year, so... we'll see!

 

There are three more stories already "in the can," so rest assured that another installment is coming!

 

If you don't mind sharing, what was the typo? I'd like to correct it in the original as well.

 

Love it, love it, love it. The fact that it doesn't have any specific plot other than the moment that is presented makes it excellent as a standalone piece as well.

Thank you! Again, nice to hear that people are enjoying it!

 

I do like the stand-alone aspect of this one, and plan to keep sprinkling them in as I go along. The next few are going to be more plot-heavy, so something lighthearted and fun seemed appropriate.

 

I'll put some thought into a header, but graphic design is totes not my thing. ;)

Edited January 2, 2018 by Marc
Posts merged

[r_trooll15 827]

Thank you! Again, nice to hear that people are enjoying it!

 

I do like the stand-alone aspect of this one, and plan to keep sprinkling them in as I go along. The next few are going to be more plot-heavy, so something lighthearted and fun seemed appropriate.

 

I'll put some thought into a header, but graphic design is totes not my thing. ;)

Have you considered writing a book?

You might be able to become an author

[Hippin_in_Hawaii 639]

Have you considered writing a book?

You might be able to become an author

I'm about 70,000 words into a scifi novel that's been collecting dust for... maybe 4 years  now? I'm hoping that be getting back into the habit of writing here, I'll be able to finish that one!

[Destrod 2,634]

The typo? You spelled the word "tread" as "tred".

[Hippin_in_Hawaii 639]

The typo? You spelled the word "tread" as "tred".

Thanks!

[tweezers 1,034]

I'll put some thought into a header, but graphic design is totes not my thing. ;)

Same here, but an easy way to add a little spice to the start is to use a nice font and create a title image, like this for example. You'll need a different font obviously, but the general idea is the same. 

[r_trooll15 827]

I'm about 70,000 words into a scifi novel that's been collecting dust for... maybe 4 years now? I'm hoping that be getting back into the habit of writing here, I'll be able to finish that one!

I got 30,000 words in my scifi