1974 Tank Biathlon

[Avalanche]

"Well, Corporal, it seems you finally got used to the stabiliser. Nailed the 1400 target bang on."

"Thanks, Sarge," The Master Corporal, Malillos' gunner, intoned.

"Yeah! Good shooting on that one," the loader, oblivious as ever, chimed in.

"Corporal, how many targets were there beyond the 1400 meter one?"

"There were only two targets."

"Two? Are you sure?"

"Yes, they were at 1600 and 1900 meters."

"When you first saw them, were you blinded by the sun?"

"Blinded?"

"Paralysed? Dumbstruck?"

"No."

"Yet the targets were able to evade your shots, allowing the Americans to land in our bracket, and desecrate it with their filthy footsteps."

"Sergeant... surely you understand that-"

"Get out of my tank, Master Corporal."

Aragon swaps their active gunner with their reserve gunner.

[Cataphrak]

Junior Sergeant Li looked up at his commander as he squinted down the sights of Hong Kong Cavalier's top-mounted machine gun. "Something in your eye, Senior Sergeant?"

Senior Sergeant Yuan didn't shift. "Got a reason for bothering me? Or are you just here to shorten my lifespan?"

"Mechanics want tea," The Junior Sergeant replied. "I need to use the boiler. You want tea?"

The tank commander almost said yes, before he remembered why he was tuning the machine gun in the first place. "Can it wait a minute? I'm in the middle of some calibrations."

"With all due respect, you've been poking at that thing for the past two hours."

"I need to make sure the sights are perfect," the Senior Sergeant answered, with more patience in his voice than he actually had. "We're in the lead, and I don't want to blow it the way Da Gou did last time."

Senior Sergeant Li couldn't help but wince at that. Story went that 3rd Dragoon Guards was still in the doghouse after that fuckup. It would be the Senior Sergeant on the MG during the final lap. No wonder he was being so meticulous all of a sudden. "I guess it is up to you now, isn't it?"

"That's why I'm taking this so seriously."

"I bet you wish we had a robocommander now, huh?"

"Junior Sergeant?"

"Yes, Senior Sergeant?"

"Shut the fuck up and go make tea."

[Joefesok]

Hendricks was the first of the Madagascorp crew to pile out of the rear hatch of the tank, fake-laughing his way out as the rest of the crew followed suit. "I want a drink for my guy VORSTER!" he practically screamed as he reached the concession stand, drawing attention from nearby customers before they went about their business. Vorster didn't have a chance to voice his opinion on the matter before Hendricks belted out at great volume his displeasure, this time about a "$10 mother-fucking beer," throwing in choice comments about war heroes and the status of Madagascar in the modern day.

Beer in hand, Vorster returned to the PMK1 and brushed through the Madagascorp technicians inspecting the hull of the vehicle, settling down in the rear area of the chassis- one of the few places that he would not be pestered by those same technicians for the minutiae of his experience operating the cannon. It helped, too, that the vehicle output some decent air conditioning.

Hendricks was not a man who wanted for a similar kind of peace, and to the surprise of few who knew him was busy throughout his downtime interviewing with technicians and embellishing his team's performance. His supporting staff continued around him, documenting the performance of the vehicle and occasionally trying to sneak a word in edgewise with any member of the crew to mixed results.

[Alucard Tobor]

"You want to talk about it?"

"No." Sun-Ma replied shortly. Kettering hovered for several more seconds, watching the man work away at the gunsights, before sighing and climbing out the hatch, lurking under the sunshade.

"Not going so hot, then." Liu noted, handing his TC a can of iced tea. Kettering checked the label briefly before cracking it open, draining half of the can in one go. Liu arched an eyebrow, climbing onto the turret to hide under the large sunshade as well. "Really not so hot, then."

"Two missed shots in a row. I actually believe Sun when he says the sights are likely fucked. Starting to think that bringing a Scorpion might not have been a bad idea."

"That new- right, forgot those were actually in service instead of development hell now." Liu stroked his non-existent beard briefly. "Think a Striker would be considered cheating?"

Kettering paused, casting a contemplative look at his loader. "You know... might be on to something there."

[Markus Wilding]

OOC: Round 3 results.

China's Type 60 sets the pace with a record time.

Aragon's VCB-105D finishes with an average time.

Korea's 2M65A4 suffers a technical pause as the driver and gunner suffer minor heat exhaustion and have to be swapped out mid-run with backup members. This brings them to a mediocre time.

The SRA's M65A2 sets a decent pace.

Madagascorp's PMK1 finishes with good time.

Romania's TR-580 finishes in an average time.

The USSR's T-72 finishes in an average time.

Germany's Standardpanzer breaks down and is unable to finish the course.

Mexico's Jaguar 1 sets a time just ahead of the SRA.

Panama's M48 sets an average time.

Chad's AMX-30 ends with a mediocre time.

The French Commune's AMX-30 also suffers heat exhaustion as the driver and tank commander have to be swapped out mid-run. Missed targets impose a 1km penalty lap leading to the worst time of the lot.

The French Republic's AMX-30 sets a good time.

South Italy's OT-70 finishes with an average pace.

Standings

1. China
2. SRA
3. Madagascorp
4. Aragon
5. Chad
6. Mexico
7. USSR
8. Panama
9. South Italy
10. Romania
11. French Republic
12. Korea
13. French Commune
14. Germany
15. India

China will host the next Tank Biathlon in 1978, unless it cannot or chooses not to. If it cannot, the SRA will host again with Madagascorp being the third and final backup location.