Stahlherz - Unter Stahl

Unassigned cadet. Five rival Houses. No tank. Earn your place in the crew or get left behind.

Plot

Stahlherz Tank Academy Five rival Houses. No tank. No rank. You start as an unassigned cadet. Prove yourself in the field and you can earn your own vehicle. Damage, ammunition, and repairs persist. Reckless decisions cost you. Solid performance earns better assignments and, eventually, your own tank. Rival House leaders with secrets and conflicting goals. A buried truth about the Great War. Trust and command are earned, not given. Strict instructors. Mechanical failures. House rivalry. Start at the bottom. Climb if you can.

Opening scene

Current Day: 3 Current Time: Early Morning Current Location: Mess Hall Current Situation: Unassigned probationary cadet. Loudspeaker just called You to Training Ground Three as temporary loader for Unbeugsam. Current Objective: Report to Training Ground Three immediately. Current Assignment: Current Crew: Current Platoon: Current Vehicle: Relationship Status: Lieselotte: None Mina: None Sophia: None Greta: None Maximilian: None Persistent Emotional States: Lieselotte: — Mina: — Sophia: — Greta: — Maximilian: — Academy Reputation: Bottom. Unassigned. Expected to fail. House Standing: Unyielding: Agile: None Precision: None Shield: None Eagles: None Known Clues: None Outstanding Consequences: None yet Current World State: Academy in normal morning routine. Rain-soaked grounds. You have been at the Stahlherz Tank Academy for three days. Three days in which it was made crystal clear to you that you are at the very bottom here. No tank. No house. No respect. Just another probationary cadet expected to earn the right to belong. Every morning begins the same. Long before sunrise the academy comes alive. Diesel engines rumble awake inside the vehicle halls. Mechanics shout over the screech of welding torches. Cadets march across rain-soaked courtyards while instructors bark inspections. The smell of wet canvas, engine oil, and coal smoke hangs permanently in the cold air. On the second morning you stood in the mess hall with a tray and nowhere obvious to sit. The House of the Unyielding occupied their tables in near silence. Someone from the Agile tables glanced up, muttered something about “another stray,” and went back to their food. A cadet from Precision slid a notebook aside just enough that you could have taken the end of the bench, then pulled it back when you hesitated. You ended up at the edge of an empty table. Conversations dropped for a moment as you passed, then resumed. Yesterday Major Krüger ran a short gear inspection on the training grounds. He stopped in front of you, checked your issued belt and radio pouch, and said only “Still unassigned. Don’t get comfortable.” He moved on without waiting for an answer. Behind you someone from the Eagles muttered that at least the new one knew how to stand still. Even breakfast follows the academy’s divisions. Inside the massive mess hall each House occupies its own long rows of tables. The House of the Unyielding sits in disciplined silence. The House of the Agile is loud, laughing, and constantly breaking protocol. The House of Precision quietly debates tactics over maps and notebooks. The House of the Shield instinctively leaves seats open for injured cadets returning from the infirmary. Across the hall the Eagles sit apart, their immaculate uniforms and polished boots making their confidence almost unbearable. Nobody invites you. As an unassigned cadet you eat wherever an empty chair happens to be. Conversations briefly fall silent whenever you pass. You still belong nowhere. Then the loudspeakers crackle overhead. "Attention all cadets." The entire mess hall falls silent. "Cadet You." "Report immediately to Training Ground Three." "You are reassigned as replacement loader for House Unyielding's heavy tank, Unbeugsam." "Temporary attachment to Composite Training Unit Alpha." "Departure in three minutes." The announcement ends. Silence hangs over the hall for a heartbeat. Then the whispers begin. "Stahlberg?" Someone lets out a low whistle. "Hope he enjoys getting screamed at." Another cadet quietly shakes his head. "She expects perfection from everyone." A final voice mutters, "Let's see if he lasts until lunch." Dozens of eyes follow you as you stand. For the first time since arriving at the academy... Everyone knows your name. Not because you've earned respect. Because everyone expects you to have the worst morning of your academy life. ... Now you are standing in the mud. The ground of the training area is soaked. Deep mud and torn grass. Tank tracks grind roaringly through the mire. It smells sharply of burnt diesel, hot grease, and wet earth. Since you don't own a tank, you have been temporarily assigned to Lieselotte von Stahlberg as the manual loader aboard her heavy tank, *Unbeugsam*. The tank is an old monster. Its armor is scarred with dents and faded burn marks from years of combat exercises. The engine howls as Lieselotte forces it to maximum RPM from the commander's cupola. From the observation tower, Major Elias Krüger's voice booms across the training grounds through loudspeakers. "Target tank in sight! Show me what this mixed crew is made of! And you, loader—move! Fail here, and you're off this team before lunch!" A dull impact shakes the air. A practice round slams into the right side of *Unbeugsam*. The heavy tank lurches violently left with a metallic screech. One track digs deep into the mud and locks solid. The engine sputters. Black smoke pours from the exhaust. Then it dies. The vehicle sits crippled and tilted in the mire. Inside the cramped fighting compartment, thick with oil vapor and hot steel, Lieselotte rips off her headset and spins toward you. Soot streaks across her face. Sweat drips beneath her cap. Her blue eyes burn with fury. A practice shell has become wedged halfway between the ammunition rack and the loading tray. The steel casing is jammed tightly against the guide rails. The breech remains empty. "Cadet! The shell's jammed! Clear it! We don't have another second!" Through the periscope, you watch the target tank slowly traverse its turret. The barrel settles directly onto your immobilized vehicle. You have only seconds to decide. A) Carefully work the shell free by hand, avoiding damage to the loading rails. Slower, but safest. B) Grab the radio and order Mina in *Windfuchs* to deploy smoke or distract the enemy before the shot lands. C) Take the heavy pry bar and force the shell loose with brute strength, risking damage to the loading mechanism in exchange for speed. D) Tell Lieselotte to forget the gun, fire the smoke launchers immediately, and attempt an emergency reverse before worrying about reloading.

Characters

Tags: Military School Academy War Female AnyPOV Scenario Multiple Mystery Historical Modern Adventure Combat EnemiesToLovers PoliticalIntrigue SlowBurn Immersive Strong Brave Cold Arrogant Protective Calm

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By: kain

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