Author's Notes/Disclaimers:

Valkyria Chronicles is not my property. All credits go to SEGA for making such a masterpiece of a videogame series.

This will be my first time in writing a fan fiction so please leave any reviews or constructive criticisms on how I would be able to improve my work and story for the coming chapters.

This fan fiction will focus on the continuing war between the Atlantic Federation and East Europan Imperial Alliance through the eyes of the men and women of the Federation's 11th Tactical Regiment and 18th Mechanized Infantry Regiment

Only One Power Can Stand Alone

"War has been a vice of mankind even before the so-called 'Darcsen Calamity'. Many have fought and died for reasons invented by those in power in order to facilitate conflict but only a few have received recognition for their bravery and sacrifice. I now write this chronicle in honor of my comrades in the 11th Tactical Regiment and the 18th Mechanized Infantry Regiment, the units where I used to serve as an engineer and tank commander. Reputed as we are for spearheading the push to the Imperial homeland, I am sure that the other units in the military should be given equal commendation for they too have given their best for the war effort. I would like share with the rest of the world the tales of friendship, love, rivalries, betrayals and tragedies that took place behind the accolades and victories."

Brigadier General Angelo Mayorie, "Memoirs of the Second Europan War", 1955

Prologue: The Shadow of the Federation

April 15, 1938, 10:00 am

The tall and imposing factories and refineries of an all-metal construction churned out columns of smoke blanketing the bright and sunny sky with a thick black fog amidst the green and peaceful landscape surrounding them. Countless Imperial soldiers, clad in their trademark uniforms which resembles the armor worn by medieval knights, stood atop some of these structures guarding them like lifeless gargoyles of old cathedrals. Deafening sounds of metal being grinded and weld together can be heard drowning out the chatter of the soldiers.

A platoon of Atlantic Federation troops in their brown trench coat uniforms stood on a defensive perimeter above the hill just a few kilometers away from the Imperial facility. Their faces cannot be painted as they looked at their target as if they're facing the jaws of hell itself. Their conversations and whispers are filled with apprehensions and statements of faint farewells. One of their commanding officers, 1st Lieutenant Alexander Casabuena, was perched on a large boulder looking for any chinks in the enemy armor with his binoculars.

"So this is the industrial complex of Malegnano…seems to be a very important facility for the Empire judging by the number of Imps in the area"

"Hey, how large is the Imperial garrison in the area and can you see the tank factory we're supposed to destroy?" asked a black-haired sniper with a brown fedora. His pale complexion coupled with his expressionless eyes makes him look like a ghost when placed side by side with the other soldiers.

"All the buildings look the same from here. Why don't you give this recon thing a shot, Paolo? After all, you're the one trained for spotting targets from long distances." Alexander handed the binoculars to the sniper and with a heave from his feet he went down from the boulder he positioned himself.

Replacing Alexander, Paolo placed his eyes on the binoculars. His eyes focused on the facility in the distance, Paolo culls any unnecessary details and things in his mind of what he sees as he attempts to spot their target. Alas, no matter how good a sniper's sight is the columns of smoke released by the factories and refineries dash any hope of finding the tank factory. He lowered the binoculars in disappointment and came down from the boulder.

"It looks like we have no other choice but to infiltrate Malegnano if we want to get through this operation"

"What's the plan this time, Lt. Ocampo?" asked Alexander addressing Paolo

"The same as always…"

"The same as always…" reiterated Alexander smirking. The 1st lieutenant's head nodded in agreement as he loaded a fresh clip onto his rifle for combat.

Paolo stepped in front of the formation. A confident smile appeared on the previously passive face of the sniper. He prepared to give another one of his so-called "rousing words" to the scouts and engineers under his command before giving them any orders.

"Alright men, it looks like we'll be having another one of those 'fun runs' like the one we had on Armen a few days ago. There might be an APC or two wielding gatling cannons or ragnite flamers. Who knows, those Imps might be using their tanks against us this time. Nonetheless, I want everyone to reach the 'finish line' intact! No one should lose their life or limb in this 'race'! We are part of the 'Lost Troopers'- we move in without the enemy knowing about it and we move out without leaving a trace!"

The soldiers cheered and raised their weapons in the air as Paolo finished with his short impromptu speech. It was not like they were headed off into a dangerous mission but a race similar to the one during speed drills where the winner was given a reward by their commanding officer.

"Lt. Casabuena will now be giving our orders." Paolo stepped aside and gestured Alexander to give their objectives and the orders to commence with the operation but the latter refused.

"Nah, you do it…you've already given a speech. Might as well give the briefing and order too"

"Alright then…if you don't want the spotlight…" Paolo then faced his men and made his voice as authoritative as possible. "The objective this time is simpler than the one in Armen: destroy a large tank factory vital to those Imps operating near the border and the usual: steal supplies or weapons and destroy those that you can't carry. Understood?" Paolo was pointing his sniper rifle at the direction of Malegnano as he spoke. Alexander, on the other hand, was leaning on the boulder and was quite impressed at how Paolo rallies their platoon into battle.

"Sir, yes, sir!" the men responded.

"You know what to do. Now move!"

The men immediately grouped themselves into smaller two man formations and proceeded to go down the hill which they used as a temporary staging area. Crawling through the thick grasses and using large rocks and boulders as cover, Paolo and Alexander's platoon stealthily made its way into the objective area. While on the move, snipers would occasionally position themselves on stable and flat surfaces to observe for enemy movement or pick off any Imperials unlucky enough to be out of friendly eyes and in their sights. Scouts and engineers, on the other hand, in the front would assume a firing stance in some places as they await their comrades from the rear to catch up with them.

As they reached the outskirts of Malegnano, still hidden from enemy patrols and sentries, Paolo commanded all the men to stop by raising his right hand. Through the use of hand signals, he instructed the men to keep out of enemy sight and pointed out what direction each team would be taking as they made their way inside the industrial complex. As the rest of the platoon proceeded to move in accordance with orders, Paolo and Alexander remained outside of Malegnano. Then they looked and nodded in agreement at one another about to put some kind of devious plan into action.

Paolo lied down and began setting up his sniper rifle while Alexander crouched beside him with his pistol aimed at the Imperials on top of the factories. After positioning the bipod and getting the sniper rifle into a resting position Paolo took three bullets from his ammunition pocket and loaded them into the gun. As he cocked the rifle, Paolo placed his right eye on the sight and a finger in the trigger.

The Imperial soldiers stationed on the refineries heard the shots from Paolo's sniper rifle but before they could react, one of their officers, whose helmet was pierced in the front and back, collapsed and fell down the platform from he was standing. An Imperial soldier took the initiative and signaled his men to scatter and find the one that killed their officer before three bullets punched through his armor and punctured his heart. Chaos ensued as the Imperials scrambled away from their posts on top of the buildings and started bumping into each other in their vain attempt to find the enemy. Some of them, because of fright and panic, even began firing their rifles and sub-machineguns at random hoping to be lucky and strike their intended target but ending up as friendly fire.

"For soldiers reputed to have the best training in the continent, those Imps sure do panic very easily" remarked Paolo as he packed up his weapon and stood up, wiping the dust which has gathered in his uniform. With a smirk in his face, the sniper took a revolver from a holster in his belt and walked towards the entrance to the facility followed by Alexander.

Author's Notes/Disclaimers:

I was thinking of the Atlantic Federation and Gallia having some sort of alliance against the Empire since they're both nations with democratic institutions. What do you guys think about it?

Other than that, which characters from the Valkyria Chronicles I, II, and III would you guys like to be involved in the continental clash between the Atlantic Federation and the Empire?

The Principality of Gallia will be technically left alone for the starting chapters but it would be able to see some action soon, I promise. Mentions regarding the events of Valkyria Chronicles I and II will occasionally be made by the characters in the fan fiction.