Disclaimer: I do not own Valkyria Chronicles or its characters as they belong to SEGA, but I do own my Original Character in this story, Emery Declark.

PROLOGUE: Introduction to Squad Seven!

"Hello, sir. My name is Emery Declark and...I hope we can become the best of friends?"

That was how it began. I handed my paperwork to Lieutenant Gunther and he smiled. I was terrified. Really. Lieutenant Welkin Gunther scared the hell out of me. Probably, only for personal reasons, though. You see, there's a tiny problem with my enlistment in the first place...

"Welcome aboard to squad seven, Emery! I hear you're an accomplished scout. Very fast on your feet. A very strong boy," the Lieutenant spoke. The problem? I'm not a boy. I'm a girl. I know this may sound strange considering how the Gallian Militia allows anyone to join. Men, Women, Children, Old folks, Gays, Darcsens or anyone else for that matter can join as long as they want to fight for Gallia. So why did I register as a boy and how am I getting away with it? First of all, I'm not the prettiest girl around. I have short, blonde and black hair. I'm tanned skinned. And I'm as flat-chested as a girl could be. I'm a bit of a tomboy. So much so, that if I wore a dress people might assume I'm a boy cross-dressing. Sad, right? Secondly, Lieutenant Welkin Gunther is sexist. Most men are to some extent, especially military men. Hardly any females rank high in the Gallian Army or militia. The only one I can even think of off the top of my head would be Captain Eleanor Varrot. In fact, I think she is the only high-ranking female, sadly. Lieutenant Welkin Gunther happens to only have four females on his twenty person squad. Two of those females are complete anti-social weirdos. The other two were assigned to him and one of those is his girlfriend, for crying out loud!

So, when I say Lieutenant Welkin Gunther is sexist, it may not be the truth. He may just be a military man. I don't know what he's thinking. It sure as hell looks like it, though. I don't mind. Men automatically assume men are stronger than women. In most cases, this is right. But back to the matter at hand. I'm talking to the lieutenant. He assumes I'm a boy. I told him my name is Emery. In all actuality, my name is Emerence, but he doesn't have to know that. Emerence is a girly name. "Thank you for your compliments, sir! I hope to serve you well in battle!"

He smiled. I didn't like his smile. I don't like him in general, really, but I've heard reports that he treats his men better than others. Perhaps I'll grow to like him as time goes on? Lieutenant Welkin Gunther, first impression? Terrifying, strange, but probably a very reliable commander.

"You are dismissed now, Emery. Squad seven is in the cafeteria hall at the moment. Why don't you go introduce yourself to your fellow men? I'm sure you're bound to make some new friends." Another smile. I saluted him.

"Yes, sir! I'll go introduce myself right away! And thank you again for accepting me into squad seven, sir!" I turned around quickly and as I walked out the door, I heard a light laugh.

First impression of Lieutenant Welkin Gunther: Not good at all. He's terrifying in an odd sort of way.

I slowly walked into the cafeteria, noticing a group of men with sevens on their uniforms. They all practically stared as I stepped foot into the mess hall. I noticed a few faces right from the group. There was Rosie, the shocktrooper leader, Largo, the lancer leader, and Alicia, the scout leader and Welkin's assistant. They sat at their own table, staring at me. They were sort of intimidating. The rest of the squad was a blur. A memorable blur, but a blur nonetheless. I looked around nervously. Everyone except the table of leaders seemed so...anti-social. Everyone seemed anti-social except two people. A flamboyantly gay lancer who positioned himself near Largo and a small, black-haired boy who was standing up and making jokes. Hardly anyone was laughing. Tough crowd. The black-haired boy looked at me and smiled, "Hey it's Hermes' replacement! Hey, you! Yeah, you! Why don't you come over here? My name's Ted and I'd love to be your friend!"

He waved to me and I walked over to him. I sat down. I wasn't particularly hungry. I just wanted to meet everyone. Ted seemed nice, but a little out of place.

"So, what's your name? You're a scout right? How old are you? What city are you from? Wha-" Ted was interrupted by a very interesting looking guy. He had mid-length brown hair and a translucent eyepatch. He was sitting next to a guy with blonde hair touched with one streak of orange and a rather large-looking, black-haired lancer who wore a headband. They seemed like good friends.

They seemed like really good friends, actually. I don't think Ted fit in per say. The brunette man smirked and looked at me, "Don't pay attention to him if you don't want to. He's a scout, but the boss hardly assigns him to battle anymore ever since his last fiasco. The name's Vyse Inglebard. I'm a shocktrooper. Squad seven's one of the best squads around, ..." He was reaching for my name.

"My name is Emery Declark. I'm a scout. I'm 18 years old and I'm from Randgriz," Alright so, at least half of that was not true, but hey, it's what my records say. I'm not eighteen. I'm twenty-six, but I enlisted as an eighteen year old boy. I look the part. I'm not from Randgriz, too. Long story, but the overall point is that Randgriz was the first Gallian city I could think of while filling out my application. I guess one could consider me a refugee with a strong hatred of the empire? Yeah. That would sound right.

Anyways, Vyse smirked and leaned back in his chair. I looked over at Ted, who smiled because I answered his questions. I then looked over at Vyse's two friends, "Who are you two over there?"

Both of them sat up. The black-haired lancer answered first, "I'm Hector Calvey. I'm a lancer. It's a pleasure to meet you, Emery. Let's hope we work together on the battlefield in the future!"

He seemed nice. Almost too nice. No real personality defects at all. Strange.

"And I'm Alex Raymond. I'm a shocktrooper. Hector and Vyse here are my best buddies! Isn't that right, guys?" All three of them nodded. I felt bad for Ted who had no one, except them to hang around. Everyone else seemed so tense. I looked over at another table, deciding it would be good to introduce myself to the rest of the squad.

"It's nice to meet you, Ted, Vyse, Alex, and Hector. I think I should go introduce myself to the rest of the squad first, though. See ya later." They smiled and began talking. I turned around.

First impression of Ted Ustinov: An outcast in a group of outcasts. He's so social that all the anti-social people in the squad can barely handle him. How sad. It should be noted that he might be there purely for posterity reasons as Lieutenant Gunther apparently finds him funny.

First impression of Vyse Inglebard: A man who's traveled the skies? Hard to believe. However, he does have close friends and he seems very adventurous. He seems like a pretty alright guy. And he's probably a very good shocktrooper. He seems like he'd enjoy blowing things up and using a flamethrower.

First impression of Hector Calvey: Very dedicated and very nice. Handsome, too. No complaints, but nothing really to praise. He seems like a reliable lancer.

First impression of Alex Raymond: A very likable guy. He likes to be "extreme." Interesting guy, but he did not capture my interest. Best be careful around him and a flamethrower. May be untrustworthy with such a device.

Overall impression of Vyse's group: Above average. They are probably the nicest people in here. Sadly.

I moved over to the next table of people. Four guys sat there – two of which stared at me. I looked at one of them. He was a pale-skinned red-head. He smirked as he took a bite of food. I then stared at the other one who looked at me. He had short, grayish hair that was partially in front of his face. The other two at the table – a blonde guy who had the most bored expression I'd ever seen on his face and a rather meek-looking guy with black hair and glasses did not even look at me until I spoke, "Hello, I'm Emery Declark. I'm a scout and I'm new to squad seven. Pleased to meet you all."

One of the guys scoffed at me. Can you believe that? Like he thought he was better than me!

It was the man with grayish-looking hair. I glared at him and he smirked, "I'm Cezary Regard. I'm the squad's main sniper. For a scout, you look pretty weak. I hope your fast on your feet. You look like you'll need to be if you don't want to die on the front lines."

Not only was Cezary an incredible jerk, but everyone at his table agreed with him. The nerve of these men! I was tempted to walk away at that moment, but the red-head looked at me and spoke, "The name's Salinas Milton. I'm one of Lieutenant Gunther's most trusted shocktroopers. It's a pleasure meeting you, Emery. I hope we become very good friends."

The way he was staring at me was a little unnerving, but I took a deep breath and looked at the two other men, "If you don't mind me asking...who are you two?"

"I'm Herbert Nielsen...An engineer...Hi..." The blonde spoke. He was seemed incredibly bored or very tired. He was probably both.

I then looked at the black-haired boy. He didn't speak until our eyes met, "I'm M-Mica Hawkins. A shocktrooper. P-Pleasure meeting you."

I sighed. How meek. He seemed more of an engineer rather than a shocktrooper, but then again looks can be deceiving.

"It was great introducing myself to all of you, but I think I'm going to introduce myself to the rest of the squad. See you later," I smiled, but before I could turn around Salinas got up and put his hand on my shoulder. I froze.

"You're an interesting guy, Emery. And when I said I hope we can be very good friends, I meant it," He paused and smiled, "Have fun introducing yourself to the rest of the squad. They're such fun people."

Cezary laughed at that comment. That obviously meant the rest of the squad was no fun at all.

First impression of Cezary Regard: Arrogant jerk. He probably enlisted as a sniper to avoid the front lines. If possible, I'd like to avoid him. He seems to care more about himself than others. Not the best comrade, but he probably is an amazing gunman.

First impression of Salinas Milton: Weird. A little playful. Best keep an eye on him or else risk revealing myself as a girl. Don't really like him. Seems full of himself. Apparently the Lieutenant trusts him a lot. Must look into why.

First impression of Herbert Nielsen: Unenthusiastic. Might not be best to trust him watching my back. Is he a capable engineer? Confusing. Engineers are so weird, I've noticed. They either are weird or complete cowards.

First impression of Mica Hawkins: Meek. Again, he seems like more of an engineer, not a shocktrooper. I wasn't impressed at all.

Overall impression of Cezary's group: Decent. I don't particularly care for anyone in the group, but they aren't that bad. Well, everyone except for Cezary, that is.

I moved to the next table. The next table looked very serious. I could definitely tell that the men at this table were soldiers. All of them looked it – except one. I eyed the men at the table. There was a middle-aged man with a couple of scars on his face. He looked very gruff and manly. Next to him was a very handsome, stoic and masculine brunette guy. He was incredibly handsome, if I do say so myself. Across the table from him was a guy who wore a blue bandana and scowled a lot. He looked like he was intently talking to the boy next to him. And the boy next to him didn't look like he'd fit into the army. He looked like a golden-haired cherub.

I smiled nervously and looked at the middle-aged man who sat at the table. He looked like he had superiority over the others around him so I decided to introduce myself to him first, "I'm the new scout for squad seven. My name's Emery Declark and it will be an honor serving with all of you."

The older man looked at me. My smile didn't waver. Some would probably say that it's strange to fear Lieutenant Welkin Gunther more than this man, but I don't think so. All this man was doing was staring...until he stood up, "Emery Declark? Tell me, boy, you have battle experience before?"

"...Y-Yes...I have. Although, I doubt my experience can be compared to yours, sir. You served in EWI, correct?" I retorted. He smirked and sat back down. I hoped that bringing up his record could distract him from my own.

"Hit the nail right on the head. I was takin' down Imps back in the first war and now I'm back for a second go at it. The name's Musaad Mayfield. I'm a scout like you. I hope to see you out on the field," Musaad spoke. He wasn't intimidating at all. In fact, I actually admired the guy for serving in EWI.

I looked over at the guy across from Musaad – the blue bandana guy. He glared at me. At least, I think he glared at me. He might just be one of those guys who permanently has that sort of expression. I smiled, "I guess you want to know my name, right? It's Noce Wordsworth. I'm a scout."

Again with the glare. I seriously can't tell what's up with this guy! Or what's up with the other two at the table. However, I tried. I smiled and looked over at the other two. The blonde boy looked back at me.

Never would I have guessed that someone so innocent looking and cute would be one of the most twisted and sick individuals I could ever meet, "My name is Homer Peron. I'm an engineer. Are you one who calls for death like me or are you one who calls for life and happiness like everyone else?"

Homer was twisted, little angel. Very twisted indeed. I answered his question, "I call for life and happiness. Most good soldiers don't want to die so we can persevere on and try to bring happiness to those we try to protect. Why, Homer, do you wish for death?"

"Why? I have no idea. I just do. You gave a good response to that question. I feel comfortable watching your back and having you guard mine now that I know you desire to live," he said.

I smiled. What a weird boy. I almost left after that, but then turned around quickly to look at the brunette Lancer. He didn't have an expression at all on his face, but he still looked so gorgeous, "Um, I almost forgot, but what's your name? You hardly ever talk, it seems?"

What happened next was quite interesting. It was interesting in that it annoyed the crap out of me. He spoke: "Nils Daerden. Lancer."

For a man as handsome as Nils, he was no talker. What a shame. I smiled and laughed, playing off my visible discomfort.

"Well, I think I'm going to go introduce myself to what little remains of the squad. See ya later, guys!" I spoke and eyed the last group of people I hadn't talked to.

First impression of Musaad Mayfield: Reliable, veteran soldier. I like him quite a lot. He seems like he could actually be a good friend of mine. He might be a good mentor, too.

First impression of Noce Wordsworth: Standoffish. He probably is a good guy once you get to know him, though.

First impression of Homer Peron: A freak. He's the most innocent looking freak that I've ever met. I don't know about him, but whatever. He's an engineer and engineers are weird.

First impression of Nils Daerden: Incredibly handsome. Oh, how I wished he talked more. I hope we get assigned to work together.

Overall impression of Musaad's group: Good. I like them quite a lot. Musaad is a great guy, Noce seems really cool, Homer's a bit of a freak, but I like him and Nils is incredibly handsome. Did I mention that Nils is incredibly handsome? Because he is.

As I began to walk toward the last group, I was stopped. Cezary leaned over me, "I don't know if you'd want to introduce yourself to the people over there. They're more than odd, they're freaks."

He pointed to the table where two girls and an older looking man sat. One of the girls had black hair that swung over her left eye. The other girl wore a weird-looking cap and was playing oddly with her food. I understood somewhat about not talking to those two, but the older-looking man didn't look strange at all.

"Who are the two girls?" I spoke. Cezary scoffed.

"The black-haired one is Marina Wulfstan. She's a sniper. Personally, she's not as great as everyone thinks she is. That's my opinion. The other girl is Wendy Cheslock. She's a freak when it comes to explosives. I never feel right knowing that she's a shocktrooper which gives her access to both explosives and a flamethrower..." I looked at his face and then back at the remaining three.

"What about him? He doesn't look like a freak." I spoke. Cezary seemed to react as if I had just said something blasphemous. It wasn't blasphemy at all.

"Him? That scout? His name's Wavy and he's a dark hair freak. Don't talk to him," Cezary spoke and grabbed my arm to drag me back to his table. I recoiled and just stared at him. I was appalled by his treatment of someone just for being a Darcsen.

I turned back around and quickly made my way toward the table.

"Hello. You're name's Wavy, right? I'm squad seven's newest recruit, Emery Declark. Pleasure to meet you," I held my hand out to shake his. He looked at it and firmly responded.

He seemed like a nice guy – reminiscent of someone I once knew. But that was in the past.

"It's nice to meet you, Emery. It's good to know someone other than Lieutenant Gunther doesn't feel hatred toward Darcsens. Most people in this squad save Miss Melchiott seem to disregard me," Wavy spoke. I felt bad that he was sitting at what seemed like the "Outcast table."

I smiled and sat down across from him and next to Wendy. "All people are human. Darcsen or not, everyone has souls. I don't listen to what someone says if I don't believe in it. Cezary is nothing, but a fool. Where's Lieutenant Gunther's sister? Isn't she a Darcsen?"

I looked around. I couldn't see her anywhere.

"Miss Isara has the luxury of eating in the R&D Facility. I, however, do not. I have to eat here in the cafeteria," Wavy took a bite of food and a sip from his drink. He looked a little sad, but then got up. "It was good getting to meet you, Emery. I should go now, though. It isn't good for me to stay here long."

I waved goodbye as he walked toward the door. I could already hear some disparaging comments coming from both Cezary and head shocktrooper, Rosie.

I was tired of it, really. I didn't want to be here anymore. I left after Wavy. I needed a workout or a good training session or something.

First impression of Marina Wulfstan: Not much of a talker. She seems like she made herself an outcast because she's anti-social. I hope she's a better sniper than Cezary. Please be a better sniper than Cezary.

First impression of Wendy Cheslock: Weird. Apparently she's explosive crazy? How great. I sat next to her and her quiet laughing was sort of creepy. Yeah, she's a little creepy.

First impression of Wavy: A good guy. Admirable and reliable. He shouldn't be an outcast just because he's a Darcsen. He's still a person, too. He seems very trustworthy.

Squad seven's first impression of me: Mixed.

What an interesting squad I just joined.

End PROLOGUE.

A/N: Gah, I'm obsessed with this game. I played it and then I watched the anime and then I read the manga and all I can say is: Wow, where is the fandom? VC needs a super awesome fandom because it is a super awesome game. So I'm gonna go and do my own fanfic and since I specialize in OCs, I'm doing an OC fanfic. Emery's an interesting girl. Watch her be paired with Salinas, Nils, and eventually Jaeger. I love those three so much. I love Cezary, too, but for the purposes of this story he will be placed as Em's object of scorn. Basically, I had Emery enter my squad. My squad is practically all guys (I'm a girl who likes hot men - it's to be expected) so I made Welkin into sort of a sexist. Sorry. In my brother's playthrough he made Welkin a pimp with an all female squad so it all depends on the player. I plan to make this story following both the game and the anime. I'd also like to focus more on the minor characters rather than Welkin, Alicia, Rosie and Largo. I do love Largo, though. Oh, and don't sweat. Em is going to meet Jann next chapter. I got some big plans for those two. Jann was too focused on Largo this chapter to care anyway so it doesn't matter.

My Squad roster, in order by class and how much I use each character: (Scouts) Alicia, Musaad, Noce, Ted, Wavy, Hermes (Shocktroopers) Rosie, Salinas, Vyse, Alex, Mica, Wendy (Lancers) Largo, Nils, Jann, Hector (Engineers) Homer, Herbert (Snipers) Cezary, Marina.

Emery replaces Hermes because Hermes' last potential sucks and Welkin realized this. Reviews, please? I'd appreciate them!