Hello everybody. Here comes the next chapter of Ordinarily Extraordinary. I'm actually surprised I received praise for taking elements from the anime, and incorporating them in. This chapter is more filled with original content, and even more original characters. There's not any anime content in this chapter, but I'll try my best to stay true to the anime in future chapters. I mainly went for a mix of the game, anime, and my own original stuff, as you'll soon see. I thank all who read, and I recently just posted another story, entitled, "You Make Me Smile." Ted/Marina lovers, or those who like a sweet VC fic, this is for you! Anyway here's chapter 2.

Peter stood in the intimidating presence of his commanding officer, Lieutenant Herman Drake, the leader of Squad 3. Drake was a veteran of EW1 and very no-nonsense guy. He can be very strict, and pushes his troops very hardly. Time and again he has pushed his squad members near their breaking point. Everybody in the squad hates him, including the Sergeant, and he knows it. However, pushing his soldiers hardly has made Lt. Drake one of the best militia commanders in the Gallian military, and his skill was desperately needed when the war on the Empire started.

"Private First Class Peter Rothchild, reporting for duty, sir!" Peter stood attentively.

"Private Rothchild... Do you have any idea why I have just called you here?" Lt. Drake asked imposingly.

"Er... I have absolutely no clue," replied Peter, trying to feign ignorance.

"Well then... shall I remind you of what happened at Rosskva?"

Yesterday...

The men and women of Squad 3 were in the process of defending the northern border town of Rosskva that was said to be attacked by the Imperial invasion forces. The squad was being transported in a convoy of APCs, as well as a tank holding the militia commander, and among them, young Peter Rothchild lied in wait.

"So Peter... You ready for this?" asked one of the soldiers.

"Of course, Dan! With that victory back at Vasel, and with Squad 6 securing the neighbouring regions, there's no way we'll lose! The militia is on a role!" Peter said excitedly. He was glad his good friend shared his same enthusiasm.

"Well, don't get too cocky. Remember what happened back at that incident in Vasel? That one lone squad took back the whole bridge. Too bad that asshole Damon took all the credit. We'll need to work with as much efficiency as they did," Dan mentioned. "Plus, Squad 3 isn't the best squad. I mean, this is our third battle, but I think this one is the real deal. We've never really got a taste of war..."

"Maybe that's a good thing," Peter suggested. 'If you ask me, I just want this war to end, so we can all go back to Bruhl."

"I hear ya. I want the war to end as much as the next guy. But if we just finish this war quickly and get it overwith, the Empire will only be crippled, but not dead. We need to kill them all, because what's to stop them from making a new army, one even better than the guys we're facing now? We must have total victory!" Dan said.

Peter adjusted his blue hunting cap to look at Dan, face to face. "Geez, Dan. Is it me, or have you been getting a little bloodthirsty since you joined up for the militia?"

"I can't help it. Those sons a bitches attacked Bruhl. I saw innocent civilians dying, not to mention my friends. I hate those Imps. Every last one of them. You seem to be lucky, though. Your only friends were me, Susie, and Alicia. I don't know about Noce, but all your friends seemed to survive."

Peter adjusted his hat again, covering his eyes. "I'm almost too lucky. But then again, I'm not sure if I can say the same after the war. I wasn't really that close to Noce, but he might be dead. I'm not sure. I know Susie joined the militia shortly after we got to Randgriz. She of all people... She hates fighting, but her parents made her go for some sort of family pride... I'm pretty sure Alicia's alive, and she was with that Gunther guy. He had a tank. If she stayed with him, then I'm sure she's okay. I don't know Dan. I sometimes can't handle the possibility of potentially losing all my other friends in this war, and I wasn't there to be with them..." Peter said rather sadly.

"Yeah... How are things with Susie? You still hanging out? I mean, before the war started?" Dan asked.

"God damn it, Dan! Why the hell do you, as well as all the people back at Bruhl always ask me that?! We're just friends..."

"Pete... You've been 'friends' with this girl for, what? Nine years? Ever since she came to Bruhl, you've been at her side most of the time."

"Dan, we don't see each other like that. She's like a sister to me. And I'm like a brother to her. It would be... awkward... to begin a relationship with her now," Peter said, nervously tugging at his town watchman's shawl that he wore all the time. "So... how's your relationship with Elizabeth?" Peter asked.

"Whoa, hold on a sec! That Imperial girl who just happens to be a Gallian citizen? What in the hell makes you think I like her? In case you hadn't noticed, I hate Imperials. Just because she was born here, doesn't mean crap. What if her loyalties suddenly change? What if she's a spy?" Dan quickly responded.

"You know, I'm sitting right next to you. It's not a very big APC, and I can hear everything you guys are saying," said Elizabeth, Squad 3's shock-trooper. Elizabeth was born from Imperial parents living in Gallia. She knows they were they were officers in the Empire's military, but she hasn't heard from them since the war started. Since she had grown up and lived here all her life, she considers herself to be Gallian, and chose to help out the militia, but since her arrival, she has found prejudice for being of Imperial descent, and has been accused of being a spy several times.

"Can it, Imp girl!" Dan quickly shot back. Frustrated, Elizabeth sighed and turned her head.

From there, it was rather silent in the armored vehicle. Tension between certain members of the squad, and the imending battle for the border town was building some extreme anxiety for some people, and they were getting a bit antsy.

"Rusty! How far are we from the destination?" Peter asked the driver.

"We're about another two miles away. And it doesn't look good. I can already see some smoke rising from the ground. The town already looks to be under attack!" said the squad's engineer.

The atmoshpere got even more tense, as some of the younger troops got more scared and nervous. From there, there was shouting, crying, and people even trying to get out of the moving vehicle.

"Calm down, poeple. This will truly be a test of all I, and Lt. Drake, have taught you. We've trained you well, and I have complete confidence in all of you, and I'm sure victory will be in reach," said lead Seargeant Abel. Abel was another EW1 veteran, and second in command of Squad 3.

It was still a bumpy ride for Squad 3, as they approached the blown out gate of the town. Burning buildings, bodies, and the signs of war were everywhere. The very skies were covered in smoke and they could even see the flames of tall buildings flickering high. It literally looked like hell. Everybody quickly unloaded from the APCs, and as soon everybody unloaded, they heard a gunshot. Everybody was confused and frightened, but to only add to the mass hysteria, one of the militia fell flat on the ground, with a bullet wound in the head.

"Sniper! Get down, hurry!" said a militia man. As soon as those words left his mouth, another shot was fired, and he too fell to the ground. Everbody quuickly went into the trenches, and hid for cover, while some other soldiers counter fired at the enemy.

"Everybody! Get your god damn act together, now! Start firing! You guys are pathetic!" Drake yelled, as he fired mortars from his tank at the snipers.

Morale was low as is, and it was hard for the rather shaky squad to do this. Squad 3 was mostly a bunch of young people. They were in desparate need of good commanders and training, however that even wasn't enough to prepare them for war. Timidly, one of the militia men tried moving up from the trench and fired. He managed to take down and enemy soldier. This proved to be good encouragement to others, as they started working together to repel the enemy. More enemy troops were coming in the streets, fighting off the Gallians. In one of the trenches, Peter was sweating heavily, as he saw bullets whizzing above his head from under the trench. Peter said a quick prayer, before coming up and firing his rifle at the Imps. He could then see that he had taken down an enemy scout.

"Holy crap! Dan, I got one!" Peter said to his friend right next to him.

"Great man, but don't get cocky! We're not out of this yet!" Dan responded, as he fired more bullets to the armored Imperials.

"Roger!" Peter reloaded his gun, and fired again. Despite his rather infamous aim, Peter actually found himself to be a little more accurate than usual, as he saw another enemy trooper fall to the ground. "Whoah! Dan, I got another!" Peter said excitedly.

"Okay man, but this ain't a contest! Shut the hell up, and just shoot!"

Peter nodded and continued firing lead at the Imperial invaders. However, despite Squad 3's more unified and confident fighting, the truth was, these Imperials were like cockroaches; no matter how many times you step on them, there seems to be more coming. The squad was defending valiantly however, and it maybe would've made the Lieutenant proud. Peter, in the midst of his incredible streak, was having some terrible luck. His gun was jammed.

"Oh crap... You have got to be kidding me..." Peter forgot to clean his gun, and in one area, the rifle round appeared to be jammed in the chamber. Peter had absolutely no clue how to deal with a situation like this. With a lack of a better plan at this time, Peter started banging on his gun, violently hitting it. Is plan worked... sort of. The round went throught the chamber and the gun subsequently fired... right at a fellow militia soldier. The squad member fell to the ground. Peter looked in disbelief, and realized he had accidently shot his comrade. The militia soldier was hit in the leg, and Peter hoped he would be okay. The downed man looked at Peter, as a medic came to his side. Peter reacted quickly, by shifting his position around, pretending to fire at an enemy soldier behind him."It's okay! There was an Imp behind me! I got him!" Peter knew he was screwed... This wasn't the first time this happened, and he was pretty sure he would get court martialed.

From there, the operation was a success, and Squad 3 managed to take the town, with the assistance of Squad 6 coming later in the battle. But, as the soldier he shot was evacuated, Peter couldn't help but wonder what would happen to him... The Lieutenant would surely have his head...

*End Flashback*

"So Peter... Do you remember now?"Lt. Drake asked, more angry with Peter than ever.

"Er... Yes, sir..." Peter hesitantly admitted.

"Well, then... I personally asked that you be transferred out of Squad 3. I want you out of my sight! Turn in your uniform no later than noon, and report to Captain Varrot! Whether you actually get to stay in the militia or not, is completely up to her. I'm sick and tired of your insubordination, lying, and your clumsiness. Peter, when you transfer over to your new squad, if you don't get court martialed that is... If you become a war hero, I'll be happy. If you end up dead, I'll still be happy!"

"I appreciate your honesty, sir..." Peter said, trying to look on the bright side.

"Oh, and Peter... when you meet your new Lieutenant, don't be a kiss-ass like you do with me."

Peter nodded, and headed back to Squad 3's barracks. He hung up his uniform, and said goodbye to all his fellow squad-mates. It was rather sad. Moral can be greatly affected if someone gets transferred, for the transferee, and the squad. It will take a bit just to fit in to this new gig. It was especially hard for Peter to say goodbye to Dan, and just leave him here. However, Peter knew he had to do this for his country, and he needed to do this. For better or worse, he had to leave.

"Goodbye, Peter. We'll miss you!" Elizabeth said.

"Shut it, Imp! I'm supposed to say bye to him first!" Dan rudely interrupted.

"Umm... shouldn't it be you to say goodbye last?" Elizabeth questioned.

"God, even without a gun, Imperials still annoy the hell out of me..." Dan mumbled under his breath.

"Hey! I've been born and raised here in Gallia. Sure, my parents may have originated from the Empire, but they wanted a new life and fresh start! Leave behind all the horrors and bad stuff from the first war. And sure, they may still dutifully honor their loyalties, but I honor mine! I won't just join some country I never even knew!" Elizabeth countered.

"That's what you want us to think..." Dan plainly responded. Elizabeth sighed, and face-palmed. Dan walked over to his friend. "Goodbye, man. I'll miss you. Go and kill a couple Imps for me, alright?"

"You got it, man," Peter said, as he hugged his friend. "Oh, and I heard that if you're an asshole to a girl, that means you like her."

Dan quickly pushed his friend away from him. "God, why do you have to be a smart-ass sometimes? Only you can be a smart-ass at times like this. You'll probably make some wisecracks when I'm dying. And I won't even asked where the hell you heard that "being a jerk to a girl" thing from..."

When Peter left the barracks of Squad 3, he was left in tears. For the past month, he had been through a lot with these people. Laughs were shared, tears were shed... Oh well. Perhaps there would be more of that in the new squad. As he walked toward the militia HQ, Peter looked at all he had to call his own. All he had was a blue jacket, a pair of light brown pants, a rifle, and his blue hunting cap and Bruhl town watch's shawl. Peter often wore the latter two over every outfit he had, his shawl because of his pride of being a Bruhler, and his hunting cap, because his dad always wore it, whom died in the first war. Walking through the gray hall, Peter opened a door to Captain Eleanor Varrot's office. The captain was looking through and signing paperwork. She looked up at Peter, her stern look not changing one bit.

"Ah... Private Rothchild... please, have a seat," she said, looking back at her papers.

Peter nervously walked to the chair sitting in front if Varrot's desk. His heart was beating, and sweat started trickling down his forehead.

"Peter, I have to say that I am very dissapointed in you. Never have I had a case where the squad lieutenant requested for a soldier to be transferred out of the squad due to a horrid record such as yours," Varrot commented, looking through Peter's military records.

"Elle... Can I call you Elle?... Eleanor?... No? Okay... Captain Varrot, no offense but that lieutenant back in Squad 3 is an asshole. I mean, almost all the time, he exaggerates the stuff that happens to us!"

"Private! Watch your mouth! You know better than to use such coarse language in front of an officer!" she shouted. "And if what you say is true, and Lt. Drake is exaggerating, then tell me: is it true or not true that you had a case of friendly fire on more than one occasion?"

Peter stuttered, at a loss for words. "Erm... Yes, I recall those moments."

"You fired two shots injuring both Private Emal Wize, and Corparal Eric Lithe on two separate occasions, correct?"

"Yes ma'am."

"I also understand that you and Private Daniel Kappelhoff stole a cache of alcoholic beverages from Lt. Drake, correct? My, my, Peter. First of all, you aren't even of legal drinking age in Gallia, and second, you stole from one of your fellow soldiers. I never thought one could stoop so low."

Peter was sweating even more. He took off his cap to wipe some sweat off his head before managing to spit out a couple of words. "Look, we were celebrating our first victory. We threw a private party, organized by Sergeant Abel himself, and we had a good time. However, the party was lacking a special something, and someone dared us to-"

"That's enough! Your excuses mean nothing to me! I should make you to never wear a Gallian uniform again! But... but I feel that there is hope for you yet. You were a good, above average student in military training. You should be better than this. So, I'm requesting that you transfer to Squad 7. Lieutenant Gunther I presume you met during the assault on Bruhl. You should be somewhat familiar with him. Being under his command can be an interesting experience. Perhaps he can mold you into a proper soldier."

"Thank you, Captain. I could've been kicked out of the Militia, and you gave me another chance. Thank you. I promise, I won't screw this up!" Peter said, enthusiasm rising in his voice again.

"Well, one more screw up, and I'm afraid that will become a reality. And I'm afraid I'll be demoting you to Private 2nd Class. I had to pull some strings for you, just so you could stay in the military. You need some sort of punishment, so you can learn your lesson. I also think that you will find Squad 7 to be a much better experience for you, considering the fact that you might possibly see a few familiar faces.

"Really? But I got demoted? Hmm... Private 2nd Class, huh? That sounds demeaning... Well, thank you, Captain Varrot."

"Your welcome, Private. You are dismissed."

From there, Peter walked onward to the Squad 7 base. Over and over, he pondered what Captain Varrot meant by, "familiar faces." Could it be someone from Bruhl? Several people from Bruhl? All Peter could do was wait until he got to the barracks themselves. He was issued his new uniform following his meeting with Varrot. He changed into it, to find it was still pretty much the same, with the exception of a number 7 in place of a 3. Putting on his watchman's shawl over his uniform and adjusting his cap, Peter was then ready to meet his new band of brothers and sisters...

Thanks for reading, guys. I hope i did well, but Ieave you to be the judge of that. Once again, I feel as though there were some things l could have done to make this better. Plus, I never have used a Beta, so I'm on my own here. But that's okay. Please feel free to make comments, suggestions, and whatnot. Oh, and to those who read, "You Make Me Smile," I may make other stories like it. Whether or not it will be of Marina and Ted, or other pairing is still being tossed around. If you have suggestions for that, PM me, and leave the review for this story. Thanks. Next chapter, Peter will meet the eccentric Squad 7!