(Note: I do not own anything. This is purely for entertainment purposes.)

March 15, 1935

"Bruhl. A small town located on the Gallian-Germanian border. A town with a population of a few thousand, it was known throughout the country for its fine cheeses and fresh bread that was shipped throughout the nation. Bruhl was a peaceful and quiet area of the country. But now, that peace would be shattered. –Jack Lawrence."

On a quiet dirt road near the border, two university students marched towards the nearby town of Bruhl. The one in the front was a young man, about twenty-two years old. He had short brown hair and eyes. The man wore a simple white shirt covered by brown leather jacket with several pockets, blue jeans, and brown shoes. Slung over his shoulder was a medium-sized blue carry-on. The man behind him had blue eyes and short black hair. He wore a simple white shirt like his friend, a blue jacket, a newsboy cap, brown pants and hiking boots. While the man in front seemed to be enjoying the walk, his counterpart seemed to be lagging behind, getting very exhausted by the endeavor. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore and decided to stop and catch his breath.

"Welkin can we please stop for a few minutes? I don't know how much longer I can keep this up," gasped the young man as he stood hunched over gasping for air.

Welkin stopped walking, then turned on his heels to look at Jack. "It's alright Jack. Bruhl's not that far now," he explained.

"When you say things like 'not that far', I don't know if that means its two miles away or twenty," said Jack through his deep and haggered breaths.

Welkin couldn't help but let out a small laugh at his friends comment. Jack always had a glib remark ready no matter what the situation was. That was one of the things that Welkin always like about his friend.

"It'll be alright. I know that you can make it," he encouraged.

"Alright then," conceded Jack "but I'd rather take a truck ride back to Randgriz." And with that comment he and Welkin resumed their journey towards Bruhl. While walking, Jack couldn't help but observe the countryside.

The road to Bruhl was merely a dirt road. On the right side there stood a low stone wall while on the right sat a small steam. And all around them were rolling green hills, along with a few scattered farms and windmills. Add the fact that it was a calm, sunny day. No one could deny that this seemed like a nice, quiet place to live. It made Jack understand why Welkin loved it here.

Up ahead they could see a truck moving slowly with a small group of refugee's walking beside it. From the look of it, they appeared to be a small family. There was an elderly woman holding a young girls hand, as well as two men, one who appeared to be in his forties and another in his twenties.

"Look, must be refugees leaving Bruhl," said Jack pointing out the group to him.

That didn't surprise Welkin. Ever since the speech the Germanian Kaiser gave a few days ago, it appeared that everyone on the border was leaving for the safety of the capital or the several refugee camps that the government had set up near the coastlines. For a moment, a peculiar thought entered his mind. Officially the people from Germania were called Germanians. But people outside their nation simply called them 'Germans' since it was easier to remember. 'And probably because it sounded a lot catchier to say,' Welkin thought. But still, they were the reason as to why he was coming home.

Flashback: Five days earlier

"Randgriz University. One of Gallia's most prestigious colleges. Located just outside the capital city of Randgriz, the university held some of Gallia's best and brightest students. Though there was usually a buzz of activity throughout campus that was not the case for today. In the Rec Room, a large group of academy students, Jack and Welkin included, stood or sat around a radio listening to the Germanian rally being held in New Berlin. Since Germania was a nation hostile towards Gallia, any news from there spread quickly throughout the country." - Jack Lawrence

"Once Gallia is retaken, our work will soon bear fruit. We must prepare for a great war, the final war. And it will end with the triumph of our Reich. The mailed fist of Germania's legions will challenge our enemies. And if the jackals will not surrender Europa to us, then we shall take it by force. DEFENDERS OF GERMANIA'S DREAM, OUR TIME HAS COME AT LAST! SIEG HEIL!"

The voice of Kaiser Byzantium zi Britannia boomed out of the radio as his speech came to an end. Jack turned off the radio as the students began whispering among themselves. The speech had now given them reason to worry. And all throughout the room, came statements from the people were wondering what had just happened.

"What does this mean?"

"The guy just threatened us."

"Does this mean that there'll be a war now?"

"These guys want a fight? Well then let's give them one."

Welkin and Jack just sat next to the table that the radio was on. Jack had a surprise look on his face while Welkin had more of a look of worry. Jack had noticed it and was confused as to why. Normally Welkin was a carefree person, and Jack never saw him this upset before. He tried to reassure him and try to figure out as to why. "Welkin, you okay? There something you worried about?" he asked him.

Welkin looked at him and quietly answered "My sister, Isara. She still lives in Bruhl."

It now made sense to Jack. He remembered meeting Welkin's little sister. And he remembered that Welkin's hometown was Bruhl. A town that, in the case of a German invasion, would bear the brunt due its proximity to the border. Welkin was probably worried about the safety of his little sister. And due to the speech that they had just heard, he had cause to worry.

"What are you going to do now?" asked Jack.

Welkin didn't answer for a few moments. He looked as if he was collecting his thoughts or wondering how he was going to answer the question. Then, he calmly got up and out of his seat and responded "I'm going to leave for Bruhl. I have to get Isara out of there."

Jack let out a light sigh and got out of his chair as well. "So, when do we leave?" he asked with a slight smile on his face.

Welkin's eyes widened a little bit with surprise. He hadn't expected that kind of response from Jack. "You want to come along? What if the Germans invade?" questioned Welkin.

Jack just continued to stand there and smile. "Gallians aren't the only ones who know how to fire guns. If the bastards come knocking I'll be ready for them," he claimed.

Welkin didn't want to endanger his friend. But he knew that he would need help in order to get his sister to safety. So he would have to simply let Jack come along with him to Bruhl. "All right then, I'll write to my sister and tell her we're on our way. You talk to the Headmaster about us taking a small break so that we can get her," he ordered.

"I can do that. The old man will probably let us go considering what just happened. Plus, I'll tell our friends that they won't be seeing us for a while," added Jack.

"Alright, let's get going, we leave tomorrow," informed Welkin as both he and Jack left the Rec Room.

The two of them had just passed the truck when Welkin took one last look of his surroundings and commented "I haven't been down this road in years. It really hasn't changed that much." And to Welkin this was true. Everything was exactly like he remembered. The trees, the scenery, the windmills. He now finally felt like he like he was home.

"Yeah, I guess. You know, this all reminds me of something," Jack explained as he turned around to look at the truck continuing on behind him.

But Welkin didn't hear him. He had spotted something in the stream that had caught his attention. Upon seeing it, his eyes widened with amazement "Wow. Already!" he exclaimed.

"Oh come on. My stories aren't that bad are-" said Jack jokingly as he tried to explain what he was trying to say. But his sentence was cut short when he turned back around and saw that Welkin was no longer in front of him.

"Welkin?" he asked as he scanned his surroundings trying to get a glimpse of his friend. He finally found him kneeling next to the stream that ran on the left side of the road. "The nature boy see's something," he muttered "why does this not surprise me?"

As he was walking toward Welkin, he could see that he took off his carry-on and took out a small notebook and pen. He then sat down and quietly began to write something inside his notebook.

What had caught Welkin's attention was a small school of fish he had spotted from up on the road. They were medium sized, so they were easy to spot. They were mostly green with slight hints of red on their sides. They were trying to swim against the current and as such, they were swimming mostly in one place. Welkin took the time to sketch the fish in great detail.

Jack saw this and let out a slight laugh as he sat down next to Welkin. "We walk for hours, you don't listen to me when I ask you for a break, but you stop because of a couple fish?" he question out of disbelief.

"Not just any fish, this is a Shining Trout," corrected Welkin. "They normally don't come out this early in spring," he informed.

"Well, I'm glad they decided to show up. I needed the break from all the walking," admitted Jack. And with that note he laid down on the soft grass to rest his legs while Welkin continued to sketch away in his book. And there they were, neither of them aware that their situation was about to change.

Elsewhere, in Bruhl

The streets were filled with trucks and people as they marched out of town. These were the people of Bruhl. They were evacuating the town due to the recent aggressive actions by the Germanian government. Each of the people on the street were carrying bags or suitcases filled with everyday essentials such as clothes, hygienic supplies, even food. Everything they would need once they reached the refugee centers near Randgriz. They couldn't afford to carry all of their worldly possessions with them as their safety was more of a concern then that of the things they owned. The people leaving the city were leaving with somber looks on each of their faces. This was their home, they didn't want to leave. But what choice did they have. They didn't want to get caught up in a German invasion, end up dying in a battle. So their only choice now was to leave the town for the sake of their loved ones.

Two of these people, a woman in her late thirties, was holding the hand of her young child, a boy about five or six years old. Each of them was carrying a small backpack, carrying like so many others, the items that they would need on their long journey with the exception that the woman was holding a small basket filled with bread in her free hand. They were marching with the rest of the refugee's when the boy saw a small squirrel that they were passing. Like the little boy he is, he immediately broke off from his mother and chased after it.

"Albert, come back here," his mother cried. But it was too late, her son was already engrossed in chasing the small animal. The squirrel darted from left to right as it tried to get away from the boy. It soon made a break for the left. The boy continued to run straight ahead as he watched the squirrel run in a completely different direction. He then immediately ran into something and nearly stumbled backwards and fell.

He looked up to see a young woman, about nineteen years old. She had long brown hair tied into two long pigtails divided by a red scarf. She was wearing a light blue dress uniform that had a single white stripe running down the middle and a leather belt that had a few small pouches. She also had finger-less gloves on, leather boots, and light blue thigh high wool leggings. Around her left arm was an armband that showed the words 'Bruhl' below a small drawn picture of the Sister Mills, a pair of massive stone windmill towers in the center of town. This coupled with the fact she was armed with a semi-automatic hunting carbine, meant that she was a member of the Town Watch, which acted like somewhat that of a local police force.

"Albert, what are you doing? You'll be in trouble if you stay here," commented the girl.

"Alicia, thank goodness you've caught him," thanked the mother as she had finally caught up with her son. "And she's right Albert. If you stay here, the scary Nazis will get you," scolded the woman who was now talking to her son.

"Don't worry, Alicia and the town watch will take care of them! Right?" asked Albert as he turned his gaze to her.

Alicia didn't know how to answer that. In truth, there was little the Town Watch could do. The German Army and the town watch were completely different adversaries. The Watchmen were made out of volunteers who had little to no experience in combat. They were armed with outdated rifles no longer used by the military, were only about fifty in number, and had few heavy weapons.

In contrast, the Germans had all the advantages. They were well armed with the latest weaponry, highly trained, and highly equipped. They would come in massive numbers, from hundreds to even thousands. And they'd bring with them tanks, artillery, maybe planes. The town watch would be lucky if they would last even five minutes. But Alicia decided to put on a brave face for Albert's sake.

"Of course, the Town Watch isn't going to hand over Bruhl to the Nazis," said Alicia confidently.

"But from what I've heard, the German commander is pretty tough isn't he?" asked the woman with worry in her eyes.

Alicia knew who she was talking about. She heard all about how some prominent Nazi Prince would be leading the invasion. She didn't know much about him. Just what she thought of him personally. "He's a Germanian Prince. His name's Maximillian I think. He's probably not a very good commander. It's most likely just for show," she said trying to calm her down.

"I sure hope so," she responded, still feeling uncertain.

"Hey, come on, we need to get moving!" came a shout from farther up the road. The two of them had been spotted. They knew that they had to wrap this conversation quickly.

The mother then handed Alicia the basket of bread. "Here, this is the last of the bread you managed to make with us before this all happened," she explained.

"Thanks Ma'am," thanked Alicia as she accepted the basket "I'm sorry that I wasn't able to help you out more."

"Don't worry. Your work with the town watch I more important. And you've been a great help at the bakery ever since my husband passed away," she said, her demeanor now changed.

"The bread you bake is already excellent. You'll go far, I know it," she added as she patted Alicia on her shoulder.

"Thanks, I hope I'll see you again," said Alicia.

"You too. Goodbye for now," said the woman as she and her son rejoined the stream of refugees leading out of Bruhl. Alicia looked on at them as they departed and slowly went out of view. But just before that she caught a glimpse of Albert giving her a quick salute. Alicia simply smiled and gave him one in kind.

She then took a moment to look up at the sky. In her heart she wondered what would happen in the coming hours. She hoped that at least, just today, nothing bad would happen.

"Alicia!" She was suddenly brought back to reality as she heard someone shout out her name. She looked in front of her to see two people running towards her. The both of them were exactly the same age as her. One was a young girl with long, curly blonde hair with a pink bow on the back of her hair, and wore a Town Watch uniform that looked exactly like hers. The other was a young man, carrying a carbine similar to hers, and had his brown hair tucked under a tan bandanna wrapped around his head except for one long strand that dangled near his right eye. He was also a member of the town watch except his uniform was different. He was wearing civilian clothing along with a small shawl that was the same color as Alicia's uniform.

They stopped in front of her and began to breathe heavily as they tried to catch their breaths. "Noce, Susie what is it?" Alicia asked him, wondering what was so important.

Susie was the first to answer "German spies are here!" she shouted.

Alicia's eyes suddenly widened with surprise. 'What? German spies? Here? Now?' she thought. What are they doing here? Are they doing recon of the town? Whatever their reasons were, Alicia was sure that none of them were good.

"Their around by the bridge. There's two of them. They a couple of young men," informed Noce.

"Are you sure?" Alicia asked, hoping they had mistook what they saw.

"Positive. Jan and Miguro are over there keeping an eye on them. I don't think they know we've spotted the yet," Noce answered.

Alicia pondered what to do for a moment. If the spies got away, they could inform the main German force everything they could about Bruhl. The number of Town Watchmen there were, where the best places to enter the town were, anything. They had to stop them, before they had a chance to flee. Even if she had to do it alone.

"Susie, you and Noce take this and help the refugees. I'm going to check out these 'spies' for myself," said Alicia as she handed the basket of bread to them and darted away.

"Alicia, wait!" shouted Noce, but it was too late. She was already long gone.

By the Stream

Behind a few bushes, under the shade of the trees, sat two individuals staring intently at the two mysterious figures resting by the bank of the stream. They were young boys about fifteen, both armed, and wearing town watch uniforms. Their uniforms were similar to most of the watchmen. Civilian clothes with a blue shawl over them. They also wore two old French steel helmets that been painted blue and had the Town Watch emblem of Bruhl painted on it. They were Jan and Miguro, the two watchmen sent to keep an eye on their suspected spies. They had been watching them for the past 20 minutes now, wondering what they were up to.

"Where are the spies?" asked a voice behind them. The both of them jumped, startled that there was someone behind them. They looked to see that it was just Alicia.

"Oh, it's just you Alicia," said Jan, relieved to see a friendly face.

Alicia crept up alongside the two as Miguro pointed towards the pair. "They're over there. It's just the two of them at the moment. One of them has been writing something in his notebook," he explained.

"Notebook?" Alicia asked upon hearing the word.

"Yeah, he's been writing in that thing for a while now," he added.

Meanwhile, Jack and Welkin were still relaxing on the bank of the stream. While Welkin was still sketching, Jack was now sitting upright looking at a detailed map of Gallia. He was trying to put his head into the mind of a German commander. Trying to figure out where they would invade and how. It really wasn't that hard for him to figure out. You see Jack wasn't Gallian, he was an American, born and raised in New York city, America's crown jewel city. Before he came to Gallia, Jack served for two years in the United States Army. That experience taught him things like how to take into account the geography, the terrain, and strategic locations that would be vital.

"There's just something I don't understand here," he admitted out loud.

"Really? And what would that be?" asked Welkin, not taking his eyes away from his sketching.

"Why would the German's want to come through Bruhl? Aside from the fact that it's close to the border, this town doesn't really have much strategic value," described Jack.

Finally looking up, Welkin asked "Then how would you do it?"

"Could you hand me the pen please?" Jack asked politely. After Welkin handed him the pen, Jack began drawing a series of symbols, arrows, and other additional details to the map. "Okay, if I was the bastard in charge of this invasion, I'd start by separating my army into three groups. The first group would come through the North, through the fortress at Ghirlandaio, into the Naggiar Plains and to the industrial cities up there. The second group would come through the South, past the Ardennes Forest and start taking the southern villages. Finally, the third group would come through the center, taking the Barious Desert before heading on to Randgriz. What do you think of that?" he explained before handing Welkin back his pen.

"Wow, you really thought that through. Impressive," said, Welkin, amazed at what he just heard.

"Yeah well, I'm pretty sure you could think of something better," commented Jack. He was about to fold up the map and put it back in his jacket when suddenly behind them they heard the cocking of a gun.

"Freeze. Put your hands in the air, slowly," ordered a female voice.

The two of them temporarily froze in place, but they soon did as she ordered. They got up on their feet, hands in the air, and turned around to see who it was that had a gun on them. Turning around, they saw Alicia, Jan, and Miguro weapons drawn and pointed at them with serious looks on their faces. Welkin and Jack were completely confused as to what was happening. Had they done something wrong? What was going on?

"Hello there um...who are you?" asked Welkin quite bluntly.

"The one with the gun," stated Alicia.

"Well nice to meet you 'one with the gun'," said Jack jokingly, trying to ease the situation.

"Cute. We're from the Bruhl town watch. I'm Alicia. Alicia Melchiott. This is Jan and Miguro," Alicia said as she introduced them "What are you two doing here?"

"Well we were on our way to Bruhl when we decided to just stop here and rest for a little bit," explained Welkin.

"Then what are you doing with that notebook and the map your holding," she questioned.

"Well you see, I was sketching the fish into my notebook here and the map well...," explained Welkin trying to tell the truth without getting into more trouble.

"Show me them," she ordered, interrupting Welkin's sentence. He and Jack complied with her orders and handed over both Welkin's notebook and the map to her. She opened the notebook first and her face instantly turned from a stern one into one of confusion as she saw the sketch of a fish. "What kind of code is this?" she asked inquisitively.

"Code? It's a drawing of a fish. What do you think it is lady?" remarked Jack quite loudly.

"Shut up you!" exclaimed Miguro. As he said it he moved his gun closer to Jack's head. Seeing this, Jack backed up a bit as to avoid confrontation.

Alicia then turned her attention to the map which she had also taken from Jack. While she was busy studying it, Welkin whispered to Jack "What do you think's going on?" He had no idea what was going on. He had no clue why the two of them were being held at gunpoint or why they were searching through their belongings.

Jack however had it all figured out. Given the current climate with the imminent threat of war and the evacuation of Bruhl, they probably suspected that they were working for the enemy.

"I could be wrong but it's possible that they think we're German spies," he explained to Welkin whispering as well.

Apparently they didn't whisper low enough because Alicia immediately stopped looking at the map and sternly pointed a finger at them. "We don't think, we know!" accused Alicia.

"Look, you have this all wrong. This isn't what it looks like. We aren't German spies," said Welkin as he tried to prove their innocence.

"Then explain this," said Alicia showing the map in their faces. Welkin and Jack looked to each other, hoping one would have the answer. But neither of them had one. They could see all of Jack's alterations that he had made to it. From a stranger's perspective, it appeared like it was a map detailing Germania's invasion plan for Gallia. Jack began to regret what he did earlier because now he felt like he had just signed their prison sentence.

"Why do you have a map for an invasion? Answer me!" Alicia ordered, becoming increasingly annoyed by their lack of response.

Seeing how annoyed she was getting, Jack tried to calm her down through reason. "Look, there is a perfectly logical explanation for-" he started but was interrupted by Jan who pointed her rifle at him when she noticed something metallic hidden on the inside of his jacket.

"He has something in his jacket. On the left side," he informed to Alicia. Acknowledging this, she ordered Jack to spread out his arms. Once he did, she reached into his jacket and found two secret holsters sewn to his jacket carrying a pair of loaded Colt 1911 semi-automatic pistols with two additional magazines in additional pockets next to them on each side.

"Well, well, well. This just gets more and more interesting," Alicia commented with a slight grin on her face before relieving Jack of his weapons. "Now let's see what you have to say back at the town watch guardhouse during your interrogation. Bind their hands," she ordered as her compatriots obliged with her orders and tied both men's hands behind their backs. They nudged them with their rifles indicating them to move which they did so.

As they began to walk away, Jack looked to Welkin and asked "Not quite the welcoming party you expected huh?"

As usual, if you have a question or comment about this chapter or the story in general, simply send me a PM and I'll answer as best as I can. Also, don't forget to leave a review and to leave a comment on my Valkyria Chronicles Forum as well as to add to the polls I have there.

Until then,

- Heinkelboy05