Okay. This is mostly just more talk and Peter getting to know more people. There's not exactly any action yet, but rest assured. You'll see real combat scenes next chapter. I'm not exactly happy with this chapter. You might think I say this for all chapters, but this one is more unliked than usual. However, on a side note, I am glad Peter can be thought of as a realistic character, rather than some Gary Stu character, or "perfect" character. I thank ArtilleryImbecile for giving me that praise. I don't usually advertise other stories, but I recommend looking this author's story, titled, "Valkyria Chronicles: Isara's Survival." Now enough of this chit-chat. Let's get on with this chapter!

The morning seemed pretty much the same as it did for when Peter was in Squad the exception of Peter hitting his head on a metal bar on the top bunk... From there it was pretty routine. Everybody got dressed, the whole squad would get ready to line up and do role call. Peter went got his Squad 7 uniform, and fitted the light armor plating that went with it. He took his rifle, and before he left, Peter added the finishing touches to almost every outfit he wears; his trademark hunting cap and Bruhl Town Watch's shawl. Everybody in the mens' quarters left in an orderly fashion, as did all the women. Everybody lined up and saluted, as Welkin and his subordinate, Alicia, took role. As Peter stood at his attention, he saw that there were many more peolpe in the squad than he originally thought. It was massive. Following role call, everybody in the barracks of Squad 7 were on standby; in other words, everyone pretty much waited for further instructions from the boss. As Welkin and Alicia left through the doors, everybody eased up, and the line of people dispersed. As he left to find any of his friends, Peter found himself lost in the crowd. When so many faces are around you, it's hard to see who your looking for, as all the faces just seem to blur together all around him. Giving up, headed to the mess hall for some breakfast, where most of the crowd was headed was traveling to. Perhaps his friends would be eating breakfast. As the crowd got thinner, Peter went through, cutting in front of people, and got to the mess hall. People were eating and chatting everywhere. Peter rushed to the line where people were getting their food. He picked up a tray and started getting some breakfast. After a lengthy line, Peter was out. With his tray in hand, Peter tried looking for his fellow Bruhlers. Just then, a voice called out.

"Hey, kid!"

Peter turned to see two people walking toward him. A woman with red hair tied in buns, and a guy with grey hair. Both of them seemed to be staring at Peter, making him a bit uncomfortable.

"Umm... can I help you?" Peter meekly asked.

"More like 'can I help you' Dark-Hair lover?" the grey haired guy snapped back. Peter looked at them in confusion.

"Yeah, do you realize how much danger you're getting yourself into, just by talking to that Darcsen girl?" the woman added.

"Do you mean Isara? What's wrong with her?" Peter asked.

"Are you really that naive? She's Darcsen! But since you were stupid enough to ask what they are, I'll give you a little Dark-Hair 101: They stink, they cause nothing but trouble, and they'll all blow you up. End of story," the red haired woman said.

"Guys, you have no right to judge them like that. Isara's a good person. She's kind, and I think you just like to base things on stereotypes that have no true-" before Peter could finish, the grey haired man shoved Peter, causing him to fall on the ground, and the food on his tray getting all over the ground and his clothes. "Hey, man! What the hell?!" Peter exclaimed, as the grey haired man cracked his knuckles. As he saw this, Peter was conflicted with annoyance, and fear. He looked around in the crowd for any type of help, but some people looked at the scene, only a few seconds, before getting back to what they were doing.

"You know the only thing that disgusts me more than a Darcsen? Goody-two-shoes like you spouting crap about human equality and all that bullshit," the grey haired man said, as he and the red haired woman walked toward Peter. Both of them were really angered, and Peter didn't even know why he was about to get beat up. All he did was back up away from them. He was really getting intimidated, and he was starting to sweat a bit.

"Cezary! Rosie! Stop it! That's enough!" a voice called out. Peter saw a man standing in front of the two, blocking their path.

"Look, old man! Get the hell out of our way! When we get done 'educating' this kid on the real truth of Dark-Hairs, maybe we'll deal with you later," Cezary remarked.

"Leave him alone!" shouted a feminine voice. Another woman stood near the man, defending Peter.

"Feh. I've had enough excitement for one day. Besides, I can't stand all the Darcsen stink in one place. Let's go, Cezary," Rosie said, as the two walked off. Peter still had no idea what the hell just happened.

"Are you alright, son?" the man said. The man and woman defending Peter turned around, and he saw that the man was a middle aged guy with a beard and glasses. The woman was a young lady with short and neatly straightened hair. They both had a blue-black color to their hair. They were both Darcsen. "Are you okay?" they asked again.

"Yeah. I'm fine," Peter said as he was helped up by he two. Peter looked at his outfit, and sighed. It was covered in food and stains. At least his shawl was left untouched. Peter couldn't really say the same about the rest of his clothes. "Who are you guys?" Peter asked, while attempting to wipe off some stains with a towel.

"I'm Wavy" said the man in glasses.

"And I'm Nadine," said the woman.

Peter nodded, but was too focused at the moment getting a stubborn stain out, but to no avail. "Why were those assholes messing with me?" Peter asked.

"Well, probably because you've shown some friendliness to Darcsens. They'll most likely keep picking on you. Just like they do us," Wavy said, somewhat sadly.

"I don't see what the big deal is? Why pick on you guys?" Peter asked, scratching his head.

Nadine chuckled and smiled. "You weren't kidding when you asked Isara what a Darcsen was. You really don't know?" she asked.

"It's not that I don't know, it's just that I've never really heard about Darcsens since high school. I can't really remember it that well. Plus, I've never been next to a Darcsen. In fact, I don't even know if there were any Darcsens living in Bruhl at all," Peter explained.

Both Wavy and Nadine raised their brows in surprise. "Um... Isara lived in Bruhl..." Wavy mentioned.

"Oh... right..." Peter mumbled, rather embarrassed. He paused a bit to curse himself for being so stupid. "So why did you guys stick up for me?" Peter asked.

"Well, rumor spread that you were kind to Darcsens. From Isara, and those two you just met over there. There's not too many people that openly show kindness to us. You're one of a few," Nadine said.

"Unfortunately, because of people like Cezary and Rosie, people are rather silent on the whole Darcsen thing. Many more people will probably be nice to us, but those people are often shown as much hate as us. After Karl, pretty much everybody is too scared to admit it," Wavy said, motioning to a man and a woman sitting together, the latter whom was a Darcsen. "But it's nice to see someone able to show some sympathy toward us. And for that, you have me and Nadine's thanks," Wavy said smiling, and patting Peter on the back.

"Great. It was nice meeting you two, but right now, I need to clean this uniform. Goodbye," Peter said, as he went over to the laundry room. Peter was glad he was able to make new friends, but by making friends with Isara, Nadine, Wavy, and now pretty much every other Darcsen and Darcsen sympathizer, Peter realized he had made a couple of new enemies. First impression of Rosie: bitch. First impression of Cezary: asshole. This was the last thing Peter wanted, but while he would stay loyal to his newfound Darcsen friends, he couldn't help but feel a sense of regret. Now he would be just another target of ridicule and humiliation. Peter did his best to shake the selfish thoughts away from his head, but having enemies in your own ranks is something Peter wasn't used to. In Squad 3, he was either a friend to some, and a nobody to everyone else. Plain and simple. But for now, Peter decided just to focus on cleaning his clothes. Though he couldn't shake the feeling that he was hungry too. After all, his breakfast was all over his clothes.

"Oh, and I know you lost your breakfast, but here. This is for you It's not much, but I hope it'll be alright," said a voice.

As if on cue, Peter turned around to see Nadine with a rather small, but tasty looking muffin in her hand, being offered to Peter. He snatched the muffin from Nadine's hand rather quickly, but as soon as he did, he felt slightly worried if that came off as rude. Peter merely nodded and smiled meekly. Still, she smiled back and went on her way. Perhaps being friends with Darcsens wasn't so bad after all.


Peter was in his usual civilian clothes now, as he tried washing his Militia uniform. Finally, after the last stain was removed, by long efforts of scrubbing and soap, Peter hung his uniform up to dry. Peter sighed as he took some water from his canteen. Spinning the cap back on, Peter did his usual routine of walking around aimlessly, looking for something to do. He wandered until he stumbled upon a room with a couple couches, a fireplace, and a desk. It seemed like some sort of office of some kind. There, Peter saw his friend, Susie, chatting with two other girls, while brushing their hair, putting make-up, and other typical 'girl stuff.' Though the blonde haired boy sitting neaar them just seemed out of place. Peter never really was one to socialize with girls, but perhaps meeting them would be helpful. He slowly walked over, somewhat getting a bit shy along the way.

"Peter!" Susie exclaimed. She ran over to hug him. Forgetting that other people were in the room, Peter did the same for her. The hug was followed by several "oohs" from the girls.

"Who's this, Susie? Is that that Peter guy you talk about?" one of the girls asked, who was a young girl with silver grey hair and pony tails.

Peter looked Susie as they separated from their hug. "You... talked about me...?" Peter said, sweating and getting overly curious of what Susie and her friends had to say.

"She said you stand up for her and protect her. I think it's sweet that you do that for her. You've been together for about nine years together... it's sooooo romantic!" said the other girl, whom upon closer inspection, looked really young. Extremely young. However, Peter quickly pushed the thought out of his head and realized what this girl had just said.

"No, no, no, no, no! We are NOT in a relationship! How many times do I have to clarify that!?" Peter quickly retorted defensively. It ticked him off to no end how just because Peter and Susie are friends for a long time, they have to be in some sort of romantic relationship.

"Peter's right, Aisha. We've been friends for a while. He's... like a brother to me," Susie said more calmly.

"Yeah... riiiiiiight.... Peter and Susie sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" the silvery haired girl remarked. Peter felt a slight bit of anger in him, remembering the same little routine from last night when he fisted Melville in the face. However, Peter knew better than to let such anger show. In front of a girl, anyway.

"Oh, Edy! Stop that!" Susie said, blushing. She gave Edy a playful hit on the shoulder. Aisha and Edy started giggling. Peter felt himself somewhat out of place, just like the other boy standing around.

"You know, maybe these guys are telling the truth. Maybe they are just friends," said the blonde boy, finally speaking up.

"Shut up, Homer!" Edy quickly said. She backhanded him across the face and he fell to the ground.

"Uhh... what the hell was that for? What did he do? Is he alright?" Peter asked, looking at Homer still reeling from Edy's hit.

"Oh, it's okay. Miss Edy does that all the time. I'm okay with it," Homer said, chuckling. Peter raised a brow, wondering how the hell he could be okay with this.

"He actually enjoys it... Right, Homer?" Edy asked. He nodded, and before Homer could open his mouth to speak again, she hit him on the other side of his face with her fist.

Peter looked at the situation, and felt a bit... left out. He saw Susie and her friends chat, and they talked, styled their hair, and gossiped about the people in the Squad, sometimes completely forgetting Peter was there. And Homer too, but when they actually notice him, they usually end up hurting him in some way. What a weird little boy... In nine years, Peter never knew how catty Susie was. She never really hung out with girls other than Alicia, back in Bruhl. Maybe Alicia was like this too. He never really saw the "overly feminine" side of anyone.

"Okay... I'll be going now," Peter stated, feeling he's stood there long enough. Susie hugged him one more time, spurring more "ooohs" and giggling from the other girls.

"Take care..." Susie whispered.

"It was nice meeting you, Peter!" Aisha called out. She and Edy waved goodbye, as did Homer. Peter waved back goodbye. As soon as he left, he sighed. Hmph. Girls.


Peter got his usual uniform from the wash room. He and changed in his uniform. He still had the meeting with Susie and her friends on her mind. Peter knew Susie was always a bit girly. After all, she had a pink bow in her hair. But seeing her hang out with girls like them was... interesting to say the least. As he got done getting into his uniform, Peter was adjusting his shawl, when Noce walked by.

"Peter! We just orders from the boss! We're gonna deploy in an hour!" Noce exclaimed.

"What?!" Peter yelled. "Deploying? As in, we fight the Empire?" he asked, dumbfounded. Peter was unsure if only after one day in Squad 7, he could actually be successful in an actual fight. Sure, Peter made a couple friends. There was his fellow Bruhlers, the Darcsens, Catherine, and pehaps Susie's friends. Peter was sure that they would get his back in a firefight. However, there's also the enemies he made. Who knows to what lengths they'd go to. And of course, this squad probably had very different fighting tactics from Squad 3. There was just so much to consider.

"Peter? You still there? Snap out of it! Move your ass! We have to get going. We'll be getting ready. We're going to Kloden!" Noce said, gathering his own things.

"Wow... my first mission... This is intense!" Peter said, sweating more than ever. "Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!" Peter kept repeating to himself.

"Pete, calm down! It can't be that bad. You'll get through this, and it'lll be alright. I'm sure you've been through worse," Noce said, trying to calm Peter. Peter took a couple deep breathes before calmong down to a manageable level. "Seriously, you that nervous? I heven't seen you this freaked out since those criminals escaped the Watch HQ and were loose in Bruhl. Seems you still feel the effects of pressure, man," Noce continued.

"I know. I'm... worried. That's all."

"About you? Or Susie? Because I'm sure she's gonna be okay. You will too."

Peter didn't reply. He stayed silent, as he followed Noce to where the rest of Squad 7 assembled, and took role. They were being briefed on the general situation, though a finalized battle plan hadn't been decided yet. Welkin wanted to explore the landscape for some reason. They were going to the famed Kloden Wildwoods, a dense forest in southern Gallia. Peter had explored forests before, especially when hunting, though that oppurtunity never presented itself too often; the Bruhl area was that of a wide and flat grassland. But maybe a little experience in forest hunting might prove advantageous. The thought comforted Peter a bit. At the Kloden Forests, Squad 7 would be assaulting an Imperial supply base, with the assistance of Squad 1. It seemed straightforward, but rumors abound that an infamous Imperial General was at the scene. Plus, he and the Imperial forces stationed there managed to defeat an entire regiment of troops lead by General Damon himself. This put more uneasiness in Peter. What could a couple Militia grunts do?


The road to Kloden was a rocky one, in a literal sense, and a psychological sense. Most people traveled in armored APCs. The rest had to walk on foot. It was a tense journey. Peter was sitting in a seat of an APC, along with several other Squad 7 troops. Most of whom he's never seen before. Peter still had some nervous breakdowns, despite how many times people try to give him some comfort, it never really calmed him down, for long anyway. As soon as he was done worrying about one thing, he was worrying about the next.

"Peter... stop worrying," Susie told him. Peter often had a sense of calm when around Susie. She put her hand on his shoulder comfortingly. Peter took a deep sigh. What was it he was worrying about? The enemy general? The fact that this was his first mission? His gun jamming on him again? His friends? So many things to consider. But for now, having Susie and the rest of his friends around him calmed down. For the duration of the long ride, Peter merely sat in his seat, not saying a word. Everyone else in the APC Peter was sitting in stayed silent as well. He closed his eyes, and thought of Bruhl. What would happen after the war? Considering Gallia actually wins this thing, Peter knows that after the war, he'll be going back to Bruhl. It didn't really matter what he'd do there. From what Peter always looked at it, he was born in Bruhl and he'll die in Bruhl. So Peter needs to be careful if he actually plans on dying there instead of a battlefield. Peter also thought of his mother. She was evacuated from Bruhl to Landvassa following the Empire's invasion, and possibly is now in Randgriz. That might be the only explanation, considering his mother never replied to the letters he sent to Landvassa, and where all other Bruhl evacuees were. Peter worried for his mother's safety, and even wondered if she survived the initial attack on Bruhl.

"We're here!" said the engineer driving the vehicle.

Peter and the rest of the troops in the APC got out, and looked around them. They were in a clearing of a large and dense forest. Several other transports unloaded troops from Squads 1 and 7. The whole forest had an illusion of feeling isolated from the rest of the world, as well as feeling... alone. Even when you have two squads right behind you. Much to Peter's dismay, this was a lot different from any forests near Bruhl. Different terrain, different atmoshpere... hell, even the trees felt different. Unsure of what to do with himself at this point, Peter decided temporarily leave his friends to see what the lieutenant was up to. It's said that Welkin knew a hell of a lot on nature, so maybe Peter could learn a thing or two. Peter walked on, until found him near him near his tank, the Edelweiss. Nearby was Isara, Alicia, Largo the Crazy Farmer, and Rosie the Racist Bitch. As Peter walked by them, he could hear Rosie scoff as he walked by her, and Largo seemed to be angrily staring at him. Peter didn't want a repeat incident like in the mess hall, so he almost immediately picked up the pace to get away from them. As he went up to Welkin, Peter could see him sifting through the dirt. He motioned Alicia to get next to him.

"Here, Alicia. Could you hold these for me?" Welkin asked as he held up something to Alicia.

Alicia took the things from his hands and looked at them closely. "What are these?" she asked. "Some kind of nuts?"

"Actually, they're Longbeard Goat droppings," Welkin casually said. Peter looked on in surprise as well as Alicia.

"What?! Are you crazy!? You made me hold poo?!" Alicia cried out. Peter then burst out laughing. "Stop laughing at me!" Alicia yelled angriliy. She threw the goat droppings at Peter.

"Eww! What the hell?! I already had to wash my uniform this morning!" Peter complained, as he wiped off the droppings from his uniform shirt. "God damn it... That'll stain again..." Peter sighed, using the water in his canteen to get this stuff off.

"Guys, we're not alone," Isara mentioned, motioning toward a clump of grass. Peter and Alicia moved toward it, and saw rustling in the grass. "I've seen movement over there for a while," Isara continued.

"Is it a spy?" Alicia asked.

Peter had another nervous breakdown. "Spy? What?! Oh god, oh god! This NOT good," Peter mumbled. However, he regained his confidence rather quickly, and Peter walked slowly toward the grass to investigate.

"Put your hands in the air!" Peter yelled. He saw the rustling in the grass move away from him, and he chased it down. Peter realized that the grass was actually shorter and clear of obstructions, making it easier to move through, allowing him to catch up with the "spy" faster. Peter caught up with it, but then saw what it truly was. It definitely wasn't a spy. It looked like a pig with wings.

"Moink?" the pig responded.

However, Peter had other things in mind, his hunter instincts kicking in. "Oh, sweet! We are gonna eat good tonight!" Peter exclaimed, as he pulled back the rifle bolt on his gun and loaded it.

"MOINK?!" the pig cried, and it ran away. Peter had a long chase around the bushes, until it headed toward his squad mates. Peter ran after the pig, and it bumped into Alicia.

"What the...?" Alicia said feeling something brush up on her leg. "It's a... pig?" she said, raising a brow.

"It looks like a Porcavian piglet," Isara clarified.

"It looks like our dinner!" Peter said, coming out from the bushes. The pig looked up toward Alicia, with those adorable eyes, crying out for protection.

"Awww..." she said, picking up the pig in her arms. "Did Peter scare you, little guy?" she said, in a comforting voice. The pig "moinked happily in response. Peter lowered his rifle, sensing that they were not going to kill it, or at least not yet. "What are you doing all the way out here by yourself?" she asked.

"I'll go take a look around and see..." Welkin said. He looked in the bushes, and his eyes rose in surprise and gasped. "Oh my... There must have been a skirmish here. Looks like a stray bullet hit his mother..." Welkin said, sadly. Peter couldn't help but feel sorry for the animal, despite him being a hunter about to shoot it.

"You lost your family too, huh little guy?" Alicia asked. The pig "moinked" in response. "All alone..."

"Well, Alicia? Does he wanna come with us?" Welkin asked.

"Really?" Alicia asked, her eyes wide in surprise.

"Wait, we're not going to eat him?" Peter asked incredulously. However, nobody seemed to hear him.

Alicia hugged the Porcavian tightly. So much for eating ham tonight... "Damn, I chase the pig through that stupid trail, and we don't even get to eat him?!" Peter whined.

"Wait, Peter... what did you just say?" Welkin asked, his attention grasped immediately.

"That we don't get to eat him?" Peter said.

"No! In fact, I just find that to be a very cruel thing, considering it's a very rare animal. But what did you just say before that?"

"I chased it through a trail?"

"That's it! Peter, show me the trail you followed Porcavian on," Welkin asked.

"Yes, sir!" Peter said with a salute. He lead them to the path. Peter watched as Welkin investigated. He went through the trail, and he went down, further in the forest. Peter and Alicia followed Welkin as he continued to follow the animal trail. After a couple minutes of traveling the path, Welkin, Alicia, and Peter all saw chain-link fences and some tents and buildings.

"This must be the supply base..." Alicia said.

"Yeah. This animal trail leads right to them. Let's go and tell Faldio. I"ve got a battle plan in mind," Welkin stated, as he followed the trail back to the rendevous point. Alicia followed close behind, while Peter stared at the Imperial base. There were several armed Imp soldiers, and even some tanks. Welkin's plan had better be damn good. Sighing, Peter adjusted his hat and moved back to the squad. One hell of a battle would be under way. This will be Peter's toughest mission, but things usually only get worse before they get better. But no matter the cost, Peter will do what he can to protect his friends. With his fellow Bruhlers, Peter felt like he and his squad could take on the world. But for now, he'll have to go for something more realistic. Peter now felt determined to take the Kloden Supply Base. His first mission in Squad 7 would begin...

Okay, so that's that. I'll be going over this chapter for any mistakes, so please notify me of major errors. By major, I do not count typos, capitalization, or punctuation. Please review. Again, I'm not pleased wwith this. Maybe I'm just too hard on myself. I always fail to meet my expectations... so far, all I'm glad is that Peter is not a Gary Stu. If you have any tips or suggestions, let me know. Just ease up a bit on it looking like a flame. Please, please, PLEASE review. See the button down there? Click it. Don't be shy. But, seriously. Review.