Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Valkyria Chronicles or any of its related intellectual property, but I still hope you enjoy the story.

Fair warning, this story is set somewhere around the midpoint of the game Valkyria Chronicles 4 so there may be minor spoilers to prior events.

The light of the early morning sun glistened off the icy expanse of the Crystal Sea as the Federation snowcruiser Centurion continued on its perilous journey toward the Imperial capital of Schwartzgrad. As the ship cruised along on the seemingly endless tundra, Captain Claude Wallace stood outside on the forward deck of the ship watching the skies. He had barely noticed some of the naval personnel change shifts for their deck watch as he was more focused on the orange and reddish skies that hung on the distant horizon. As much as he tried to banish the thought from his mind, the colors reminded him once of more the fires... not only the traumatic blaze that had destroyed the Miller Company building during his childhood, but of the fires of war which had already claimed so many lives up to now.

Operation Northern Cross had completely stalled out. The ferocious fighting at Siegwall had already been horrific, but so had the fires that had consumed the Federation forces during their retreat in the wake of the ensuing Imperial counterattack. Many lives had been lost during the rout, particularly the decimation of Squad F. Although some time had passed and things began to quiet down, Claude still felt a lingering weight on his heart over the incident. Would he really have been able to save more lives had Squad E come sooner? Would Christel have survived? Or would Squad E have been torn apart by that Imperial tank platoon too?

Even after he reluctantly took the promotion to command the remnants of the shattered Edinburgh Ranger Corps, he was still shaken by the memory of the withering glare and the bitter venom-filled words of Lt. Minerva Victor blaming him for the massacre. Despite being comrades, peers, and classmates at the military academy, she had always seemed to view him more as a rival and she never wasted any opportunity to antagonize him or remind him of her apparent superiority. How ironic it was that she was now serving as his subordinate.

Claude closed his eyes and tried to clear his mind hoping that the cold frigid winds would wash away some of that lingering remorse and uncertainty. He was now doing what he always did on the battlefield; listening to the winds and trying to get a sense of what events were yet to come for good or ill. As the red morning sky on the horizon continued to get brighter, Claude's eyes fluttered open as he got a premonition of danger.

"Claude Wallace... standing around on duty again. Why am I not surprised?" came the snippy voice of 1st Lieutenant Minerva Victor of the Ranger Corps. The young redheaded woman adjusted her glasses and fixed him with her trademark imperious expression as she came to join him by the railing of the ship's bow.

"Oh... Minerva, sorry. I didn't notice you approach just now," he said almost apologetically.

Minerva sighed and shook her head while adjusting her scarf, "Talking to the winds again? What was it you called them back at the Academy? Wind Whispers?"

By now, many who had served alongside Claude in battle knew he had some almost preternatural ability to sense shifts in the winds and the weather, an ability that often served him well in predicting the future and adapting his battle strategies in the field.

He nodded and fixed his gaze toward the light, "Yeah... I had a feeling just now. It was one of danger, maybe even bad luck."

"That could just be because I'm standing here now," Minerva sardonically quipped as she slightly curled her lip.

Claude remained quiet and fixed her with a frown. Whether she was mocking him or making a dark joke about her own squad's recent misfortune, he couldn't be sure. Before he could say anything more, he heard footsteps approach from behind. The two turned to see a young naval ensign approach hesitantly before giving a smart salute to his two superiors, "Captain Wallace? Lieutenant Victor? I'm sorry to interrupt but I came to let you know that Captain Morgan would like to see you both on the bridge as soon as possible. That's all I know."

"Thank you Ensign. We'll be along shortly," Minerva said gently before dismissing the junior officer. She turned back to Claude and said, "Well Claude, I hope you get a good feeling from the wind soon. I have a hunch the captain isn't just summoning us for a social call."

"Come on," Claude said with a more solemn look as he led the way back inside to the warmth of the ship's cabins, "For your sake, let's both hope I'm wrong for once."

A short time later, the two Army officers made their way to the Centurion's bridge where the ship's captain was waiting. Captain Roland Morgan was a kindly older naval officer that almost seemed to have a resemblance to Santa Claus without the beard. It was easy to be fooled by his unassuming appearance though but he still knew how to be firm and decisive when the situation called for it. Captain Morgan stood nearby a large table with a sea chart and positions marked out upon it. Close by were two other officers of the Federation Navy, Morgan's aide Lt. Bryan Haddock and the comm officer Marie Bennett who greeted them with quiet nods.

Claude and Minerva both stopped and saluted but Captain Morgan waved it off and gestured them toward the sea chart, "Captain. Lieutenant. Thank you for coming. Please, take a look at this."

The two stepped forward and listened as Captain Morgan led them through some recent updates to the course he plotted.

"As you can see, we are making good time toward the enemy capital," Morgan said, "However, our projections might need to be adjusted for certain circumstances."

"Like the recent skirmishes with those special Imperial forces?" Claude asked.

"Yes... but we're talking of a more pressing one, namely a need for supplies," Lt. Haddock chimed in wearing his normal stoic and serious expression, "After having taken aboard you Rangers unexpectedly, we are going through more food, fuel, and provisions than we originally accounted for."

"That is hardly our fault," Minerva pointed out with a slightly defensive edge in her voice, "We weren't expecting to suddenly become stand-in marines for the Federate Navy either."

Captain Morgan cleared his throat, " Miss Victor. Mr. Haddock, please. There is no need to argue. I've called you here to discuss a change of course so that we can resupply along the way and continue on. See here, there is a coastal city no more than one day from here. The place is called Regensbach and our intelligence sources have confirmed it is a supply depot for the Imperial Army. If we can successfully raid the depot, we should be able to have enough food, munitions, and ragnoline for the attack on Schwartzgrad."

Claude frowned slightly as he eyed the map, "Wait sir, what about our sister ship? Wouldn't it be dangerous to break formation and split off right now?"

Captain Morgan shook his head, "We have reason to believe that the Imperials might have a sense of our course heading. If we temporarily split off and launch a diversionary attack on Regensbach, it might be enough to throw off Imperial intelligence and confuse them for a bit. Can I count on you two to have the Rangers ready for a ground assault once we arrive at our destination?"

The two Edinburgh Army officers saluted, "You can count on us Captain."

The next morning, the Centurion steamed across the desolate ice fields of the Crystal Sea and made its approach back toward land. It was already worrying enough that those aboard the snowcruiser were deep into enemy territory. They could only hope that they would be able to catch the defenses of the Imperial depot off guard and make it a short battle. Inside one of the loading bays of the cruiser, Claude and his other NCO's worked to coordinate their squad's preparations for the landing party. Once the Centurion got close enough to the land, it would bombard the coast and provide cover fire for the Rangers as they deployed on the ice and assaulted the depot. The infantry of Squad E was already gathered into their fireteams and made themselves busy by checking their weapons and gear. Across the hanger, final preparations and spot checks were being done on the squad's armored vehicles.

"Miles, get the Hafen warmed up so we can be ready to roll," Claude called out to the driver of their squad's tank as he directed some traffic.

The timid younger man gave a quick nod and waved a maintenance crew his way, "Yes sir. I've just got to make sure we're gassed up and all our munitions are loaded and secure first."

Claude nodded and headed out of the hanger but not before checking in with his two other friends on the squad. He found Kai sitting on a supply crate adjusting the sights of her sniper rifle while the Darcsen shocktrooper Raz was busy preparing clips of spare ammo. "Are you guys ready to go too? We're going to be arriving at the coastline soon."

Kai gave a quiet grin and the sniper locked and loaded, "If we manage to find a whole ton of fresh bread lying around the depot's storehouses, then this raid will all be worth it."

"Speak for yourself," Raz mumbled as he continued slotting bullets into a clip, "I've been going stir crazy in this damn ship. Going out and kicking some Imp ass will be some great exercise. Where are you headed off to Claude?"

Claude motioned toward the door, "I'm headed to the top deck to get Riley and Minerva. They're helping spot for the naval gunners right now. Sit tight, I'll be back shortly."

He left the hangers and eventually made his way through the Centurion's corridors until he reached the hatch leading out to the top deck of the ship. He buttoned up his winter jacket and braced himself as he was hit by a rush of frigid air while stepping outside. As he walked out on the deck, he noticed that morning sky was a foreboding red color again. What was that old saying of the mariners again? Red sky at morning, sailor take warning? He brushed off the superstitious ideas for a few minutes and ambled over toward one of the gun batteries as they began to fire on the coastline. Although the Imperial forces in Regensbach would now be scrambling, the Centurion's gunners would need at least a few more volleys to properly adjust and range their weapons fire. At one of the forward batteries, Minerva stood holding a pair of binoculars calling out coordinates while Riley Miller helped the crews calibrate the aim of the guns. The young blonde haired engineer seemed right at home with ballistic weapons, and the ship's cannons were a step up from her usual duties of working a mortar for the squad. Despite the tense situation, Claude could not help but take a moment to quietly admire how natural and beautiful Riley looked right now.

"Adjust 5 degrees right, elevate 3, fire for effect," Minerva announced while the gun crew worked quickly.

Riley turned and looked up, gracing him with a bright smile, "Claude, you came just in time. The fireworks have just started."

The guns went off again and once the recoil and shockwaves subsided, Claude called out, "Riley, Minerva, I came to call you back to the hangers! The squad will be deploying soon."

"Bummer," Riley sighed in disappointment, "I was hoping I could modify some of these artillery shells and see if they worked any better."

Claude gave a mild shrug to Riley before he turned to his other subordinate Lieutenant, "Minerva?"

"In a minute Claude," she replied tersely, "If you hadn't noticed, I'm making myself useful here right now."

Before he could argue with her, there were a few flashes and roars that came from the shoreline. Everyone on the deck of the Centurion squinted their eyes and looked in surprise as a bright plume of artillery fire arced upwards from Regensbach. The projectile looked to be a special ragnite powered shot and once it reached the peak of its ascent, the shell exploded splitting off into several smaller projectiles that rained down.

"What the hell is that?" Riley gasped in surprise as she tried to figure out what kind of new weapon she was looking at.

"There's some kind of custom shore battery set up," Minerva replied through gritted teeth as she continued to look through her binoculars, "Whatever it is, it looks big and powerful. Federation intel didn't tell us about this!"

Claude glanced up at the hail of falling ragnite rounds that rained down around the approaching snowcruiser, "Incoming!"

The projectiles landed on the icefields around the Centurion and violently exploded, kicking up sprays of snow and shards of ice. The ship shook violently and the deck crews gave panicked shouts while Claude grabbed Riley and pulled her down to the deck for safety. As the blast subsided, the special shore gun defending the Imperial depot fired again raining another hail of destruction down upon the Federate cruiser.

"Riley, are you okay?" Claude asked as he held her by the arms and she looked to him fearfully. She gave nod before an announcement from the ship's bridge came over the intercoms.

"All hands, evacuate the deck and brace yourselves. We're taking evasive action and falling back to safety!"

"Claude! Riley! Don't just stand around!" Minerva shouted impatiently, "Get moving! Get to cover!"

Just then, the second volley of the shore guns landed around the Centurion and jostled it again. The ship swayed abruptly and a blinding cloud of snow washed over the deck knocking everyone off balance. Minerva gave a panicked shriek as she pitched backward from the sudden impact and began to go over the railing. Before she could fall, she caught hold of one of the rungs and clung desperately to it while Claude rushed over to help. He reached out over the deck railing and grabbed his comrade's forearm trying to pull her back up to safety, "Minerva! Hang on, I've got you!"

For a minute, he almost thought he saw a slight scowl cross her face and he wondered if Minerva hated the thought of her life being saved by him. As he strained to try and pull her up from their awkward position he heard Riley's voice call out from behind in concern, "Claude! It's dangerous out here! Let me help you!"

"Negative! Take the other crewmen and get back to safety Riley!" Claude shouted back.

Riley prepared to ignore his order and rush over to his side to help when more Imperial fire landed nearby. The Centurion was jolted and Claude gave a shocked gasp as he was thrown off balance again and pitched forward over the railing. He kept his grip on Minerva and the two officers yelled in terror as they plummeted end over end in the air. Riley gave a panicked scream and rushed to the edge of the railing, helplessly reaching out as she saw Claude and Minerva disappear into the cloud of snow and steam around the hull of the battleship. Hot tears of fear and desperation welled up in her blue eyes as Riley continued to shout impotently into the chaos around her, hoping it would somehow bring Claude and Minerva back.

She stopped as she suddenly felt two navy crewmen grab her by the shoulders and pull her back to her feet, "Come on ma'am. We have to go! It's not safe here!"

"But Claude..."

"There's nothing we can do for your friends right now ma'am. Please!" the sailors insisted as they pulled her back inside to the safety of the ship's inner cabins.

The shore guns from Regensbach fired a few more times but the shots went wide as the Centurion abruptly changed course and veered away from the coastline. The Federation cruiser had been lucky to have not suffered any damage, but had it continued on its course, it would have been seriously wounded from the special customized gun emplacement that had been installed by the depot. For much of the waiting Ranger Corps, there was a lot of confusion and speculation as to why they had suddenly aborted their attack and where their commanders had gone. It only be a matter of time for Riley to make it back down the hangers and deliver the bad news, news that would not help the morale of the Federation soldiers any more.

As the fire from the shoreline died away and the cruiser Centurion steamed back off into the relative safety of the frozen Crystal Sea, Claude groaned and struggled to open his eyes. He had remembered taking a great fall over the edge of the ship with Minerva and then he was blinded by whiteness. His head still swam and he shook away some of the stars from his vision. It appeared he had landed in a large snowbank and the soft snow had done much to break what would have otherwise been a lethal fall into the ice. His body still felt sore and bruised and he struggled to try and get back up. He saw Minerva laying unconscious in the snow nearby and he crawled over beside her, giving her shoulder a weak shake.

"Minerva? Hey... are you okay?"

No response. He didn't know if she was injured or had broken anything but at least she was still breathing.

As Claude struggled to stay conscious himself, he tried to figure out what to do. The Centurion was quickly cruising out of range leaving them stranded in no man's land amid the snowy wastes. He looked up to the morning skies and saw the red pall that hung over it only grow brighter. Maybe he should have taken it as a bad omen after all. His sight shifted over toward Regensbach as a small cloud of snow began to grow in the near distance. If he had to guess, that was an Imperial mechanized armor unit of APCs and light tanks coming to do a sweep. As the enemy convoy drew nearer, Claude felt exhaustion overwhelm him as he lay his head back down and rolled over into the snow. He was in no condition to resist and as his vision went dark again, he prayed that if the Imperials didn't get him first, then the icy fangs of winter would spare him and Minerva any more suffering at their hands.