Cunning Stallion was a male British former high-ranking official in[1] and co-founder of[2] the South African Private Force Contract Forces of Africa (CFA).
Biography[]
Pre-Phantom Pain[]
Largely because of the CFA's ties to South Africa, and by extension to the British, the man who would become Cunning Stallion was among the high-ranking officials who were of British origin.[1][2] Eventually, one of his fellow British members and co-founders of the CFA, the Viscount, illicitly managed to find a deed to oil fields (which were actually MPLA-owned).[3] He and the other British staff were not made aware of the source of the oilfield rights, only being told it was an anonymous source, and also was led to believe that the Viscount himself probably didn't know the source either.[4]
Phantom Pain Incident[]
- See also: Hospital Escape and Phantom Pain Incident
Eventually, the CFA, or more accurately, the Afrikaner portion of the CFA, uncovered evidence to what the Viscount did. He then was proverbally thrown under the bus by the Viscount to save his own skin by making it seem as though she and the other British officials had plotted the entire thing, exploiting the known feud between the British and Afrikaner members[3] stemming from the Boer War,[4] although this backfired and resulted in Viscount's own capture.[3] He was then imprisoned at Kiziba Camp, with him and the others undergoing brutal interrogation due to the extreme circumstances.[5]
He was eventually placed near a shed at the outskirts of the camp, with the the camp's head interrogator, who also required an interpreter to act as a relay between him and the other prisoners, arriving to interrogate him after giving the order to move another prisoner to the cage area as he wanted to ensure he interrogated both him and the female prisoner.[6] He denied any knowledge of the source, and even cited the others lack of knowledge either. However, the interrogator, who had severely distrusted the British due to the latter party's actions during the Boer War (despite the prisoner's denial of any involvement in the Boer War), did not believe his claims and even went as far as to accuse him and the others of "making up a story together." He then implicitly blamed the Viscount for their troubles, with the interrogator then deciding to leave, although not before hitting him with the barrel of his gun, and being given the execution order.[4] Ultimately, Diamond Dogs, who were in the area to rescue the Viscount, proceeded to rescue him despite being ordered not to by their client (who had secretly been the Viscount via a cutout).[3][7][8][2]
Upon being rescued, he informed the deputy commander of Diamond Dogs, Benedict Miller, that the prisoners are not imprisoned in the same area, and their cells are separate from the place they are interrogated at,[9] and presumably revealed enough details about what had occurred to have Miller and the other Diamond Dogs members deduce what had actually happened.[3]
Behind the scenes[]
Cunning Stallion is a character in Mission 14: Lingua Franca of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. He is found at a shack near the outskirts of the camp, at the area closest to the dropoff point. He is the subject of two mission tasks: One involves rescuing him and the other POWs in addition to the Viscount, and the other involves listening in to their interrogations, including that of the Viscount.
Although he is chronologically the first prisoner interrogated in the mission, he is technically the second in the interrogation mission task, as the first "interrogation" was simply the Afrikaner interrogator ordering for the other male prisoner to be relocated near the cage area so he could interrogate both him and the female prisoner together. Rescuing him and/or any other POWs will result in the debriefing being extended to mention the Viscount's role in the incident.[3] This article assumes Venom Snake rescued all the POWs. Cunning Stallion is not named in the mission itself, but it is the name given to him when he is extracted and recruited into the Mother Base staff.
Even though the mission briefing explicitly mentioned him and the other POWs as being of British origin, Cunning Stallion is shown speaking in a more American accent. He also mispronounced "Viscount" during the interrogation.
Notes and references[]
- ^ a b Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, Kojima Productions (2015).
Benedict "Kazuhira" Miller: Several high-level British CFA [Contract Forces of Africa] officials are being held captive by their Afrikaner colleagues. One of these prisoners is the rescue target, a guy known as the "viscount." The target's location is unknown, but they're bound to have an interpreter present when they interrogate him. We've used info from the Intel Unit to predict the interpreter's location. It's on your [Venom Snake's] iDroid. Follow the interpreter and extract the target when you find him. - ^ a b c Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, Kojima Productions (2015).
Kazuhira Miller: There's a violent power struggle going on within the Contract Forces of Africa - the PF that ran security for the Mfindda Oilfield. Most of their key people are Afrikaners, but naturally for a South African organization, some of its founders are British. Details are sketchy, but apparently the Afrikaners are holding these British personnel for interrogation near Kiziba Camp. We've been asked to rescue one of them, a man known as the "viscount." We don't have the viscount's exact location, but he doesn't speak the Afrikaners' language, Afrikaans. They'll need an interpreter who speaks English in order to interrogate him. Meaning if we tail the interpreter, he'll lead us right to the target. By the way, the contract specifies that it's alright to ignore the other British prisoners... But the final decision is yours, Boss. - ^ a b c d e f Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, Kojima Productions (2015).
Benedict "Kazuhira" Miller: Boss [Venom Snake], one of the other British prisoners filled us in about the viscount. It turns out he's a real two-faced son of a bitch. He was planning on securing the MPLA's oilfield rights for himself in exchange for swapping the CFA's alliance from the anti-government UNITA rebels to the state-backed MPLA. He hid this from the Afrikaners, but once he thought the jig was up, he tried to pin it on the other British personnel and take off. The Afrikaners captured him, and that was when he asked us [Diamond Dogs] to rescue him and only him. I'll throw him in the Brig for now, but... we may have to be extra "persuasive" with this one. By the way, Boss, we got some interesting news out of our friend the "viscount." He mentioned that more than a few PFs in the region have purchased Walker Gears. The CFA's the same. That's Soviet Army technology... and it's still a prototype. Only Cipher could be leaking it to the PFs. But the question is... why? - ^ a b c Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, Kojima Productions (2015).
Afrikaner interrogator: Get up. // (British POW gets up) // Afrikaner interrogator: I'll give you one last chance. // Afrikaner interpreter: This is your last chance. // Afrikaner interrogator: The MPLA's oilfield rights - where did this information come from? // Afrikaner interpreter: The MPLA's oilfield rights - where did you get this information? // British POW: I told you, I only know it was an anonymous source... // Afrikaner interpreter: It was from an anonymous source. // Afrikaner interrogator: Who do you think you are fooling?! // Afrikaner interpreter: You're not fooling anybody. // British POW: Ask any of the others. Nobody knows anything. // Afrikaner interpreter: He says try asking the others. // Afrikaner interrogator: So they made up a story together. This is why you can't trust the British. You know how much the Afrikaners suffered because of you in the Boer War? // Afrikaner interpreter: You made up a story with the others. You British are all liars. You know how much the Afrikaners suffered because of you in the Boer War? // British POW: That wasn't me. // Afrikaner interpreter: He said "that wasn't me." // Afrikaner commander: But it was you that betrayed us. // Afrikaner interpreter: But it was you that betrayed us. // British POW: It wasn't me, it was the viscount...! // Afrikaner interrogator: Enough. (swats the soldier with his rifle) If you do not know anything, we're done here. - ^ Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, Kojima Productions (2015).
Ocelot: The CFA are all business. Hard to believe they're interrogating their own. Situation must be worse than we thought. - ^ Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, Kojima Productions (2015)
CFA soldier: Reporting with prisoner. // Afrikaner interrogator: Good work, private. // CFA soldier: Well, uh... what should I do with him? // Afrikaner interrogator: Put him in with the woman. I'll interrogate them together. // CFA soldier: Yes, sir. Move it. - ^ Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, Kojima Productions (2015)
Benedict "Kazuhira" Miller: Boss [Venom Snake], I did some digging, and it seems the target himself [the Viscount] gave us this mission through a representative. Obviously he couldn't contact us directly due to his predicament, but still, something about this "viscount" doesn't add up... - ^ Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, Kojima Productions (2015).
Ocelot: That's [British POW] not the target [the Viscount]. Orders are, only the viscount gets rescued. Can't understand why he'd receive special treatment... But I don't imagine it'd be too much of a problem to save the other prisoners too. - ^ Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, Kojima Productions (2015)
Benedict "Kazuhira" Miller: That prisoner you extracted wasn't the target, but we did get some information. Seems the prisoners aren't held together, and the cells and the interrogation rooms are separate places.