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The canonicity of this subject in the Metal Gear series is ambiguous.

Palitz (Russian: Палец, "Finger") was a member of an infamous sniper-spotter team from the Marine Corps involved during the Laotian Civil War, acting as the sniper. His partner was Glaz. Their interaction suggested that he was Glaz's subordinate.[1]

Biography[]

Palitz, alongside Glaz, were a sniper-spotter team within the United States Marine Corps. They were stationed in Camp Omega[2] and eventually ended up making a trade as assassins during the Laotian Civil War. They were responsible for taking out Soviet personnel, several NVA high ranking members as well as the latter's families and children. This left them feared by the East even after the war was over. At one point during their time in Laos, they worked as part of the LRRP, only they ended up in an ambush by various enemy scouts in the mountain region of Laos. Palitz would later credit Glaz as being the only reason Palitz would survive that day.[1]

After they were withdrawn from the Laotian Civil War, Palitz, alongside Glaz, resumed work at Camp Omega on December 2, 1974, also doing some inspections for the base to the annoyance of some of the Marine Corps members at the base.[3] Their current assignment also acted as a loophole preventing their extradition to Laos for war crimes they committed, despite talks about doing so as part of peace negotiations. Their actions resulted in the East living in constant fear of their return. Because of this, some KGB contacts Kazuhira Miller knew back when he was a trainer for Colombian guerilla group before meeting Big Boss and joining the Militaires Sans Frontières gave a tip on their location with the intention of having MSF assassinate them.[4]

According to Miller, his name alongside that of his partner were nicknames meant to reference that they were "less than human - no heart, just an eye to find their prey and a finger to pull the trigger." Palitz in the meantime spent any free time he had practicing his sniping skills[5] near one of the refugee camps.[6] Palitz, alongside Glaz, had a foreboding view of what was going to happen to them that day, having the same feeling they had back in the ambush at Laos as they related to each other during a status report.[1] Despite their inhuman reputation, the two were not immune to the effects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder: Palitz had a prosthetic index finger, which he presumably hid with a black leather glove, due to an act of self mutilation as a result of his tormented memories of his actions during the war, which neither therapy nor drugs alleviated him of it.[7] He was apparently horrified by his station being turned into a black site.[8]

Behind the scenes[]

Palitz, alongside his partner Glaz, are central characters to the side op Eliminate the Renegade Threat in Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes. The player can either kill them or otherwise capture them though Miller prefers the former. Doing the latter will earn the player the Depth achievement/trophy. In addition, Miller's post-credits debriefing will be different depending on the player's actions: If the player managed to kill them, Miller will mention that their deaths will probably bring the war to an early end, although he will note to Snake that they seemed deeply afraid of something, possibly even moreso than of death itself, causing Miller to question what was going on at the camp (implying that Glaz and Palitz were horrified at the inhumane treatment of the prisoners at the prison facility and the facility's conversion into a black site).

If the player extracted them, Miller's debriefing will reveal that they discovered that Glaz and Palitz, upon searching them during their arrival, had possessed artificial prosthetics: a glass eye and a prosthetic index finger, respectively, indicating that they had committed self-mutilation due to trauma that neither drugs nor therapy could fully alleviate, with Miller deciding that they were human after all. It should be noted that killing them does not impact the S-ranking of the mission. If either one of them or both are non-lethally extracted from the mission, they will be transferred over to Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain as Mother Base members despite the side op being a "pseudo-historical recreation." They will be unlocked by Main Mission 6.

Palitz doesn't wear the black leather glove in one of his photos but does in the mission itself.

If Big Boss interrogates Palitz, the latter will call Big Boss a phantom.[9]

If transferred to The Phantom Pain, the names of Glaz (Eye) and Palitz (Finger) are mixed up with one another. "Eye" is mistakenly named "Finger" and vice versa. This is most likely an oversight. In addition, Palitz's right index finger is real instead of a prosthetic. 

Notes and references[]

  1. ^ a b c d Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes, Kojima Productions (2014).
    Glaz: Any reports I should know about? // Palitz: No sir, I haven't heard anything. // Glaz: Is something wrong? // Palitz: I just have this feeling. // Glaz: Remember the LRRP in the mountain region of Laos... // Palitz: Yeah, the enemy scouts were set up, just waiting for us... // Glaz: I had the same feeling then. // Palitz: Sir, I... // Glaz: It's stinging in the corner of my eye. I've got a bad feeling about today. // Palitz: The only reason I was able to make it out alive then was because of you, sir. // Glaz: Let's get out of here. Come on. // Palitz: Sir!
  2. ^ Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes, Kojima Productions (2014).
    Kazuhira Miller: Target A. Glaz - the eye. He was stationed in that prison camp before being sent to Laos. The place is their old haunt.
  3. ^ Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes, Kojima Productions (2014).
    Marine 1: Sorry, got held up. // Marine 2: What happened? They want this resupply going full speed. If we don't get going, it's my ass. // Marine 1: That gear in the back, huh? When do we get our super guns? // Marine 2: The big hitters get the big hitters, man. // Marine 1: We've got big hitters over these days. // Marine 2: Whaddya mean? // Marine 1: You see those two came in the other day? // Marine 1: Yeah, inspecting the base. // Marine 1: More like keeping tabs on it. They act like they own the place. Who are those guys? // Marine 2: Word is they got their start here. Guess you could call it a homecoming. // Marine 1: So that's how it is. ... Shit, we better move. // Marine 2: Yeah.
  4. ^ Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes, Kojima Productions (2014).
    Kazuhira Miller: This job... The clients are KGB contacts from my Colombia days... don't worry, they had nothing to do with Zadornov. They lost a lot of comrades to the "eye" and the "finger." The NVA lost high-ranking staff too... but also their families, their children. To the East, the two were a reason to be afraid of the dark. Their extradition to face trial is even on the table in the peace talks. Now that they're out of Laos, the two are enjoying a relaxing vacation in a loophole - one surrounded by minefields and barbed wire. Even if the war ends, the East fears their return. For our clients, it will only truly be over when these two are dead.
  5. ^ Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes, Kojima Productions (2014).
    Kazuhira Miller: That's target B. Palitz - the finger. Apparently he's still finding uses for his skills even now that he's out of the war.
  6. ^ Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes, Kojima Productions (2014).
    Kazuhira Miller: I sent the targets fields of movement to your iDroid. These are averages worked up from a study by the Intel Team.
    Palitz is generally found within the area of one of the refugee camps, namely the one directly adjacent from the admin building.
  7. ^ Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes, Kojima Productions (2014).
    Kazuhira Miller: We searched the two targets [Glaz and Palitz] you recovered. One of them [Glaz] had a glass eye, the other [Palitz] a prosthetic index finger. Looks like all the therapy and drugs couldn't help them forget the war. They resorted to self-mutilation. But you can't cut off your name. Just like us... they were human.
    This is revealed in the post-credits debriefing if the player extracted the targets instead of assassinating them in the Side Op Eliminate the Renegade Threat.
  8. ^ Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes, Kojima Productions (2014).
    Kazuhira Miller: With those two targets [Glaz and Palitz] out of the way, we just might see an early end to the war. But, did you notice, Boss? They seemed to be afraid of something... Feared it more than death itself. Just what the hell is going on in that place...?
  9. ^ Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes, Kojima Productions (2014).
    Palitz: A phantom comes...
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