| This article is about a non-canonical topic in the Metal Gear series. |
"General" Augustine Eguabon was the charismatic leader of the Gindra Liberation Front (GLF), and was once one of Big Boss's most faithful followers. Ostensibly a revolutionary figure fighting for the political sovereignty of Gindra's Boia ethnic group, Eguabon actually led a shadow war in Africa for the benefit of the United States, before eventually going rogue in 2002 during the Galuade Incident.
Biography[]
Project Babel[]
Originally a mercenary working in Outer Heaven, Augustine Eguabon became a personal subordinate to Big Boss himself. At this time, he was one of the personnel in contact with Gen. John Parker of the U.S. Army, as Outer Heaven was part of the clandestine U.S.-backed military initiative known as Project Babel.
After the collapse of Outer Heaven in 1995, which resulted in the death of Big Boss, Eguabon traveled the world as a soldier of fortune for two years, before eventually returning to Gindra as the "big boss" himself.[1] He quickly took control of the Gindra Liberation Front and initiated a civil war against William Weah's regime. Unknown to members of the GLF, Eguabon was serving a role as the new field commander of Project Babel.
By 2000, Eguabon had remained in contact with U.S. Army's Chief of Staff John Parker. Tasked with the objective to ensure the influence of the U.S. as the sole superpower in Central Africa, he purposely maintained a climate of international hostility across the region to discourage the formation of organized anti-American alliances. In turn, contingents of U.S.-dominated UN peacekeeping forces were deployed across the region for an indefinite stay, enabling the U.S. to exercise vast control in the continent. In return for his services, Eguabon was allowed to live lavishly and was guaranteed his safety. His subterfuge in Gindra, conducted under the guise of fighting for the sovereignty of the Boias, was successful and convincing enough for "General" Eguabon to attract a large and loyal following, despite neither being a Boia himself, nor even of Gindran birth.[2] Parker, however, suspected that Eguabon would eventually betray him.[2] Around this time, Eguabon also started a romantic relationship with Sophie N'dram, his second-in-command, but the affair was short-lived.
Galuade Incident[]
In 2002, Eguabon contracted an elite mercenary outfit by the name of Black Chamber, ostensibly to serve as "consultants" for the GLF. With intel provided by Black Chamber regarding the transportation of a prototype Metal Gear unit, Eguabon began his insurrection against the U.S. dominance in Central Africa. Operating from the fortress of Galuade, he had Black Chamber and members of the GLF hijack the U.S. Army transport plane carrying Metal Gear GANDER, an arsenal of nuclear warheads and the weapon's development team. He planned to GANDER to threaten the West and achieve international recognition of an independent separatist state of the ethnic Boias. Correctly anticipating that Parker would send in someone to erase all evidence linking the GLF to the U.S. Army and assassinate him as a loose end, Eguabon deleted all digital documentation related to Project Babel from Galuade's computer network, save for a single disc containing copies of the incriminating files.[3]
Eguabon and N'dram in a video feed addressed to the US President.
After successfully seizing Metal Gear GANDER, Eguabon made preparations for the first strike by charging its rail gun, blacking out the power to Galuade in the process. Because Black Arts Viper had managed to prevent Solid Snake from reaching Metal Gear, Eguabon managed to successfully launch the weapon. The weapon that he launched was actually a dummy warhead, and he had set the coordinates to a nuclear testing facility in Nevada. Eguabon then transmitted a video feed to the U.S. President, revealing his launch of the weapon, and stating his ultimatum: that he either call off UN troops from Gindra and allow them their independence, or else he would launch a real nuke at an American city, giving him three hours to decide. Two hours later, after Snake managed to destroy Galuade's power station and eliminate Metal Gear's use of its rail guns, Eguabon sent a new video feed to the U.S. President: chastising him for the lack of sincerity in his methods, and assuring him that the nuclear missile could still be launched from Metal Gear, even without the rail gun. Claiming himself to be a gentlemen, he decided to go by his original terms of negotiations, stating that if the president did not recall UN troops from Gindra within one hour, America would be the target of a nuclear strike.
Eguabon, while personally piloting Metal Gear, eventually encountered Solid Snake within Galuade's underground maintenance base. He then told Snake that the last one standing in their fight would be the winner, and he vowed that he would be that winner, not Snake, not Black Chamber, and certainly not America, hinting that he used America, and more specifically Parker. Snake was confused by this, and Eguabon realized that he was little more than a pawn to them as well, knowing absolutely nothing about their connection, so he promised that he would tell Snake everything if Snake defeated him.
Eguabon's final moments.
After being critically wounded in the battle with Snake, Eguabon, true to his word, revealed the connection between the U.S. and GLF, and he also handed Snake a disk that contained proof of what he had told, including details of all bank transactions and a list of all those involved. Snake called him a traitor to his followers, including Sophie, and upon hearing her name Eguabon felt regret. Eguabon went on, explaining that he had no intention of being Parker's henchman in his schemes, stating "...I was going to break the bargain and build our country. The end justifies the means, especially when others had faith in the fiction." Snake wondered if a nation built by those means could have any value, and The General replied that the world operated on "those means." Knowing that his dream had failed, he said that it was not the worst thing, and died. However, his ideals lived on via Sophie who overheard his dying moments to Snake, mostly because Sophie recognized the ideals were not empty regardless of whether they wer fake or genuine.
Gallery[]
.jpg "Augustine Eguabon (Ikuya Nakamura).jpg (12 KB)")
Appearances[]
Notes and references[]
- ^ Metal Gear: Ghost Babel
-Stage 6-2 clear-
No. 4: As the 'General' said, Outer Heaven was conceived as an unofficial military reserve to keep various anti-American forces in check. But what he didn't say was that he himself was once an Outer Heaven mercenary, and a fervent disciple of Big Boss. His connections with the U.S. government date back to that period. After Outer Heaven fell, he drifted from country to country -- then came back, this time as the 'big boss' himself. Maybe all this explains why he chose Outer Heaven of all places to resurrect Galuade... - ^ a b Metal Gear: Ghost Babel
-Stage 12-2 clear-
No. 4: It looks as though Parker was aware of the possibility that the 'General' would betray Project Babel; they just went right ahead, using each other. The 'General' was doing a top-notch job. He fanned the flames of the minority identity movement for the Gindran Boias group with seemingly authentic ideology, and organized the GLF into a force to reckoned with - and all of this in spite of the fact that he is neither a Boian, nor even, as a matter of fact, of Gindran birth. But even he failed to best Solid Snake. We expect you not to repeat that mistake. - ^ Metal Gear: Ghost Babel
-Stage 2-2 clear-
No. 4: I'll let you in on something Snake didn't know. At the time of the Delta Force team's termination at the hands of Black Chamber, Chris Jenner, instead of fighting with her unit, was looking for data on Project Babel in Galuade's central computer. As you know, she didn't find anything; the 'General' is a cautious man. What she did find instead were the bodies of her comrades.