Crystal Squirrel 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 Crystal Squirrel 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] Although he was suspicious of the apparent source of the Viscount's oilfield deed due to it being unknown, he nonetheless thought nothing else of it, thinking it would be a good way to earn a lot of money, and because the Viscount ordered them to keep quiet.[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,[5] 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.[6]
Eventually, he was transferred over to the cage area of the camp at the orders of the camp's head interrogator, who also required an interpreter to act as a relay between him and the other prisoners, as he wanted to ensure he interrogated both him and the female prisoner.[7] After the interrogator got what he needed, he ordered for both of them to be killed, despite the male prisoner's protests that the female prisoner had nothing to do with the oilfield plot.[4] Ultimately, Diamond Dogs, who were in the area to rescue the Viscount, proceeded to rescue him and the female prisoner despite being ordered not to by their client (who had secretly been the Viscount via a cutout).[3][8][9][2]
Upon being rescued, he as well as the female POW interrogated alongside him informed the deputy commander of Diamond Dogs, Benedict Miller, that the target, the Viscount, would be interrogated at night, and also the field of movement for the Viscount's prisoner interrogation transfer path,[10][11] 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[]
Crystal Squirrel is a character in Mission 14: Lingua Franca of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. He is first found right near the entrance of the camp closest to the landing area, although he is later found near the cages portion of Camp Kiziba alongside another prisoner, with it being explained in-game that he was in-transit to that area to ensure both are interrogated at the same time. 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.
He technically has two interrogation sequences, once right at the beginning where the interrogator orders his men to move him to the cages next to the woman, and the other during the actual interrogation sequence proper. 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. Crystal Squirrel is not named in the mission itself, but it is the name given to him when she 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, Crystal Squirrel is shown speaking in a more American accent.
Due to the Kiziba Camp interrogator having Crystal Squirrel relocated to the same part of the Prison Camp that Laughing Wallaby was at in order to ensure they talked, it's implied that Crystal Squirrel and Laughing Wallaby were extremely close with each other.
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 Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, Kojima Productions (2015).
Afrikaner interrogator: All right, now you can both talk to me. Where did you get the information on the MPLA's oilfield rights? // Afrikaner interpreter: Now you will both talk. Where did you get the information on the MPLA's oilfield rights? // Male POW: We don't know anything, I swear! // Afrikaner interpreter: He says he swears they don't know anything. // Female POW: Believe us... // Afrikaner interrogator: You expect me to believe you attempted to contact the MPLA based on information from an unknown source? // Afrikaner interpreter: You mean you attempted to contact the MPLA based on information from an unknown source? // Male POW: We thought it was suspicious, sure. But we stood to make a lot of money out of it. // Afrikaner interpreter: It was suspicious, but they wanted to make a profit. // Male POW: We're businessmen... // Afrikaner interpreter: We're businessmen. // Afrikaner interrogator: Businessmen - what a joke! Failed mercenaries trying to skin this country. // Afrikaner interpreter: You're a joke, not businessmen. Failed mercenaries trying to skin this country. // Female POW: We didn't... we didn't try to hide anything... The viscount said to keep quiet for now, that's all... // Afrikaner interpreter: She says they didn't mean to hide anything, but the viscount made them keep quiet. // Afrikaner interrogatorr: Hah! So it's all the "viscount's" fault. Fine, the viscount can tell us the rest. // Afrikaner interpreter: Then the viscount can tell us the rest. // Male POW: W-wait! She had nothing to do with this! // Afrikaner interrogator: (swats the POW with the butt of his rifle) Don't worry. Hell has room for both of you. - ^ 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 wasn't the target either. We got some more information, though - they're going to interrogate the target at night... - ^ Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, Kojima Productions (2015)
Benedict "Kazuhira" Miller: This most recent prisoner wasn't the target either. But we did learn the target's field of movement.