| This article is about a non-canonical topic in the Metal Gear series. |
General John Parker was the Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army during the events of the Galuade Incident in 2002. He had a bitter feud with CIA Deputy Director for African Affairs Steve Gardner, after an incident where Gardner ended up partially responsible for Parker's daughter's suicide.
Biography[]
Parker founded Black Chamber some time after the Outer Heaven Uprising.[1] At some point in his career, when he was still an Army colonel, Parker's own daughter was one of several suspects under investigation regarding the assassination of a foreign agent and a government VIP. Gardner, at that time a section chief, pursued the investigation with zeal despite it being in DOD hands and not within CIA jurisdiction. The investigation ultimately ended with Parker's daughter committing suicide, with Parker gaining an intense grudge against Gardner ever since, and feuded from issues of politics to military operations.[2]
Prior to the incident, Gardner, CIA Deputy Director of for African Affairs, initiated "Project Babel" in an attempt to resurrect the development of Metal Gear and Outer Heaven, thus turning the U.S. into the sole superpower in Africa. However, Parker took complete control over Project Babel after Metal Gear GANDER was seized by Central African terrorists, at his request. Gardner accepted the request under one condition: Parker must allow Black Chamber to be wiped out. Parker ultimately accepted due to his thirst for power over the project.[1] He also came into contact with General Augustine Eguabon and had him manipulate the Boias to ensure America's control, although he secretly suspected that Eguabon would eventually betray him.[3]
Afterwards, Gardner, now the National Security Advisor, attempted to tarnish Parker's reputation and regain control of Project Babel by using Solid Snake. Parker himself sent Chris Jenner to Gindra in order to erase any records of the project, largely because he feared that Gardner would regain control of the project. He also deployed the Delta Force to the area to quell the situation before Snake was sent in, but Gardner had leaked the information to Brian McBride, wiping the Delta Force unit out in the process.[4] His choice of sending Chris in ended up being proven wise when she managed to effortlessly escape capture from Black Chamber and the Gindra Liberation Front, although at the cost of Jimmy Harks being recaptured and ultimately killed.[5] Snake later vowed to hunt down Parker and Gardner for their part in "playing chess with people's lives and hearts."
Notes and references[]
- ^ a b Metal Gear: Ghost Babel
-Stage 11-2 clear-
No. 4: Actually Parker is more than a minor figure in the founding of Black Chamber. Parker once recovered Metal Gear from terrorist hands using Black Chamber, and demanded total control over Project Babel and Metal Gear on the strength of that accomplishment. But Gardner named a price: Black Chamber. And Parker accepted the deal for the sake of that power and stood by without lifting a finger while Gardner liquidated his Black Chamber Special Force... - ^ Metal Gear: Ghost Babel
-Stage 13-2 clear-
No. 4: The feud between the Army Chief of Staff Parker and National Security Advisor Gardner predates Project Babel and their current, respective positions as the power over the Army and the second most influential man in the U.S. government. It goes back to a time when Parker was an Army colonel and Gardner was only a CIA section chief. At the time, there was an incident involving the assasination of a government VIP and a foreign agent, and Parker's daughter was one of those under investigation. Even though the entire affair was clearly out of the CIA's jurisdiction, Gardner pursued the matter zelously, and the case ended with Parker's daughter commiting suicide. Since then, Parker and Gardner have been mortal enemies, taking their personal war to issues of politics, military operations, you name it. It looks as though Gardner meant to bring Parker down once and for all using Black Chamber and Metal Gear. - ^ 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 1-2 clear-
No. 4: It was Parker, the Army Chief of Staff, who forced through the deployment of the Delta Force team in Galuade. His immediate objective, as Sergeant Jenner revealed, was to silence the 'General' along with all he knew about Project Babel. However, what Parker really feared must have been to lose Project Babel and Metal Gear to Gardner. Driven by that fear, he attempted to salvage the situation with his pet Delta Force before the arrival of Solid Snake under Gardner's orders -- but Gardner leaked that piece of intelligence to McBride, and the Delta Force team and Parker's bid for control crumbled under an ambush. Gardner was always a step ahead; you have to give him that. - ^ Metal Gear: Ghost Babel
-Stage 7-2 clear-
No. 4: Chris Jenner and James Harks are attacked shortly after this point... Viper figured that Solid Snake would come to rescue Harks and he'd had Harks' clothes rigged with a transmitter. But letting Jenner escape was not a part of their plan. Seems Jenner was a much tougher adversary than Viper had anticipated. Parker had made the right call in selecting her to bury the Project Babel evidence for him.