Real-Time Metal Gear

codec fanfiction inspired by current events

[realtimemetalgear-blog]

Mei Ling: Snake have you heard of the Long Telegram?

Snake: Can’t say I have. I’m not very good at keeping in touch.

Mei Ling: The Long Telegram isn’t really a telegram, Snake. It’s a diplomatic cable, a form of encrypted electronic message. It was sent by George F. Kennan, the American ambassador to Moscow, exactly 60 years ago today. It’s one of the major documents of the Cold War.

Snake: Hmm. What does he say?

Mei Ling: Kennan analyzed the Soviet Union’s actions and tried to give advice to US leaders on how to react. He said the Soviet Union was moved by a deep sense of insecurity that led it to constantly expand. He said they were “impervious to the logic of reason” but “highly sensitive to the logic of force”. That started the policy of containment, which defined US military strategy for most of the second half of the 20th Century.

Snake: Containment, huh? The idea that instead of fighting the soviets head on, the US should simply stop them from expanding around the world.

Mei Ling: I see you still remember your military history. Wouldn’t expect anything less from a living legend like yourself.

Snake: …

Mei Ling: But you’re right, Snake. Kennan thought that, if you could just stop the Soviet Union from expanding, its internal contradictions would cause the regime to collapse.

Snake: Sounds like he was right.

Mei Ling: It took 40 years, but he was, in a sense anyway.

Snake: In a sense?

Mei Ling: Some strategists say that the logic of endless expansion isn’t limited to the Soviet Union. It applied to the Russian Empire and still applies to the Russian Federation today. Think of Crimea, Snake. Think of the conflict in Eastern Ukraine, where you are now. Doesn’t that sound like what Kennan was warning about?

Snake: Hmm. I don’t know. Expansion fueled by insecurity sounds like what drives every major country towards war.

Mei Ling: Maybe you’re right. Kennan also said: “a political society does not live to conduct a foreign policy; it conducts foreign policy in order to live”. Maybe it’s that insecurity, that fear of death, that drives all of us, including nations. Well, maybe not living legends like yourself.

Snake: …

Mei Ling: Just joking, Snake. Want to save?

SAVE

DO NOT SAVE

[realtimemetalgear-blog]

Snake: Colonel, I'm in. Campbell: Snake, glad to see you made it safely to Donetsk. How was your swim in the Kalmius river? Snake: Hmm. Not as cold as Alaska. What's the situation? Campbell: Snake, we have a problem with the NSC Advisor. Snake: The National Security Advisor. Campbell: Correct. Or should I say, former National Security Advisor. Just this morning, Liutenant Mike Flynn was dismissed as NSC Advisor over his alleged ties with Russia. He was seen contacting the Russian ambassador multiple times, discussing classified information such as the lifting of economic sanctions. Snake: Ties with Russia. Hmm. Campbell: Yes. But that's not all. As well as the Russian Ambassador, Flynn was suspected to be in contact with Evgeniy Antonov, the mastermind behind APT29, otherwise known as the hacker group Cozy Bear. Snake: The ones who hacked into the DNC servers back in June. Colonel, what's the National Security Advisor doing talking to Russian hackers? You think he might be a Kremlin plant? Campbell: Not necessarily. The Kremlin is only one of APT29's backers. We believe in this case Evgeniy is working for someone else. Reliable SIGINT from the Donbas region shows him talking to another, more secretive group, operating out of war-torn eastern Ukraine. Flynn was planning on meeting with Evgeniy in Donetsk today. Snake: So that's why I had to swim through the Black Sea. Campbell: Yes. And there's one more thing. Snake: … Campbell: Flynn was photographed at Mar-a-Lago last week while the President was hosting the Prime Minister of Japan. Snake: Plenty of paparazzi at these functions, huh. What's the problem if the NSC Advisor gets his picture snapped? Campbell: Snake, Flynn was carrying top secret documents relating to a new type of nuclear device. The documents can be seen in Flynn's hands as he and the President discuss the North Korean ICBM launch. Snake: Nuclear device? Campbell: That's right. A top-secret prototype designed to deliver nuclear weapons in any terrain. Snake: Metal Gear! Campbell: I'm afraid so. Human intelligence indicates Flynn might be passing this information on to Evgeniy. Get to Evgeniy and find out who he is working for. Remember: the intelligence agencies are no longer sharing their best intel with other branches of government, so you're on your own. Head to the city and find Evgeniy – do not be seen by undercover Russian security forces. Snake: Got it.