"So that's their play, huh."
He puts his glasses back on and looks towards the three agents. "It's true, yes. We've been operating off the books since 1970. I don't know the exact details- most of us weren't around back then, and so the story has been passed down third or forth hand at this point.
Suffice it to say that anything you were told while you were recruited was true, to a point. We began in the 20's due to a raid on a small New England town that was a center for unnatural worship. Faced with these things, the government formed us to deal with matters that mundane authorities could not handle. We served throughout the second world war, battling the elements of the Third Reich that attempted to weaponize the Unnatural, and then the Soviets that tried the same. We had our successes and our failures, but over time we grew overconfident. Operation OBSIDIAN was conducted in Cambodia in 1969, and was a disaster that led to the deaths of hundreds of Americans and nearly exposed our organization to the general public. As a result, and thanks to some behind the scenes lobbying via MAJESTIC, Delta Green was shut down. In some ways it was a long time coming; we destroyed any traces of the Unnatural we encountered, while MAJESTIC sought to utilize it for purported American benefit. In the most intense years of the Cold War, where both sides were looking for any advantage, you can imagine what vision was more appealing.
"Some time later, a small team of DH veterans decided to reactive the organization. They used their dayjobs and reallocated resources to it, knowing that if they were ever found out they'd face imprisonment or worse. But they had seen what was out there, and knew they could not just pretend things were fine, or leave it to MAJESTIC to exploit. But as time went by they found they needed other agents, and so they began to reach out and recruit from inside the ranks of the government. The cover story omitted the fact we were no longer legit, for two reasons. First, every agent who comes into DG has seen horrors they previously believed was not possible. They need to believe there's a governmental organization behind them, with the full might of America. It makes them think this is a fight we can actually win." He grimaces.
"Second, it ties new recruits to us. If they ever balk at a mission-- and you know some of the things we ask of you are soul crushing-- it can make for effective coercion to let them know that every single goddamn thing they've done has been illegal. It's not something I'm proud of,and I don't make those calls. But sometimes it's the only thing that prevents an agent from going rogue, knowing we're the only thing keeping them out of jail.Of our agents, maybe 20% know that we're not a legitimate governmental organization. It's a well kept secret. Those who know have usually been around for awhile, and they figure it out on their own or it becomes necessary to tell them.
"The simple truth is MAJESTIC could crush us like a bug if they wanted to. They don't because I believe enough of them know we serve a purpose that they don't care about. Stopping Unnatural threats. Secondly, MAJESTIC is not just one entity-- we believe there's significant debate in their leadership over what should be done with us.
"Some of our agents hope to one day collect enough evidence of the threats we face to force the government to reinstate us, giving us a budget and more manpower once again. Most of us are against that, myself included. I believe governmental power will naturally come with limits that prevent us from doing what needs to be done. We may very well end up another MAJESTIC-- from what I've heard, not even the current president knows of its existence. They have in essence become a shadow government. It can offer many things we cannot,a budget, protection, more firepower. But it's forgotten its mission and become the enemy. As I believe we would if we ever were legitimized.
"I know I've put a lot on you. I am sorry for the deception, but I hope you understand why it was necessary. Did you all really want to know that there was this terrifying world out there, and the only thing standing in the way of it and the innocent were less than 100 agents? You three are our first and last line of defense. I trust that you all know this, and angry as you may be at me or the program or this entire damn world, you know your country needs you for this thankless service. Can we count on you to continue it?""
OOC: Everyone can make a san roll for Helplessness for having it confirmed that your agents, two of them work for the government, have effectively been outlaws and committed all sorts of unlawful activities that would see you all imprisoned for the rest of your lives. 1/1d4. I believe Vanessa is the only one who is adapted to it, meaning she only takes 1 point of san loss automatically. |
