Delta Cult/Delta Interview

Delta Squad An Insidious Sith Cult?, by Danforth Finnegan (posthumous) (Transcribed by Audio Technician Wilhelm Botsby for Investigative Reporter Danforth Finnegan) "Our credo," quoth Delta second-in-command krae, brooding beneath his cowl before a motley gaggle of Delta recruits, "is 'Service. Fealty. Fidelity.' This may be the first time you have heard it. By the time you graduate, it is one you will never forget." If they are quite lucky, one of these fresh-faced hopefuls will survive the grueling tests ahead; many classes terminate in complete fatality. This reporter counts himself fortunate that he has not enrolled in The Randoms' most notorious squadron, but had instead finessed himself a rare invitation by Squad Leader dudemeister, known to her followers as 'The Mistress', to interview her right hand, the dangerously unstable zealot krae. Recently named Commander of the Randoms, the highest rank technically achievable within his organization (though many would argue Commander Cheeseman Muncher's honorary self-awarded rank of Field Marshal oversees the Commanders, it is not an attainable rank by promotion), krae immediately awarded himself the title Marshal of the Soviet Republic of Delta Sector, and founded the Department for Agitation and Propaganda, of which he subsequently named himself head and sole member. This reporter had the distinct pleasure of securing some few minutes of time alone with the man perhaps best-known for agitating a wide-reaching internal riot in defense of Squad Leader dudemeister's virtue, in order to beg answers to a few questions about the inner workings of the Delta Squad, so long shrouded in mysticism and deception. DF: Good evening, krae. I would like to start by thanking you for this opportunity to- krae: It was the will of The Mistress. DF: Ah, yes. Well, let's begin with that, then. Can you explain to our readers the esteem you seem to hold your Squad Leader in? krae: 'In which you hold..." DF: Pardon? krae: If you're going to try to sound all pompous, at least arrange your syntax properly. The Mistress is our leader, in every sense. She is our spiritual guide, our war-chief, and an example to which we all strive ceaselessly. She is first into battle, last to fall. It is in her thought Delta was formed, by her will we were given breath, and through her voice we attain consciousness. DF: So it's quite beyond a reasonable affection for your Commanding Officer. krae: Careful, there. DF: Er... no need for violence. We have heard mention of Squad Leader dudemeister as a 'Sith Mistress', particularly during the rioting, and many references to Delta Squad as Imperial Stormtroopers. Perhaps you could enlighten our readers with regard to the particular creed of Delta Squad? krae: "Peace is a lie, there is only passion. Through passion, I gain strength. Through strength, I gain power. Through power, I gain victory. Through victory, my chains are broken. The Mistress shall free me." DF: Can you explain? krae: You lack patience. All of life, in Malton as elsewhere, a constant struggle. There is no peace, even in death. Delta must not stagnate, must not rest, must always strive to better itself, must always struggle for perfection. In man, strength of arm, strength of mind, and strength of character are all formed through adversity. DF: That makes some measure of sense. And the chains? krae: All men have chains, Finnegan. They are shackles of ignorance, incapability, or impotence, imposed upon us by ourselves or others. Delta struggles to break that control, to become unfettered in the service of the Mistress, to attain their perfect destiny in Her will, unchained by uncertainty or restriction. No hand may guide us but the hand of righteousness; our Mistress' hand. No tongue may lead us but the voice of truth; our Mistress' voice. DF: Do the other members of Delta Squad believe as you do? krae: All struggle as they may. Those further on the path may reach back to offer help to his brethren, but none may tread the road for another; each must stand before judgment on his own feet, not the back of a comrade. DF: And those who do not accept the indoctrination? krae: They are killed. DF: Sounds a bit harsh. krae: We can always revive them and send them to another Squad. DF: You have a point. One final question, if I may: scuttlebutt suggests your relationship with your Squad Leader may be romantic in nature. Any response for our readers? krae: Our Mistress is pure of virtue, and none may speak otherwise within reach of her faithful. [Here the zealot produced a cricket bat and ended both the interview and the interviewer. - W. Botsby]