Interview with Fox Battalion's Spokesperson

by Xephronia Warbaum

Recent unrest in Shanghai has caused quite a stir, so much so that at least one group of individuals have taken it upon themselves to respond in a not un-militant fashion in defense of the common citizen. We reported not long ago on the posting of the mysterious “Fox Battalion” manifesto, and just a few days ago I had the opportunity to interview the very “Lieut. H” signer to that bill. What follows is a transcript (edited for brevity) of our secret meeting. I have attempted to preserve, verbatim, the particular fervor and style of “Lieut. H” in order to convey the sincerity of the topic being discussed:

Miss Xephronia Warbaum: Thank you for your time. Though I must say I find the mask a bit off-putting when conducting a face to “face” interview.

Lt. H: It is necessary, but you are welcome.

Miss X: I can understand how, as a woman especially, you might want to protect your identity! In any case my first question would have to be, ‘Why are you doing this interview, and not the Captain of the Battalion?’

Lt. H: As his right hand, it is my job to answer for him, and he is busy conducting other affairs that are important to the operation of the Battalion.

Miss X: May I inquire as to what those operations might be?

Lt. H : Classified details, I am afraid. I do not want to give away important troop movements.

Miss X: ‘Troop movements’? Interesting. It seems your group is fully active! Well then, can you tell me about the origins of the Fox Battalion?

Lt. H: England. It was started by the Captain when he was fighting for the common lower class person on the streets of London. He was tired of seeing the lower classes being robbed and choked by crimes and miserly ways of the upper classes, so he paid for his old military buddies to help him, and with more and more help, the Battalion was born and gained popularity with the lower classes.

Miss X: So, a bit of a modern day Robin Hood?

Lt. H: Yes, but the thing was he did not want to make a difference in England overall, but he wanted to continue his work there, so he left some men and women there to continue, and took the bulk of the forces here to North America, where there was a lack of justice, or as it was known, ‘Frontier Justice’.

Miss X: Are you telling me that, besides yourself, there are other women serving in the front lines of this organization?

Lt. H: Yes, The Battalion accepts both sexes equally and expects them to serve as equals. There is full equality of all sexes and races in the Battalion.

Miss X: A very modern stance to be sure! Tell me more about why the Battalion came to North America, if you would?

Lt. H: To bring Justice to the lawlessness that was in the western part of this continent, and we started in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Miss X: Why there in particular?

Lt. H: It was important landfall as there is a good sized Aerodrome there for our airships. We discovered a good deal of crime there as well, and we helped the local authorities deal with it with a huge crackdown. In fact we helped take care of a few smugglers about to head to Steelhead before they got started. The local Authorities were so pleased! They welcomed us with openarms.

Miss X: Well, then, I suppose thanks are due to your people for that. It seems you have done some good as Colonel Huddleston has said.

Lt H: We have no reason to lie, as stated in our letter we have done quite a number of good services since our arrival in North America.

Miss X: Do you have other examples of these “good services”?

Lt. H: In Anchorage, Alaska there was an Illegal orphanage being run where children were malnourished, beaten, and used to clean lit chimneys of soot, we rescued those children from the head of the Orphanage, and took them to loving families or welcoming foster homes.

Miss X: What happened to the head of the Orphanage?

Lt. H: We stuffed her up the smallest chimney we could find.

Miss X: Oh. Well. …Where else did you go?

Lt. H: In Juneau, Alaska a madman chemist was poisoning people, filling Whiskey bottles with his poisons. It killed thirteen people and put the town in a state of chaos before we were called in on a contract by the Mayor, who was not sure if we could be trusted. But he had no choice as his lawmen were outnumbered with riots in the streets.

Miss X: Oh my, how did you handle it?

Lt H: We went in, guns blazing in some cases. Final count; we killed 23 people, arrested 40, and found the culprit. He begged for the town’s authority to arrest him as we dragged him away, but they only watched as they had their orders.

Miss X: You did not give him due process? What did you do to him?

Lt H: It was in our contract that we get him, and got him we did. We made him drink his poison drinks, every last drop!

Miss X: How many of these, erm, ‘contracts’ have you fulfilled so far in North America?

Lt. H: So Far, about Five Major and Ten Minor contracts, all successful, all on the West Coast between Anchorage and Steelhead.

Miss X: And with varying degrees of success, if I am to understand various reports correctly, including verbal reports from Col. Huddleston. Some call the Battalion Saints, but others call you Devils. Why do you think that is?

Lt. H: Well, I see that he gets around, to say the least. Yes, there was a minor mission on the United States/Canadian Border where we did use excessive gun play. It was a group of Smugglers who was smuggling Exotic Goods…opium with legal fine China…let's just say the China was not so fine after we were done. Cost several merchants a lot of money, but we got the opium and we did not make money off that operation.

Miss X: I see, so this action was rather less than successful?

Lt. H: It was a success, we achieved the goal of the mission, to find and destroy the drug shipment. We just did not know how it was being shipped, and it was the last time we would be so blind for a mission.

Miss X: Ah, I see. So what was your last operation before arriving in Steelhead?

Lt. H: We were in Seattle. We were hired by some locals who wanted to find their children, their young daughters who up and disappeared with no clues or traces. Our Detective and our troops turned the town upside down. It was a difficult situation as this was the first time we were operating on firm American soil, and the Army was keeping us in check, not sure what to make of us.

Miss X: Well, I suppose they took you as some invading militia, albeit of no apparent government affiliation. How do you make arrangements with local authorities?

Lt. H: The Captain handles meetings with local officials, to make transitions f

or seeing our troops around easier and to make sure there is no problems, but the Mayor of Seattle did not trust us, even with all the glowing letters of recommendation, so he called in the Army to watch us. Too bad they were so busy watching us, they did not see the real problems they had under their noses.

Miss X: And what problem was that?

Lt. H: The Chinese Tong were set up and strong in Seattle, we outfoxed the army and hit their Chinatown to discover they had a slavery ring set up. They were luring young girls with easy job promises, and snap, they would be taken, beaten, some addicted to opium to be used as prostitutes in Chinatown, the rest they sent overseas for profit on the White Slave markets.

Miss X: That is appalling! I trust you stopped them and that they got proper justice in courts for their crimes?

Lt. H: Are you out of your mind! The courts are biased and take forever to do their jobs, not to mention they do not do their jobs properly. No, We got all the evidence and turned it in to the Mayor and law officials so they could deal with the Tong. As for the Slave Ring members, we got them doped up on their own opium, boxed them up in small crates, and shipped them to Hong Kong.

Miss X: That seems a bit barbaric, don’t you think?

Lt. H: That's my point, they are worse than barbarians to do that to children, women, to people period! They deserve no mercy, no respect, no salvation, they deserve to die for the crimes they committed to those people, and that is what the Battalion does; they bring justice to those people who could not fight back, who died, who suffer because they do not have a say in how they have a chance to live. If it means I must give my life to kill people like these to save others who cannot fight back, I would do it over and over again; anyone in the Battalion would do it if it meant one more child could live a full life free from some predator.

Miss X: I see.....Now I have to ask, Why is the Battalion in Steelhead?

Lt. H: We were hired by a Citizen to come to town, secure it from the gang violence and crime that has been plaguing it, and return it to the hands of its law enforcement who is unable to contain the violence.

Miss X: Interesting. I would very much like to talk to this “Citizen” and ask them why they feel Steelhead cannot handle its own business?

Lt. H: I'm afraid that is classified, that is Client privilege information and cannot be revealed.

Miss X: Very well. It seems that the Marshal and his people have the situation well in hand, not to mention that the town has a Militia which is capable of providing assistance as needed, so I wonder just how much an additional vigilante group is needed?

Lt. H: If the situation was so well in hand as you put it, why does the Marshal Ortegavich sit back and let Nuns and hired Jaegers do all the work? Why is he not out in the streets patrolling, looking for crime as we speak, meeting with the people and reassuring them? He’s nothing but a Glory Hound, with the emphasis on Hound, who does nothing but takes credit for others hard work in law enforcement! As for the Militia, with the exceptions of Commandant Caligari, Commodore Peterman, and Colonel Huddleston, the Militia is a poorly trained and equipped group of civilians who do not know what end of a rifle or vehicle from the other, and would not be able to stand against battle harden troops such as ours!

Miss X: You presume to know a great deal about the capabilities of our native forces, Lieutenant. Or is your presumption based on hard intelligence? It almost as though you may have operatives secreted amongst the established Militia. If this is true, even in the name of “justice”, how are we to be sure no sabotage is ultimately intended?

Lt. H: I have not nor have I any reason to lie. All I have said and I will say is the truth! We are not an Evil organization; and if we do our work, gathering intelligence in an area before we move in, trying to get as much detailed information as we can before we move in, and we also get information on our client as well…we will not work for evil people as well! The Battalion works on principals and codes of honor.

Miss X: Some would say twisted codes of honor, and Vigilantism.

Lt. H: That is their opinion, but we do serve the forces of Good.

Miss X: I understand you had a recent setback, involving two of your men?

Lt. H: Yes, two of our troopers (I will not give out their names as that is classified) were brutally murdered by gang members, their throats slit by a blade that was razor sharp, and their bodies thrown into the Harbor. I brought you photos and their autopsies to prove this is not a hoax.

Miss X: Yes, I looked them over. Very disturbing. You say a gang did this?

Lt. H: Yes, they left a message for us, to ‘leave or there will be more dead foxes’. Obviousl we will not go, and will find those who killed our men, and they will pay for this transgression.

Miss X: But won't meeting violence with more violence only inflame the situation?

Lt. H: No. Violence must be dealt with by stalking our prey like the cowards they are now, as they do not have the honor to face us openly. We will hunt them, toy with them, make them suffer…they lost their.....

Miss X: I see your point, and I see there is no reasoning with you at least on the front of mercy. Oddly, it seems that, in the name of opposing “Frontier Justice”, you do little more than dole out more “Frontier Justice”, but perhaps I am overthinking the issue. At any rate, what are the future goals of the Battalion?

Lt. H: Right now I am concentrating on the current goals. While I am privy to future goals I let the Captain deal with them.

Miss X: I understand. Thank you for your time Lieutenant, this has been.....interesting. Please let the Captain know he has my thanks as well. If there are any more questions, I will be in touch.

Lt. H: It has been wonderful. Here, you’re welcome to have a copy of our flag for your paper, we had one made for your printing press.

Miss X: Most kind.

* * *

I leave it to you, the readers, to make your own judgments about the goals, motivations, and activities of the Fox Battalion. Rest assured the Steelhead Authorities are not idle in all of this, and that the Sentinel will do its level best to keep the citizenry apprised of developments as they occur.