[ CoA Interviews! ] Entry no. 2

[Seiiko-emerald-dream (Seiiko)]

After a nice walk at the Shadowmoon Valley, Seiiko finds her way to Lunarfall where she would enter the Garrison that belongs do Vanguard. The grand building rises against the horizon, with the white brick walls shining under the moonlight, she took a moment to appreciate it until a soldier approaches checking her identity and allow the pandaren to enter. Inside the Garrison she could tell there was a lot of hard work going on, and the discipline of the soldiers was so mesmerizing she just stood there until a very strong and grumpy dwarf greets her and they proceed to the main building.

The dwarf is Sawyer Felshot, the very leader of the organization called Vanguard. In a large table, full of blueprints and maps, they sit down to begin the interview and Seiiko first asks how and why the Vanguard exist, mr. Felshot answers promptly “The Vanguard came from the Coalition’s need for an armed fighting force that was far more disciplined than the Ironrend, Magni guide them.” and he continues “I was originally part of Ironrend, still got the brand! But when the Council called, I was quick to join the more disciplined troops. Ironrend took too many losses too frequently” he takes a sip of an ale mug with a sad look in his eyes “I’m the Second Commander of the Vanguard, to date.” The interviewer can remember the one mission she did with Ironrend, involving corrupted monkeys, a treasure and lots of bananas being thrown and nods in agreement.

Next, the Commander is asked to tell us a moment of highlight of the Vanguard “Highlight? Ha! The Vanguard is actually responsible from repelling the Horde from Stormsong Valley, destroying a rather advanced Azerite Battle tank on top of that! On foot, mind you, that was a good fight right there!” he nods his head in excitement while talking. That is in fact a remarkable fight, Stormsong Valley is an important territory of the region with numerous farms and shipyards. The Horde invasion brought great chaos to these quiet people and they were forced to take arms to survive, plus the Azerite tanks are top tier fight machines and can have up to five weapons to throw Azerite bombs in the targets! So the help of the Vanguard’s military troops led by the tactics of mr. Felshot, brought a turnaround to the Kul Tirans and another victory for the Alliance. The only regret is that the tank scraps were swept away by the river, so the Vanguard didn’t had the chance to recover to study “the Coalition NEEDS that kind of power at it’s disposal” he states and already sent his Gunnery Sargeant Yaron to work on that. The engineering arm of the Vanguard is really very important for the Coalition’s firepower and safety “One, it will save all your lives!” the Commander shouts while he raises a mug of ale.

All that responsibility and commitment have a high price, asked about the routine in the Headquarters, mr. Felshot answers “We run drills. Lots of drills. Keep our bodies and weapons sharp. Every week or so, we run a patrol out of Stormwind for the local guard too” for the sake of security he couldn’t tell much more, but at that moment they can hear several squads marching and shouting a loud “OO-RAH” that echoed through the walls.The Commader looked very satisfied with that and Seiiko took the opportunity to question what does he expect from the Vanguard’s members “discipline, respect and courage, above all else. We are, and always will be, the Coalition’s shield. And I don’t want, and will not tolerate cowards in this unit.” the interviewer could feel how serious that is, and agreed that discipline is what makes a good citizen, the Commander completes “Aye, especially with the kind of technology we bring to the table.”

The military tech is one of the great focus of the Vanguard, asked to give an example of latest techs, mr. Felshot show his gauntlet, that has a small cannon attached to it “stuff like this! Wrist cannons, improved armor, and even… jetpacks.” Seiiko raises her eyebrows and salutes the scientific spirit of the organization “Ha! Half of this came from the Headmistress and me!” Seiiko try to contain the sting of sadness at the mention of the Headmistress, and focus on finishing the interview. The question is about conflict among members, and how the Commander handles with it “Force of will, and displays of strength. if you PROJECT your authority, make yourself, figuratively, the biggest man in the room, even the rowdlest soldier will follow your lead. All my men? They KNOW what I’m capable of. They DO NOT want to cross me. We gotta be strong, or the monsters the Order doesn’t tame walk all over you. We may not have supernatural powers, but we’re dangerous in our own right.” Seiiko nods at that strong statement and finishing her cup of tea proceeds to the final question, about the future plans of the Vanguard “Future… well. really, we’re just planning to keep doing what we do. Keep you all safe, be your sword and shield, and be able to help wherever you all may need it. Soon, there won’t be a place in Azeroth our enemies can run that is too out of our reach!” he winks and finish “Watch the skies lass, We’re gonna surprise ya, one day” those words were said with so much pride that the pandaren clapped and thank the Commander for his time, leaving the place with a heartwarming feel as she walked over the well trimmed grounds.