Siegfried

The Ends Justify The Means...

This… thing, this old god, reaches out to them. It speaks to Hilda, whispering in the back of her mind as she stares out the cockpit window.
She shudders at its impossible shape, it's massive size. She ignores it as best she can. She turns and sees the mile-long stare in her copilot's eyes. She realizes how a single moment of hesitation could end the entire operation, much less her life.
The copilot turns her head to find Hilda's sidearm already drawn, aimed directly between her eyes. Hilda fires without a second thought, only mourning when the body hits the metal floor.
She seals the door to the cockpit, already hearing the crew clambering over each other to bring the gunship down. I hear them pound on the door, desperate to obey their monster, regardless of how many bones they break. It's only a matter of time before they remember how many explosives they carry on board.
Hilda hears the creature in her mind. The god speaks of gifts, of Immortality, and she almost gives in. It resorts to threats as she finds herself distracted by a flashing red light. She looks and slams her fist on the button.
The computerized voice echoes through the cockpit, "Edison armed, target locked. Commander confirmation required. Confirm?"
Hilda responds with pride, clutching the valknut necklace, "Watchtower, confirm. Password: Valhalla."
She doesn't know how best to spend the precious few seconds she has left. She wants to watch. She refuses to give her mind over. She fights it, finally responding to its empty words.
"I doubt this can kill you, but it will be a glorious sight," Hilda says, smiling at the beast through the window. "At least it will knock you down for a while. You've waited this long to emerge, what's a few more centuries?"
It roars, livid at her defiance. Why would she deny something so powerful, so majestic? It stands taller than most buildings, has power she could barely comprehend. A red tint slowly fades in, shrouding the target area in its crimson light.
Hilda smiles, "Is that thunder I hear?"

— From The Daughter of Storms

Siegfried is an organization infamous for its cold, methodical approach in handling the horrors of the world. They shoot first, and rarely ask questions. Siegfried is a sore subject among those in The Web. What began as a relationship with so much potential, ended with little in the way of closure and both sides still harbor a multitude of bad feelings.

Originally, Siegfried found themselves welcomed with open arms by The Web. Their tactical superiority, funding, and technology proved most useful. After The Nowhere incident, however, it became clear they lacked the forward thinking of many organizations in The Web.

For Siegfried, the answer is not to understand, but to eliminate. They don't care about the horrors they fight, or who stands in their way. The only thing they care about is victory.

Siegfried and The Dragon

Siegfried is an extension of the US military. It's independent, as the government is completely unaware of its existence. It's both a top secret organization given the best tools and outfitting available, and a lab rat, making use of experimental technology that is either infested or too expensive for widespread use.

The organization is rarely involved in the various operations of the web, but when they are, it leads to complications. Its members are unusually antagonistic towards The Web, and vice versa. When Siegfried mobilizes, it's going to war. It's not there to study, or to contain. It's there to destroy.

When The Web needs heavy ordinance, Siegfried is more than willing to step up to the plate. They are powerful and relentless. The problem: when all you have is a hammer, everything ends up being a nail. This has led to an intense rivalry with other organizations, one that never ends.

History

Despite its complicated history with The Web, Siegfried has proven useful on many occasions. Before the fifties, few organizations existed within American borders. During the first World War, Siegfried was a small group of soldiers handling the more bizarre operations. Siegfried was a shield before it was a sword.

In a secluded room of the Pentagon in the late 80s, Siegfried was not only given autonomy, but was also given the tools necessary to maintain it. With the inception of this elite group of soldiers came opportunity. They would test all prototype weapons against things that are far more difficult to kill when compared to a human.

Then came The Nowhere Incident . The tragedy left a black mark on Siegfried's record, and the stain was permanent. They're refusal to listen to reason made them the most hated and feared organization of The Web. They are the bad guy no one wants to fight.

A New Leaf

In the late 2000s, Siegfried began efforts to cultivate a closer relationship with The Web, actively searching for opportunities to assist. The made it a goal to be as diplomatic as possible. This new approach comes from the work of Hennie Eberstark and General Tim Floyd, who currently leads Siegfried. This is working, but few can trust Siegfried after the years of inconvenience they suffered. Many believe it is part of a long con created by Siegfried for unknown reasons.

Siegfried remains undeterred by this hatred, as their assistance is changing minds on an individual level all the time. It's hard to hate the cavalry when it arrives to save you. They show up unannounced when The Web is out of its depth, but redemption is a long, hard road.

Imagine being pinned down, surrounded by the stuff of nightmares. You resign yourself to an inevitable death. Suddenly you hear a sound, a whistle or a drone. Just as the creatures around you move for the kill, a sudden burst of blood erupts from a massive wound. Shells descend from the sky, ripping the monsters to shreds. You look up and spot your savior: a modified gunship in the sky.

Hierarchy

Siegfried uses the same hierarchy as the United States Military, the only exception being members of Sprectrum, which has its own chain of command. When in the field, however, this hierarchy isn't as important as one would think.

When operating in the field, members are organized into squads. These squads are pretty standard, and they act autonomously and rarely need oversight. Each Squad member has the role to fill, and over time, each member has their own authority over the actions of the entire group.

This is primarily done to ensure adaptability. If everyone in the squad comes together and finds a solution to a problem, success is theoretically higher.