Last updated:   Editor: SevenVirtuesX


Interviews with crews: The Sacred Empire MrSpicyD
Throughout the week I have had regular reports from my informants that there were changes coming in The Vanguard, but no one was able to tell me exactly what they were.
Eventually, I cracked it! There have been some members from other organisations hiding in the TV headquarters and soon, these people would be heading back to their respective crews.
One of these members was the current Nation Don Grimes. He has going by the name of Grimes since the start of this season of criminal activity. But people have been questioning who he really was. How could a nobody appear from nowhere, and end up at the top of the tree so quickly?
It turns out, that this man is actually Kauffman, Underboss of The Sacred Empire.

I have already met him once, when I joined him and the 6 State Dons at his compound. At the time I was writing my first article for the Buzz. Now some time has passed, and I wondered if he would give me another interview, only this time much less formal and in a less terrifying situation.
I reached out to Grimes' people and they said that a meeting could be arranged for an early morning later in the week.
Perfect! That gave me enough time to plan the interview and some more personal questions for him. Despite there being a lot less pressure than the last time we met, the man was still the Nation Don.

It was early Wednesday evening, whilst I was sorting my bag for the interview the next morning, that I heard a knock at the door. These late night knocks always spooked me, none of them were ever expected.
I walked over to the door and slowly looked through the peephole to see if anyone was still there and if so, did I recognise them. I did, I recognised him immediately.
"I know you are looking at me. Open the door." He boomed.
As I opened it, in he stepped, Grimes, the Nation Don. I closed the door behind him still in shock, as he slowly walked around as if inspecting my small apartment.

"Sorry." I stated. "But what is going on!?"
"I have had enough of them protecting me, not letting me out on my own, knowing where I am all the time. It's like being a child. So if they want to treat me like a child, well, sometimes you have to be rebellious." So, he just wanted to get away for an evening. It's dangerous, but I can understand where he is coming from. Imagine being potentially the most targeted man around - there must be a lot of pressure. "So, shall we do this?"

Set Questions

Q-Who are the main names in the crew? Like bosses and council members.
A- Boss: AbuRaghebV2, Underboss: Grimes (Kauffman), Council: Koenv, Madabawi, Lachy, Breeze, Nidal, Refu

Editor's note: since the interview, there have been some structural changes at TSE. The new Council is as follows:

Boss: Kauffman
Underboss: Madabawi
Council: Koenv, Nidal, Refu, Pety, ATATURK, SJay

Q-How long have you and the other owners/founders of the crew known each other?
A- I joined TSE in round 7, that's when I met AbuRagheb and Vibie (the other co-founder of TSE)

Q-Have you had any other crews owned and run by the same group of people but under a different name? If so, why the name change?
A- Nope

Q-What round did you first establish this crew?
A- I'm not sure the exact round it started, but I joined in round 7

Q-Where does your crew name come from?
A- Not sure

Q-What's your crew's greatest achievement this round or others?
A- This round, being in a powerful position so far, having an NDon and an SDon...previous rounds included varying levels of power, none as high as this round though.

Q-Are you recruiting? If so what do you look for in people
A- Yes we are. The number one quality we look for in new people is loyalty...which I guess can only be proved by giving new people a chance.

Q-What tips would you give people who are looking at crews to decide on which one to join?
A- Find a crew to suit your play style (peaceful/gambler/shooter/etc)...look to join respected and well established crews if possible.

Q-What bits of information or tips would you give to the people out there that want to start their own crew?
A- Make sure you know it is not an easy task to run a crew, or to get your reputation up and become respected...have a council you can trust with your life, and make sure you choose your members carefully.

Q-What's your stance on the alliance war?
A- I think it's pretty clear what our stance is

Specific Question

Q-How hard was it for the first months of this round to be in TV looking at what happened to TSE but being powerless?
A- It was pretty hard. But I think I revealed myself at the right time all things considered.

Q-Why did you go to TV and not use your known username?
A- I like to play as an UG shooter, I chose TV because they are good friends of mine and of TSE as well. When the 5 other R.Dons died and I was left with a big head start on ranking I had to seize the chance to rank to N.Don, that's why it took me so long before I revealed who I was.

Q-What's next for the 'new alliance’?
A- We will continue our war with our old and new enemies .

Grimes said

We were then interrupted by my phone ringing. Again, my phone ringing at night was something that unsettled me, especially how it was now the early hours of the morning. As I slowly picked the phone up my ear, before I could say anything the person on the other end said "Is he with you?". It was AbuRaghebV2.
"Sorry Abu I couldn’t quite hear you there?" When I said his name Grimes looked up, straight at me. "Is. He. There." he replied sternly.
"Is who here?". I glared at Grimes to see what he wanted me to say as I heard Abu reply
"You know who, just answer." Grimes sat there and shook his head.
"‘No Abu. He’s not here. Sorry." The line then went dead.

We sat for a while longer and finished our beers. Grimes then made his way out and went back to his compound to, I imagine, a very annoyed AbuRagheV2. Little did I know, that would be the last time I would see Grimes. I hope he enjoyed the evening "off" that we had together.

Rest In Peace Grimes (2015/05/01-2015/08/11)