The year is 1975, the age of détente. The Vietnam conflict is drawing to a close and the world is thawing in the wake of the Cold War. However, as tension among the world's giant superpowers eased, a tiny military force quietly took root in the Caribbean. A new type of military - an army without a nation, or any land to call home. Lead by an enigmatic man known as "Snake," the clandestine group operated in the shadows as elite guns-for-hire, servicing various governments around the world. As their reputation grew, so did their funding and military might. Eventually, rumors began to spread that the group had attained nuclear weapons capability. The alarming prospect of a nuclear-equipped military force existing beyond the confines of the NPT (Nuclear Proliferation Treaty), and without any formal government, prompted demands for immediate nuclear inspection by the IAEA.