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'' and '' Halo 2 ''. UNSC HUMANS
Master Chief (Spartan-117) See Also: Master Chief (Halo) The Master Chief (also SPARTAN-117) is a Supersoldier , or SPARTAN, trained from the age of six in order to raise the morale of the human race and to prevent potential conflicts, as part of the UNSC . He serves as the main protagonist in the Halo Series . His military designation is SPARTAN-117, although most people refer to him by his rank within the military, Master Chief Petty Officer . Master Chief's first name is John, but his last name is unknown, most likely even to himself. Instead, after being kidnapped by UNSC for the SPARTAN II program, he (as with all Spartans) received in replacement to his last name a three digit number, forever renaming him as simply SPARTAN John-117. In both Halo titles, he is the last of a genetically, biologically, and mentally enhanced group of humans. However, readers of the Halo books will discover that in "Halo: First Strike", that some SPARTANs survived the genocide or "glassing" of Reach and the Master Chief goes back to Reach and rescues them and Dr. Halsey. In the first Halo game, the Master Chief has to be awakened from a cryogenic sleep when the ''Pillar of Autumn'' was invaded by the Covenant. Sergeant Banks Sergeant Banks originally appears in the 2003 E3 preview for Halo 2 . In both the preview and Halo 2, Sergeant Banks is in command of "A" Company after their original commander (an unnamed Lieutenant) was killed when they dropped in (in the E3 preview, his unit is identified as "the 405th out of Diego Garcia "). In the E3 preview, Sergeant Banks is at a forward position that is under Covenant attack and is rescued by the Master Chief . He appears to be wounded and calls for an airstrike on a nearby Covenant plasma artillery cannon, while the Master Chief protects him. He then gives the Master Chief his SMG in order to demonstrate the new dual-wielding feature. In Halo 2, Sergeant Banks (who has a different appearance and is voiced by Orlando Jones ), is found on the roof a building being held by the Marines of "A" Company. This time, he calls on the Master Chief to help him take out the Scarab that has been on a rampage in New Mombasa. In the E3 preview and in Halo 2, Sergeant Banks famously says, "When I asked for reinforcements, I didn't think they'd send a SPARTAN." The difference is that in the E3 preview Sergeant Banks is white, and in the actual game he is black. Also the COMM pack on his back shows a yellow shield with a black stripe, and horse in the top right corner (probably a reference to the U.S. 2nd Brigade, 1st Air Cavalry Division). Normal Marines and ODSTs later encountered on Delta Halo are also voice-acted by Jones, though whether these Marines are Banks or not is questionable. Private Chips Dubbo Private Chips Dubbo (voiced by Andrew McKaige) is an Australia n Marine in ''Halo: Combat Evolved''. His distinctive dialect, unmistakable smart remarks and laid-back attitude make him instantly recognizable. A similar Marine, voiced by the same actor, is present in Halo 2. There has been some comparison between Chips Dubbo and Steve Irwin . Observant players of Halo will notice that the character model for Private Dubbo is different between ''Halo'' and ''Halo 2''. Australian players of Halo are often critical of Dubbo's accent, often suggesting that it is that of an American attempting an Australian accent and failing. Dubbo's voice actor, Andrew McKaige is actually an Australian actor, with many Australian acting credits to his name including dramas such as "The Secret Life of Us" and "All Saints" and soapies such as "Sons and Daughters", "Neighbours" and "Paradise Beach". Private Wallace A Jenkins Private Wallace A Jenkins is part of the assault team led by Sergeant Avery Johnson and Captain Jacob Keyes, sent to recover a Covenant arms cache during Halo: Combat Evolved. The team is overwhelmed by the Flood, leaving the entire squad except Sergeant Johnson infected and resulting in the eventual death of Captain Keyes. The Master Chief recovers Jenkins' helmet, and reviews the recording of the mission that it contained, introducing the Flood to the player through the soldier's eyes. Jenkins was transformed into a warrior form of the Flood along with the rest of his squad, but it appears that he was able to exercise a certain degree of control over the infection, due to the mind of the parasite using his body being weakened by its long hibernation. He uses this limited control in an attempt to end his own life, charging at an ODST commander in the hope that she would shoot him. Instead he is captured, as a live specimen for study. He is soon brought aboard the Covenant cruiser, 'Truth and Reconcilation', as part of a mission under ODST Major Silva to capture a Covenant vessel and return it to Earth intact. Jenkins successfully convinces Silva's second-in-command (Lt. McKay) that such a mission would spread the Flood to Earth, and she destroys the conduit connecting the ship's controls to the engines, destroying the vessel as it crashed into Halo 04. Fleet Admiral Harper Fleet Admiral Harper is in direct command of one of the fleets protecting Earth. He is most likely part of the Orbital Defense Grid over Africa, in charge of MAC Platform Cairo. Fleet Admiral Harper is not seen on screen, however is heard in two separate transmission regarding the attack on Earth, by the Prophet Of Regret 's battle group (consisting of 15 Covenant Capital Ships: 13 Cruiser Class ships and 2 Assault Carriers). Harper's transmissions are as follows: Cortana-"Slipspace rupture, directly off our battle cluster." Admiral (Lord) Hood- "Show me." Cortana-"Fifteen Covenant Capital Ships holding just outside the killzone." Fleet Admiral Harper-"This is Fleet Admiral Harper, we are engaging the enemy." Admiral (Lord) Hood- "Negative, Admiral, form a defense perimeter around the battle cluster." In a separate transmission Harper can be heard announcing the following: Fleet Admiral Harper: "First Echelon, you're with me, blanket those cruisers, take 'em out one by one! Second Echelon, do what you can against those Carriers!" Cortana- "Registering all hostile vessels in the killzone: thirteen Cruisers, two Assault Carriers. I'm going loud!" It is not known exactly how many ships are under the command of Fleet Admiral Harper; however he seems to have several Halcyon Class Cruisers and (apparently) Marathon Class Cruisers under his command, as well as a large number of fighter units. It is often misunderstood why Fleet Admiral Harper is subordinate to Admiral (Lord) Hood. Lord Hood, as one of the surviving members of the UNSC High Command, is therefore Harper's superior and commands all of Earth's defensive forces. However, Hood's job appears to be more administrative, whereas Harper has a greater degree of control over the forces he commands. It should also be noted that Fleet Admiral Harper's fleet falls under the Orbital Defense Grid of Earth. Although he is the Flagship for his fleet his orders come from either FLEET-COMM planet-side or from a MAC station in charge of defense in a given grid, namely the Cairo. Fleet Admiral Hood Fleet Admiral Terrence Hood (voiced by . He is a member of the UNSC Security Committee and is the Chief of Naval Operations. He greatly respects the Spartans, not only because of their record, but on two occasions his life has been saved by the Spartans. Admiral Hood, alternatively known as "Lord Hood", is seen wearing the Medal Of Honor , the Purple Heart , and the Navy And Marine Corps Medal along with a number of service ribbons and citations. When Halo 2 begins Admiral Hood presents the Master Chief , Sergeant Johnson , and Miranda Keyes , Jacob Keyes' daughter, with medals aboard the Cairo Station . Keyes' medal is posthumous and thus presented to his daughter, Miranda . Lord Hood was in overall command of the battle when Prophet Of Regret 's fleet attacked Earth (this is made clear when he orders Fleet Admiral Harper to defend the Cairo , Athens , and Malta stations instead of attacking the Covenant ships directly). Later, at the end of Halo 2, he is seen commanding the defense of Earth aboard the Cairo as he finds out that Master Chief is aboard the High Prophet Of Truth 's Forerunner flagship. He asks the Chief what he is doing and the Chief replies, "finishing this fight." With the end of Halo 2 at this point in the story, it is very likely Admiral Hood will appear in Halo 3 . Sergeant Johnson Sergeant Major Avery J. Johnson (voiced by and Halo 2 ) is an African-American Marine who leads a group of human marines against Covenant and Flood assaults throughout the first and second games. He is best known for his tough-guy attitude and outrageous pep talks. Yet, for all his talk, Johnson is the spitting image of what a UNSC Sergeant should be. He also has managed to live through many battles with the Covenant and an infection from the Flood. In the beginning of ''Halo 2'', the gunnery sergeant on the orbital station ''Cairo'' asks him how he survived and made it back to Earth the destruction of the first Halo . He answers that the information is classified. In all actuality, Sergeant Johnson survived the explosion of the first Halo because (as detailed in the Halo novel First Strike) he escaped the explosion in a Pelican dropship with an ODST (Corporal Locklear), a Navy dropship pilot (Warrant Officer Shiela Polaski), and a lieutenant from ONI (Elias Haverson). The Pelican hid in the debris of Halo before being found by Master Chief and Cortana whilst they were still flying in a Longsword fighter. As for how he survived his encounter with the Flood in the first game, the novel First Strike details how the Sergeant has a rare medical condition called '''Boren's Syndrome''', which results from a heavy exposure of the nervous system to the electromagnetic fields emitted by Covenant plasma grenade detonations (Sergeant Johnson obtained this condition when he used a crate full of plasma grenades in a past conflict against the Covenant during the Siege of Paris IV). This condition is what saved him from the Flood's ability to consume their hosts' minds, as the abnormal frequencies in his nervous system served as a buffer to keep the Flood out of his mind. His encounter with the Flood on Installation 04 forced the Master Chief to make a decision: give ONI the data on what the Flood are and how they are combated, or give ONI the data on the Flood and how Johnson survived them. The latter would have given humanity a little chance at combating the Flood (if they were to come in contact with Earth) but it also would have killed Johnson (due to ONI dissecting him to find the source of his "Flood buffer"). After some severe emotional conflict, the Master Chief decided that he would not condemn Johnson and give them the first report. In Halo 2 , he was awarded the Colonial Cross, led UNSC forces to drive the Covenant from New Mombasa and Delta Halo and was captured along with Miranda Keyes by the Covenant but managed to escape when the Arbiter arrived and attacked his captors. He took advantage of the distraction, allowing him to commandeer a nearby Scarab and convince the Arbiter to help defeat Tartarus . At the end of the game, 343 Guilty Spark takes him to the floor of the Control Room and is about to argue with him when Keyes asks the Monitor about a place where all the Halo installations can be activated.
It should be noted that in the first Halo, he could be killed every time you met with him, but he would always reappear later regardless. Another note is that Sergeant Johnson is seen at the end of on Legendary, hugging an Elite, and saying "Hold me" after realizing the Pillar of Autumn was about to blow up in the vicinity. This is apprently not considered canonical, considering how he actually survived the destruction of Halo, and this cutscene considered a joke. Jacob Keyes Captain Jacob Keyes (voiced by Pete Stacker ) was the Captain of the UNSC ship ''Pillar of Autumn'' that was supposed to find the Covenant homeworld and be crewed by the SPARTAN-IIs. Unfortunately, the fall of ''Reach'' on August 30th, 2552, cut the mission short (briefly until Halo 2 ), and Keyes was forced to use his ship to lead the Covenant Fleet away from Earth (in accordance with the '''Cole Protocol''') - Cortana in fact lead them to ''Halo'' because rather than using random jump coordinates Cortana used the coordinates she found on the quartz stone the Master Chief found during the SPARTAN-II deployment on Sigma Octanus IV. As a Lieutenant Junior Grade he helped Dr. Halsey to find the future Spartans, including John-117, the future '''Master Chief'''. He was later promoted from Commander to Captain after his actions during the Covenant invasion of the ''Sigma Octanus'' system in 2552 (July 17-18). Keyes was made most famous from his tactically magnificent "Keyes Loop", as it was dubbed, that was only performed at one time. This maneuver had Keyes loop around a Covenant vessel with a Shiva tactical nuke following. It is also believed that a Covenant tracking device that attached itself to Keyes' ship (The ''Iroquois'') led the Covenant to ''Reach''. Soon after the Pillar of Autumn's arrival at ''Halo'' on September 19th, 2552, the PoA was abandoned and Keyes was captured by the Covenant and imprisoned in the Covenant ship ''Truth and Reconciliation''. He was later rescued by the Master Chief on September 20th and became the leader of the human resistance on the ring. About two days later he was captured and assimilated by the Flood and absorbed into a "Brain Form". Spartan John 117 was forced to kill Keyes in order to retrieve the Command Neural Interface stored within his brain, which contained codes critical to '''Cortana's''' planned destruction of ''Halo''. For his actions at ''Halo'', Keyes was posthumously awarded a medal, received by his daughter Miranda Keyes, the commander of the ship ''In Amber Clad''. Fleet Admiral Lord Hood remarked about Keyes that "the Navy has lost one of their best." Unbeknownst to many, Keyes's name patch contains an , a previous Bungie game that the programmers derived many ideas for the Halo series from. This symbol is also shown on the hull of the Pillar Of Autumn . Some fans have speculated that what was Keyes's personality or awareness may have allready been "absorbed" by the Brain Form by the time the Master Chief killed him. This supported by Cortana finding no human life signs present in the "Keyes Blob". If true, Keyes may yet play some role in future Halo games or novels, perhaps fighting on the side of Gravemind and the Flood, but it remains to be confirmed. Miranda Keyes Commander Miranda Keyes (aka. Jerry Masters) is the daughter of Captain Jacob Keyes, and first appears in ''Halo 2''. She is a Commander of the ''UNSC In Amber Clad'' in the UNSC Navy. She later turns out to be a Reclaimer , like the Master Chief (although it is possible that "the Reclaimers" are the entirety of the human race, just as the " Forerunners " seem to be an entire race who built the Halo installations rather than a small group). She asks 343 Guilty Spark about the Halo Installations and he said that all of them would have to be activated from The Ark . There is speculation that she is the daughter of Dr. Catherine Elizabeth Halsey , as a result of an implied romance between a young Captain Keyes and Dr. Halsey, due to her resemblance to Dr. Halsey which can be seen through Cortana's appearance. This is speculated because in the novel '''The Fall Of Reach''' Dr. Halsey designed Cortana in the likeness of herself. Miranda is voiced by Julie Benz Corporal Locklear Corporal Locklear was an Orbital Drop Shock Trooper who was involved in the battle on Installation 04 in the first Halo. Not much is known of his efforts or achievements in the fight. In Halo: First Strike, it is revealed that he escaped Halo on a Pelican with Sergeant Avery Johnson, Lieutenant Elias Haverson, and Warrant Officer Shiela Polaski, who he seemed to have been attracted to. He met his death when he blew up Dr. Halsey's Slipspace-altering crystal (found on Reach by the Doctor and her Spartans), destroying him and protecting the rest of the crew on the ''Gettysburg-Ascendant Justice'' from the Covenant, who would undoubtedly track the crystal's radioactive emissions in Slipspace. Corporal Perez Corporal Perez is a character who originally appears in the 2003 E3 preview for the First-person Shooter game Halo 2 , and appears in Halo 2. In preview he meets the Master Chief when his Pelican lands in the human controlled areas of New Mombasa . He serves as the Master Chief's guide until they reach Sergeant Banks ' position, which is under attack. In Halo 2 , the Master Chief meets Corporal Perez inside a building in New Mombasa where a bunch of Marines are holed up. He leads the Master Chief to Sergeant Bank's position on the roof, and then he simply becomes another background Marine. Based upon his use of the expletive "coño" during the trailer, he is presumed to be of Spanish nationality or descent. According to both the E3 preview and dialogue in Halo 2, Corporal Perez is with "A" Company. The E3 preview states that his unit is the 405th out of Diego Garcia. Corporal Perez apparently escaped the destruction of New Mombasa by the Prophet of Regret. In both the preview and game Perez greets the Chief with: "Sir, Corporal Perez, A Company, CP's this way." Perez is mentioned, but not seen, in the in-game cut scene on the level "Quarantine Zone" in which the humans and the Arbiter race against each other and the Flood to gain possession of The Index , which the Covenant call the "Sacred Icon". The cut scene shows Miranda Keyes reaching for the Index with Sergeant Johnson saving her after the Flood tentacle fails to hold. He says a short comment to her, and then he yells out, "Mackenzie? Perez? How's our exit? You hear me, Marines?" That's the last link to them from the game. As the Arbiter approaches the Icon's chamber, he finds two human bodies near the door; presumably these are the remains of Mackenzie and Perez, killed in combat with the Flood who have infested the area. This is not certain, however, and others have theorized that Perez and Mackenzie were among the marines rescued by the Master Chief on High Charity. Admiral Whitcomb Vice Admiral Danforth Whitcomb was a high-ranking officer in the UNSC. He was known for his tactical brilliance, resembling that of Captain Keyes. When Reach fell under Covenant attack, he was rescued by Gamma Team, a division of the Spartans sent to defend Reach from the Covenant invasion. He was later picked up by the Master Chief and escaped in ''Gettysburg-Ascendant Justice''. He met his untimely death when luring a hundred Covenant warships into a tremendous explosion, caused by the destruction of the Covenant command-and-control center, the ''Unyielding Hierophant''. The station exploded, destroying almost 500 Covenant ships (frigates, cruiser, carriers, supercarriers, and ships bigger than the supercarriers) and Admiral Whitcomb and Lieutenant Elias Haverson. He had delayed the Covenant's attack on Earth. Officer Mendez Chief Petty Officer Mendez was the Spartan II's trainer on Reach. He provided them with excellent weapons and physical lessons, as well as tactical and mental training. He is not very talkative, but possesses a brilliant mind for warfare, and this shows through in the Master Chief's abilities. He is described as neither tall nor muscular, with close-cut hair that has a dash of gray at the temples. Also, he looks very ordinary for a man who has seen such extensive combat as him. His walk is described as being slow and graceful, as though he were not bound by gravity as much as others. He leaves after the discovery of the Covenant to train the next batch of Spartans. Before he leaves, he gives the Master Chief the quarter John won from Dr. Halsey during her original examination of him as a child on Eridanus Two. Dr. Catherine Elizabeth Halsey Dr Catherine Elizabeth Halsey is one of the few civilian scientists in the project, she was responsible for the kidnapping of the seventy-five SPARTAN children, along with their training and the subsequent death of thirty of them due to the dangerous Augmentation Process . Because of the overnight success of the project, she quickly rose through the ranks of the UNSC, despite quarrels with one or two members of the Admiralty. In the story, Halsey enjoys the time she spends with her SPARTANs, each of whom she addresses by first name rather than designation (much to the annoyance of most of the SPARTANs except a few ). An example of her affection for the SPARTANs can be seen in the novel '''', when while trapped in the catacombs of the destroyed ONI base on Reach, she teaches simple games to the Spartans (such as Twenty Questions ). Some fans of the story believe that Halsey views the SPARTANs as the children she never had. Little is known of her personal life, but it is implied that she is a lonely Workaholic , and highly criticized for her involvement with the SPARTAN project. Halsey justifies her actions through her belief that the suffering of a few is acceptable for the benefit of many. Sergeant Johnson , however, unknowingly causes Halsey to rethink her position, and she decides to "save each and every member of humanity beginning with herself". In addition to working within the UNSC and some areas of ONI, she also works on Covenant cryptology, usually aided by Cortana . Using her skills, she deciphers the glyphs on the artifact Fred uncovered in the ONI ruins and kidnaps Kelly to go on an unknown mission. Halsey is a somewhat tragic character. The guilt she suffers as a result of her dedication to her career has a severe emotional and physical impact on her life. It is not for sure, but a small set of fanfics detail a romantic relationship with Keyes when he was a lieutenant, junior grade and could be the mysterious mother of Commander Miranda Keyes. Foe Hammer Captain Carol Rawley (alternatively known by the nickname '''Foe Hammer''' or the radio designation '''Echo 419''') is the pilot of a Pelican transport on the '' Pillar Of Autumn ''. She has great talent in the way of hostile insertions and mounting rescues, and this makes her stand out among the Pillar's other pilots. Foe Hammer is voiced by Tanya Pettiford-Wates . Her copilot is named Frye. Not long after the '' Pillar Of Autumn '' makes a blind jump to Threshold , Covenant forces descend once again upon the ship. Foe Hammer escapes in the ensuing battle, and descends to the surface of the Ringworld , where many UNSC forces have landed. There, she helps Spartan-117 and Cortana pick up scattered Marines and get them out of the battlefield. She is tragically shot down later by Covenant Banshee s, as she attempts to pick up the Chief one last time and escape Halo as the Pillar Of Autumn explodes and destroys it.The nickname "Foe Hammer" comes from the fourteenth level of '' Marathon Infinity ''. In addition, Foe Hammer is one of the only female characters of note in Halo. She, Cortana and the pilot of Master Chief's escape pod are the only females in the original video game. The second game features a female marine, voiced by Michelle Rodriguez , and Miranda Keyes. The series of books provides a wider view of the soldiers, several of whom are female. "Foe Hammer" is also literal translation of the name of Gandalf 's sword, Glamdring . HUMAN AND FORERUNNER CONSTRUCTS/MACHINES Cortana ''See the main article on Cortana (Halo) .'' Kalimaya Kalimaya is Dr. Catherine Halsey's replacement for Cortana while the latter is working with the Master Chief. Since AI's are created in Halo by copying the neural patterns of cloned human brains, she is a copy of Dr. Halsey's neural patterns, in a sense being Cortana's older sister. She also contributes a portion of her core programming to the making of Cortana. She is erased when a ultraviolet worm burns her core processing chip to stop her from falling into enemy hands. 343 Guilty Spark Monitor of Installation 04 . ''See the main article on 343 Guilty Spark .'' 2401 Penitent Tangent Monitor of Installation 05 . ''See the main article on 2401 Penitent Tangent .'' Toran Toran is an AI like Cortana and resides on the diplomatic shuttle Han. Toran was the AI who assisted Dr. Halsey (escorted by Keyes during the time) in gathering the SPARTANs. Wellsley Wellsley is an A.I. who helps Major Silva and Lt. McKay on Halo to set up and operate Alpha Base. He is only seen in Halo: The Flood and is consumed in the destruction of Halo. He also is a "dumb" A.I. meaning he was only created for one type of position, in this case being a military assistant. Déjà Déjà is the AI for the SPARTAN project and has the appearance of a Greek goddess. She was one of the main teachers for Master Chief and his fellow SPARTANs, and taught them in their youth. Déjà is known as a "dumb" A.I. In this, meaning that she was only exceptional in one subject. Déjà was an A.I. that followed Dr. Halsey in the first book for a long time even until after the 1st batch of SPARTANs graduated from training. Beowulf Beowulf is a UNSC AI attaché with the Office of Naval Intelligence, or ONI. Beowulf has the appearance of a robed figure and is disliked by Vice Admiral Stanforth. This is another one of Bungie's links to legends and mythology. Beowulf was a character in early Anglo-Saxon epic poetry, and is famous for exploits such as killing the monster Grendel by ripping his arm off, and also swimming across from Denmark to Sweden in full armour, with a sword to fight off seamonsters. Araquiel Araquiel is the personal AI of Colonel Ackerson. Since the overnight success of the SPARTAN II programs threatened Ackerson, he deployed Araquiel to attack the files of Dr. Halsey. He is effectively erased by Dr. Halsey and Kalimaya. He is only mentioned in the book, Halo: First Strike. His appeareance is said to be something like a beastly form. COVENANT AND FLOOD The High Prophets ''See the main article on the High Prophets .'' The Arbiter ''See the main article on the Arbiter .'' Spec-Ops Command Leader - "Half-Jaw" A veteran Elite who is missing half of both his left mandibles. He wears the white armor of a Special Operations (Spec Ops) commander. He fights beside the Arbiter throughout Halo 2 . However, he often leaves the Arbiter on his own or with lesser Elites to go fight other (unseen) battles throughout the game. At one point Tartarus references this pattern of behavior and calls the Spec Ops Commander a coward. In the beginning of Halo 2 , Half-Jaw sees the Arbiter as servant of the Prophets, meaning he doesn't care for the Arbiter's life. But later after the Heresy on Threshold was quelled, he started to respect the Arbiter for his actions. Also, it seems that Half-Jaw does not share the suicidal tendencies of other Elites chosen for SpecOp duties. As seen when he tells the Arbiter that "...These are my Elites. Their lives matter to me; yours does not." The Arbiter simply responds, "That makes two of us." It is speculated that he is a messenger between the Hierarchs and the Elite Council. "Half-Jaw's" final fate is unknown, it is probable that he survived the events of Halo 2, but was last seen leaving the Arbiter to confront Tartarus and going off to capture a Covenant cruiser which had been taken over by the Brutes . The Spec Ops Commander is to the Arbiter what Sergeant Johnson is to the Master Chief . In the game, he cannot be killed, just like Johnson. However, if enough Flood infection forms attach themselves to him, then he will run around in pain for a moment or so, then jump very high off-screen and disappear. This usually takes five or more infection forms. He is always armed with either an energy sword or plasma rifle. The Spec-Ops Commander is voiced by Robert Davi Tartarus Tartarus is the most prominent of the Brute commanders of the Covenant, easily recognized by his white hair and distinctive mohawk. He represents his entire species as their Chieftain: rough, arrogant, disdainful of the Covenant Elite , and totally dedicated to the Prophets' "Great Journey". He is named for the deepest part of the Ancient Greek underworld, where the Titans are imprisoned. Tartarus was first introduced in at the end of the novel. He reports to the Prophet Of Truth saying that a Covenant squad managed to recover a shard of the crystal they were looking for from the Ascendant Justice. The Prophet Of Truth orders Tartarus to reward the squad and kill them discreetly. In Halo 2, Tartarus branded the Arbiter with the Mark of Shame and took him to the Mausoleum for an execution. When the Arbiter was pardoned and promoted, Tartarus was obviously displeased, but kept silent out of respect for the Prophets. Tartarus interceded after the Heretic Leader was killed and seized 343 Guilty Spark, despite the Arbiter's objections. He also reappeared when the Arbiter tried to retrieve the Index of Delta Halo. While he issued orders to the Arbiter and provided air cover, he himself flew in a Phantom and never sets foot on Flood-infested ground. On the Prophets' orders, Tartarus eventually took action against the Arbiter, stealing the Index and pushing him to his (supposed) death in an endless pit. The Brute then returned with the Index and captives Miranda Keyes and Sergeant Avery Johnson to High Charity. While trying to get the Reclaimer (Miranda Keyes) to activate Halo, Tartarus was confronted by the Arbiter. Blind to the Prophets' deception, he activated Delta Halo and prepared to guard the Index from all comers. In the final showdown, Tartarus puts up a difficult fight with his massive normally-one-hit-kill electromagnetic "Gravity Hammer" 'The Fist of Rukt' and his unique fog-like energy shield that is almost impervious to damage, but ultimately is killed by the Arbiter when Sergeant Johnson temporarily disables his shield with a particle beam rifle, successfully delaying/preventing the destruction of the galaxy. Some players suggest that Tartarus is the voice heard in the Whisper in the Storm reversed audio, a claim that has yet to be verified or officially confirmed . Other theories draw allusions between Tartarus and The Monkey King from Chinese myth. Tartarus's mighty Gravity Hammer, the "Fist of Rukt" alludes to the Norse God Thor 's Hammer, the Mjolnir (The lightning symbol on top), as well as the Monkey King 's magical staff. "Rukt" means "Blood" in Sanskrit and Hindi . Tartarus is voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson Gravemind Gravemind appears in ''Halo 2'' and seems to be a highly intelligent and extremely aware form of The Flood , possibly the collective intelligence of the Flood. He resembles a large Plant , specifically the Venus Flytrap , but can move and talk. He also apparently has the ability to tap into Delta's systems, taking advantage of the teleportation grid, though apparently is unable to teleport his own Flood minions. He speaks in rhyming verse and seems to be aware of what is happening throughout the Halo. Describing Master Chief and the Arbiter , he says: :This one Chief is machine and nerve, and has its mind concluded. :This one Arbiter is but flesh and faith, and is the more deluded. He speaks mostly in Trochaic heptameter (poetic style with seven long-short metrical feet per line, as opposed to the more common short-long Iambic feet). Seven is a number Bungie Software uses very often in its games. Gravemind revealed to the Arbiter that the Forerunners died when the Halo fired once before. But since the Arbiter does not accept the truth, Gravemind sends the Master Chief to High Charity and the Arbiter to the Control Room of Halo Installation 05. Gravemind uses this to his advantage; in the confusion of the Covenant civil war, he spreads the Flood on High Charity where it will have the opportunity to escape from the installation. At the end of the game, after all the credits have rolled, we see that Gravemind is occupying High Charity. He says to Cortana who has been separated from Master Chief and stayed behind: :Silence fills the empty grave now that I am gone, :But my mind is not at rest, for questions linger on. :Now I will ask and you will answer. To which she answers "All right… shoot." This statement might mean that Cortana has gone Rampant (she is cooperating with Gravemind) or that she is using/learning from it, leaving the gamer not just with a cliffhanger but also with the sense that Gravemind may play a prominent role in Halo 3. (Indeed, some believe Cortana went rampant in the first game.) Gravemind is one type of the six known Flood variants in the Halo universe. The infection form, the combat form (human and elite), the carrier form, the brain form (although heavily criticised this is a recognised form which kills Captain Keyes), the Juggernaut form (found when the Halo 2 disk was explored, speculation of a hunter infected form is frequent) and the Gravemind form, the only form capable of communicating excluding the Private Jenkins anomaly found so far. Heretic Leader Little is known about the Heretic Leader seen in Halo 2. He and those around him learn the truth about the Halo network and rebel against the Covenant shortly prior to the Civil War phase of the Human-Covenant War. They establish their base, an independent faction on a Forerunner research station in the atmosphere of Threshold, the gas giant that Installation 04 orbited. Just before Covenant SpecOps units led by the Arbiter storm the base, the Flood stored on the station escape and almost overrun both the Heretics and the loyal Covenant. The Heretic Leader and the Elites under his command do not wear normal Elite armor, rather they wear a chest plate with a jet pack (for himself), a respirator in the mouth, and special "goggles," perhaps to protect themselves against gases in Threshold's atmosphere, perhaps to protect himself from a Flood infection. Also, the Grunts under his command do not wear the large pointed airtank that Covenant Grunts normally wear; rather they wear a much smaller H-shaped backpack with several methane tanks attached. The Heretic Leader is fond of using holodrones to both communicate and serve as distractions in combat. However, the Arbiter bests the Heretic Leader despite these tricks. Despite his defeat, the Heretic Leader gives the Arbiter hints that Halo was really meant to destroy all sentient life in the galaxy - a truth Arbiter finally confirms for himself at the end of the game. The Heretic Leader is voiced by Miguel Ferrer Orna 'Fulsamee According to the novel , Orna 'Fulsamee is an Elite Shipmaster of an un-named Covenant Destroyer. His ship had a Minor Prophet onboard, and seemed to be the fleet's Flagship. He was ordered not to fire on the Pillar Of Autumn , therefore letting the humans land on Halo. |
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