Samuel-B256 (TPF)

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"In the times of darkness, I will find the light at the end of the tunnel."

- Samuel-B256 during the Created Crisis.

Samuel-B256 (SPARTAN Tag: B256) (Callsign: Quantum 0-1) is a Specialized Skills Operative that works for the  and. Conscripted into Beta Company, Samuel became an elite SPARTAN that launched operations against the and. Before graduation, he moved from Beta Company for more specialized tasks for the Office of Naval Intelligence. He joined the where he became a.

Once graduating from Headhunter Training in, Samuel became the Team Leader of Team Specter where he deployed alongside Mathilda-B079; the two conducted missions against the Insurrectionists for the majority of the. Samuel is one of the extremely select few Headhunters that were assigned to breaking up Insurrection activity during the Human-Covenant War. At the end of the Human-Covenant War, Samuel and Team Specter were recruited into a covert program known as the Asymmetrical Action Group.

Throughout the, Samuel continued to hunt with a focus on the Jiralhanae. By 2558, Samuel became an extremely dependable leader that the Asymmetrical Action Group could depend on. Shortly after the, Samuel took command of a new team called Team Quantum which brought a new SPARTAN from Alpha Company's Team Skyfall; Elsa-A033. As the Team Leader, Samuel deploys throughout the against the  and its. As of late 2558, Samuel remains one of the very few Beta Company SPARTANs that continue to deploy.

Early Life
Born Samuel Jurek Gwozdz on May 17th, 2530, Juri and Odeta Gwozdz welcomed their first son into their lives. Born in the city of Nowy Korfantów, Samuel grew up in a wealthy agricultural community that was pioneered by the Government of Poland back on Earth. Juri Gwozdz was a vintner who was able to sell across the galaxy to clients while Odeta spent her time as a Sommelier for the business that her husband ran. While remaining extremely rich and ready to have a lavish lifestyle, Samuel grew up in a much different environment compared to the others around him. Sheltered from the galaxy, the young Gwozdz grew up within the small community creating his ambitions as well as ideas he was able to pair together. Nowy Korfantów was an extremely secluded area of New Harmony, but the Gwozdz were determined to raise their only son to inherit the business that the parents owned. Known to be a utopia by the residents outside, Samuel was bound to grow up in a world that he was not going to recognize for quite some time.

Early on in Samuel's life, he remained shy of others and found comfort in his mother due to her being around more. Taught to be compassionate and caring, Samuel worked on developing his skills with the house staff that was paid to live on the plantation. The endless fountain of love that Samuel's parents regularly gave became one of the many reasons that he felt safe with them anywhere they went in the world. As Odeta took her son out to the market or stores, she found Samuel being extremely shy of the other children in the city. By the time Samuel was four years of age, he had decided to not talk to the other children and was admitted into a primary school where he began his education as a young child. Being picked up by his father, Juri noticed Samuel was more quiet than usual and got a call from the school's administration that he was being picked on. Samuel was scared to talk to his parents, due to the issue that there were going to be consequences if he told on the people that were picking on him. Once hearing what their son had endured, both parents planned to move to another school until one girl from his class showed up that night. "I remember Kalina well. She was my first friend, the one who always had an open hand and not a closed fist. We played in the cornfields together, talked to one another about the stories we been told and, I cared for her. She was the sister I did not have, the friend I needed the most."

- Samuel remembering his first friend, Kalina.

Kalina, a resident from one of the many plantations, arrived at the Gwozdz with her parents and wanted to talk with Samuel. At first, Samuel was hostile towards Kalina and cited that he was not going to trust her since she did not stick up for him. She took his words and acted upon them the next day when she attacked the most massive bully of the group with swift kicks to the shin. Samuel found that Kalina was someone he was willing to trust and began to develop a form of friendship with the girl who left his bully hollering in pain. As the years progressed, Kalina and Samuel became nearly inseparable. Often, they were found at one another houses, always trying to find a way to talk with one another during class, and stayed in touch even if they were many kilometers apart. Samuel felt extremely safe and secure with Kalina, often sharing his thoughts and ideas that he held close to his heart. Respecting the law of reciprocity, Kalina shared ideas and beliefs she held tight to him that Samuel paid extra attention to, in case he ever had to remember them later on in his life. "I remember the days when I would wake up to the sound of my mother's singing voice, the laughter of my father filling the room and the endless love they gave to me. Kalina is the one person I fully trusted and cared for, protected her from the other boys that would come to pick on her. But then they came and everything changed."

- Samuel reflecting on his life before everything changed.

An Outer Colony conflict known as the Human-Covenant War, was slowly making its way towards the Inner Colonies. By 2537, the New Harmony Defense Force were strengthened, and the fear of an attack by the enemy was not on the minds of many that lived in Nowy Korfantów. On a warm day, the Covenant attacked the colony, and the Battle of New Harmony was underway. Samuel's hometown was ground zero for the Covenant Empire, and the enemies made their ways onto the plantations that belonged to the wealthy citizens. Samuel was pulled away by a servant who was ordered by Odeta to take her son to a shelter and wait for them to get their little boy. Crying for his parents to come with him, Samuel tried to pry himself away from the grasp of the servant and get back to his mother. When a Covenant drop pod slammed into the ground, a Sangheili emerged and killed the servant before looking down at Samuel. The nightmare that the creature was, Samuel screamed in fear till he heard a shotgun blast from behind and turned to see his father cock the shotgun again. Keeping his focus on father, Samuel remained frozen as he watched Odeta run towards him then get shot. Juri fell quickly after, and Samuel huddled up into a small spot crying after watching his parents die before his eyes.

Not long after, Samuel heard another drop pod slam into the ground, a UNSC Single Occupant Exoatmpshere Insertion Vehicle (SOEIV), and an Orbital Drop Shock Trooper (ODST) emerged with a desire to kill. Hearing a Slavic accent, Samuel turned his head to see an ODST staring down at him, which forced Samuel to try and crawl away from the scary helmet. The ODST picked up Samuel and started to carry him away, but struggled when the young boy turned into a vicious ball of hate for being dragged away from the bodies of his parents. Being sat down, Samuel watched as the ODST removed his helmet, and he noticed that the man was not a creature that killed his parents. Only able to speak Polish, Samuel asked about if his family and friend were alive, Samuel was met with silence. Picked up by a transport shuttle, Samuel was taken away from the battlefield and taken to a new location where he was hopefully going to find where his friend was. Arriving at an orphanage in an unknown city, Samuel lost both of his parents and the one friend he always kept close to his heart.

Admitted to an orphanage in Tyumen, New Harmony, Samuel became one of the million orphans that were brought in after the Battle of New Harmony. Samuel was quickly surrounded by a world of sickness and strange children, which led him to be even more afraid of the situation. He often cried for his parents, hoping that their death was fake and also tried to find his close friend Kalina. Doctors tried to administer Samuel aid but failed when he attacked them as he threw punches and kicks. At one point, he stole a key off a guard and made a run for the exit but was promptly stopped by much bigger guards. Despite his failures, Samuel refused to quit and used his frustration of the stupid guards to break out of the hellhole he was stuck in. Crawling through the ducts, causing a fight to sneak away while the guards were not focused, and trying to fabricate an identification card to get through the security doors, Samuel failed each time but still tried to find a way to run away. Other children knew Samuel as a mean child from a Polish city that was doing everything to get what he wanted, while Samuel saw himself as someone trying to get back to his family and friend.

Two Office of Naval Intelligence recruiters posed as a couple looking to adopt spotted Samuel by his last name and the work that his father did as a successful vintner. Deciding to take a chance to learn more about the child of Juri Gwozdz, the couple learned about Samuel being a royal pain in the ass due to his relentless efforts to break out. One officer went with an administrative manager to learn about all the ways Samuel tried to break out as the other sat with him. The officer with Samuel saw the hate in his eyes, the look as if he just saw the darkness of death come right at his doorstep. The glassy stare told the officer that Samuel saw the Covenant and the horrors they brought. An offer was put on the table for Samuel, to join an exclusive group of children who were going to get revenge on the Covenant. As the other officer returned, Samuel nodded at both of the officers and wanted to go with them. Samuel did not care where he was going; he only cared about getting revenge against the enemy that took everything from him in a flash of light. Not long after meeting, the couple adopted Samuel and then erased every single record of him. Samuel Jurek Gwozdz no longer existed, he disappeared from every database and transported to a new location where Samuel was going to embark on a different journey that he needed to fulfill.

Conscription and Training
Upon Samuel's arrival to in, he was quickly stripped of his name and given the phonetic identification as well as SPARTAN tag, Sierra-B256. Samuel decided to accept the name change and SPARTAN tag he was given. On the first night for Beta Company training at, Samuel was forced to conduct a static airborne parachute jump which became his first test if he was SPARTAN material. Scared at first, Samuel quickly changed his mind and jumped in the hope that he was going to get back down to the ground and go to sleep. Passing the first of many tests, Samuel later met the drill instructors and the famous leader known as. The SPARTAN Indoctrination kicked off, and Samuel was thrown hard into the brutal training he underwent. Falling back into his old habits, Samuel stuck to himself and did everything he needed to make it to the next day then the next. Candidates dropped out, gave up, or quit throughout the early year of training, but Samuel hung in and kept fighting with a desire never to quit. Passing SPARTAN Indoctrination, Samuel was pushed onto the next phase where he began his education as a SPARTAN.

Enrolled in academic classes, Samuel kicked off with an English Language Course which helped him understand the English language and how to speak it fluently. Enrolled in numerous classes such as Mathematics, Science, History, and English, he struggled with his ability to comprehend what the right answers were. Meeting Mathilda-B079 during a math class, Samuel found her snickering at one of his answers, and the two proceeded to fight. As a punishment for fighting, the two were forced to spend a week together due to their infractions. Both were extremely petty at one another, Samuel picked at Mathilda's sheets which forced her to run as she messed up his shirts, forcing him to run as well. Despite their abilities to hide infractions, they formed an odd friendship due to their ability to hide things from the officers looking over them. Samuel came up with the ideas, while Mathilda found a way to disclose them from the eyes of the instructors. Throughout 2538 to about, the two showcased their ability to cheat on tests together using a code that no one else was able to decrypt. Samuel felt no guilt as he cheated due to the idea that he was able to win, showcasing his desire always to find a way to win, no matter the circumstances he was placed under at any time. Unfortunately,, the smart artificial intelligence was able to log the attempt as the fourth time he was able to detect the two cheating. Reprimaned for their behavior, it did not stop Samuel from creating new ways and ideas on how to get past the AI that continued to detect him and Mathilda. Eventually, the two graduated from their required academic classes and began to progress forward in their training.

2541 rolled around, and Samuel was able to find someone he was able to trust. Quickly after spending a little downtime, Samuel and Mathilda were assigned to Team Tango where the two met and. At first, the four were at each other's necks about issues that were not being completed during their Team Building Classes (TBC). The blame shifted around from the two groups within Team Tango, which led to a fight between Mathilda and Jonah at one point. Samuel was able to pull Mathilda off of Jonah but heard him snap a rude comment at her which resulted in Samuel and Mathilda getting in a fight with Roland and Jonah. SPARTAN Training Instructors broke up the fight, and the Office of Naval Intelligence monitored the four personnel fireteam as well as the fight. Wanting to defend his friend, Samuel felt it was right for him to attack Jonah then Roland after the two shared crude exchanges of his close friend. Roland was named the Team Leader of Team Tango in, which led to protests from Samuel and Mathilda, which prompted them to prove that they were the two best in Team Tango. The duo began to use teamwork, communication, and trust as a means to push through the brutal training together. During Team Tango's first assigned training mission, all members of the team were able to successfully pass with exceptional numbers. Many were impressed since nearly all other teams had failed their attempts to try and win. Enrolled in another, all members of Team Tango passed again and did it not as a cooperating fireteam. The Office of Naval Intelligence took a keen interest in Team Tango and the members of the team to see why they were able to pass the assigned training missions that were supposed to be failures.

In, Samuel was selected to undergo a two-week assessment and selection course that was going to determine where he was going to serve as a SPARTAN. The evaluation included brutal physical workouts, a tortious academic course, an oral board that was to psychologically exhaust the candidate, as well as a final test that was determined to break each candidate. Pushing through each course, Samuel lost in areas but made up for it in others. Luckily, Samuel was able to do the entire course with Mathilda, which helped him motivate her as well as she did for him. Finding where each other had their expertise, the two began to excel through the assessment and selection much better than before. Formerly known as a timid and scared child, Samuel had transformed into a sturdy and well-rounded candidate that did not flinch at any issue that was thrown at him. Taking bite sizes at a massive problem, he was able to showcase his ability to break down subjects to simple tasks. After the two-week course, Samuel was selected for a particular group along with Mathilda. Unsure of what was going to happen next, Samuel was determined to go through whatever was in front of him alongside Mathilda. Pulled aside from team training on an early morning, Samuel and Mathilda were loaded onto an unmarked Pelican and transported to a different location on Onyx where they began their training as Headhunters.

Headhunter Training
Arriving for Headhunter Training, Samuel and Mathilda underwent the desired matchmaking course to ensure if they were a good pairing. Scoring 96.92% in the matchmaking, Samuel, and Mathilda were cleared for their training together in the Headhunter Training. Already, someone who spent his time trying to get the best chance to go after the Covenant, Samuel was more than willing to work alongside Mathilda to accomplish the mission he desired to set out. But over time, he found himself wanting to work with Mathilda due to the chemistry they showcased and becoming one of the elite eight who were bound to receive exclusive training. Enrolled into the Headhunter Operator Training Course, Samuel was bound to be transformed from a SPARTAN and into a Headhunter who was going to carry out the most dangerous missions that the Office of Naval Intelligence was going to assign. Samuel started to undergo training with Mathilda with a focus on unit cohesion as well as their ability to achieve missions in the field. The two quickly learned that they were bound to work with one another till their death, which was something they were happy with since there was no one else they wanted to fight alongside. "You will become something more than your original calling. And to ensure that you will become that, we will monitor everything you do."

- An ONI officer at the start of the Headhunter Operator Training Course.

Undergoing the Headhunter Operator Training Course, Samuel was trained to become a Team Leader while Mathilda worked on becoming a marksman. Throughout the training, Samuel was taught how to infiltrate, assault, gather intelligence, breach, sabotage, conduct psychological warfare, and be a spotter for Mathilda. The Operator Training Course revolved around the team's ability to work together in extremely stressful situations. Taught the Delphi method, both Samuel and Mathilda were able to accomplish the tasks set before them. Samuel found his calling to battle rifles and designated marksman rifles, which made him a well-rounded Headhunter that was able to accomplish any mission that was going to be thrown at him. Mathilda found herself taking time to teach Samuel sniper tactics in case he needed to make a shot; both wanted to become experts at their fields to ensure that there was not a flaw in the team's ability to execute a mission.

Taking apart in supervised field exercises, Samuel was able to showcase his leadership ability alongside Mathilda as they were ready to dominate various activities they were thrown into throughout the months. Field Exercises included a variety of mission types that were bound to determine what type of missions Samuel and Mathilda were going to be deployed on shortly. Manhunting, targeted killings, sabotage, interdiction, demolition, and counter-terrorism became the top missions that the two were able to execute. Team chemistry flourished as Samuel and Mathilda continued to work together throughout their field exercises. Coming towards the end of their field exercises, Samuel noticed a change in the intensity of other candidates as well as the higher stakes. Not folding to the pressure poured on, Samuel was able to showcase being a leader that was able to adapt and win even when facing extreme adversities. By 2544, Samuel and Mathilda had passed their supervised field exercises and moved onto the final leg of their training for the Headhunter program. "Become invisible, be the darkness that lurks, the reason the enemy checks behind them when they go to do mundane tasks."

- An ONI officer talking about a Headhunter's ability.

Real-world wartime insertions were the final tests that Samuel needed to complete alongside Mathilda that ensured he was bound to become a SPARTAN Headhunter for the UNSC. Over six months, Samuel underwent three missions he needed to complete alongside Mathilda where they were going to earn their spot. Demolition, Interdiction, and Targeted Killing were the three that they underwent over the course. Passing all three insertions, Samuel and Mathilda were commissioned to be a Headhunter Team for the Office of Naval Intelligence. Ready to deploy against the Covenant Empire, Samuel and Mathilda spent their time going over the various armor colors and configurations of high ranking Covenant officials they needed to hone. On July 1st, 2545, Samuel and Mathilda graduated from Headhunter Training where they soon began to prepare for deployments against targets ONI designated.

Augmentations
Project CHRYSANTHEMUM was the augmentation project that gave Samuel his strength and abilities as a SPARTAN. Seeing his chance to live longer and kill more Covenant soldiers, he accepted the augmentation without a second thought and begged for it to work. Leaving on a cloudy day, Samuel was prepared for the next step in his career, and willing to do anything to get his revenge. Arriving on, Samuel was instructed into a room, and after laying down, the procedure began for him. The project included the following drugs:


 * 8942-LQ99 - "carbide ceramic ossification catalyst" drug.


 * 88005-MX77 - "fibroid muscular protein complex" drug.


 * 88947-OP24 - "retina-inversion stabilizer" drug.


 * 87556-UD61 - "improved colloidal neural disunification solution" drug.

Stronger, faster, quicker, and deadlier; Samuel transformed into the soldier he needed to become for the UNSC. His bones were impossible to break, strength off the charts, eyesight nearly perfect and he was able to react to a situation faster than he could comprehend. Seeing that he was another successful patient, Samuel was prepared for the next step; he was ready to take lives from the Covenant that had been taken from him.

Along with becoming a faster SPARTAN, Samuel was able to grow dramatically in height and put on considerable weight. Initially, at roughly five feet and ten inches, he rose to six feet and nine inches thanks to the growth hormones that allowed him to grow. Samuel also gained weight which fit his new frame. Weighing in at about 150 pounds before, he was able to add about 40 more and then bulk up to about 236 pounds before deploying as a SPARTAN-III. Being average among his peers, Samuel did not care about the others and focused on his task.

With the rest of his augmentations, Samuel was given a standard neural interface. While the standard neural interface did help Samuel with his recognition of friends or foe, Samuel did not find it helpful since he was going to be surrounded by enemies. He accepted the interface as another tool he was able to use against the enemy he swore to go up against while in the field. In 2553, his standard neural interface was upgraded to the SPARTAN neural interface before going onto other missions across the Orion Arm.

Team Specter
"Team Specter, a Headhunter Team that can do anything. They will go where you order them."

- Lieutenant Stephan Ferguson being introduced to Team Specter for the first time.

Formerly known as Team Tango II, Team Specter became the Headhunter Team name for Petty Officer Third Class Samuel-B256 and Mathilda-B079. Officially called SPARTAN Headhunters, the two became one of the four Headhunter teams that graduated from Beta Company. With high desires to go after Covenant targets that were popping up, there were other plans for Team Specter and Samuel's desire to go after the Covenant. Team Specter was a team able to do anything to accomplish the mission; nothing seemed out of reach, and, it was proven throughout their training. Aboard the, Samuel met his mission handler Lieutenant Stephan Ferguson to be handed a mission and who he was reporting to throughout the Human-Covenant War. Looking down, Samuel was frustrated, along with Mathilda upon seeing who they were going after.

Team Tango-II was given a chance to change their name to something different than what it currently was. Samuel settled on the name Team Surgeon while Mathilda rested with Team Specter, the two ultimately decided to wage a chess battle to see who was going to name the team. Mathilda won, and the team name was changed to Team Specter, Samuel became Specter 0-1 while Mathilda attained Specter 0-2. Later, the two learned that specter meant ghost, which ironically made for one of the better names they were able to pick from when deciding.

Operation: SILENT SERVANT
was a hotbed for Insurrectionists activity in, multiple factions continued to amass power even after Alpha Company put them down in. The head party, known as the (FLP) was making moves to secure UNSC military hardware in the southern hemisphere. The Office of Naval Intelligence was able to confirm the actions via signals intelligence and needed to deal with the issue at hand before it grew bigger. Samuel-B256 and Mathilda-B079 arrived over Mamore in July of 2545 with intentions of smoking out the Insurrection's plan to gather more UNSC technology and launching an attack against an already struggling. Deployed onto the planet not long after their arrival, Samuel and Mathilda were tasked with conducting sabotage and targeted killing operation to ensure the fallout of the FLP's ability to mount an attack.

Tracking down an FLP courier, Samuel and Mathilda built up a target profile with codename: Hades as their first target to engage. A former UNSC Navy Intelligence Officer that went rogue and joined the FLP was in charge of a high operation that the Office of Naval Intelligence knew very little about at the time. Once finding Hades, Mathilda recommended that they assassinate the target then and let the UNSC deal with the rest, but met with protests. Agreeing to stay on the target for a longer duration, Team Specter was able to learn the true nature of what the FLP planned to do and how they were going to stun the UNSC's work on Mamore. An ONI Black Site prison was found housing valuable prisoners that had yet to be transported off the planet, and the FLP was planning to assault the compound to free their friends. Samuel was ordered to conduct a targeted killing against Hades, and he planned to execute that aspect of the operation.

Tracking Hades across the terrain, Samuel was able to gather information about a training camp, factories forging UNSC uniforms and, another training pilots how to handle a Pelican. Gathering intelligence on the area, Samuel was able to pick two critical spots for terrain denial that were going to slow down the FLP's chance to launch a successful attack against ONI. Mathilda continued to build a target profile on what Hades did and when was the right time to engage the high-value target. Along with figuring out Hades, Mathilda needed to ensure that the plan did not spread across other leaders in case one were to go down. Samuel infiltrated the office of Hades to gather any information and learned about when the attack was planned to take place. Mathilda learned that the Insurrectionists were training in UNSC Armed Forces uniforms, which meant that the enemy was planning to infiltrate the area. Samuel concluded that Specter needed to take out the terrorist cell before the attack was bound to be launched.

In the early months of, Samuel infiltrated the training camp where he placed to ensure a successful detonation of buildings around the area. Mathilda provided close-target support while watching Samuel and guided him to an office where he was able to engage a leader that handled the logistics of the terrorist cell. Once the leader was killed, Samuel returned to Mathilda's location and waited for the rest of the group to arrive. Preparing the ambush, Samuel remained close by while Mathilda was tasked with taking out Hades. With the Pelican arriving at dawn, Samuel detonated the charges as soon as the transport shuttle shut off its engines. Mathilda watched as Hades fled in the midst of the chaos and engaged him while Samuel used the smoke and fires as a means to cover his tracks as he engaged the terrorist cell that was ambushed by the Headhunters.

Operation: RIGHTFUL DAWN
Following the success of Operation: SILENT SERVANT, Samuel received another operation from Stephan and prepared to execute it. came up on the radar for Section Three when (URF) personnel tripped their sensors and notified them of the enemy movement. The United Rebel Front had been a problem for the UNSC since the Insurrection, the need for the United Rebel Front to not be causing an issue on Cassidy-III was a must and ONI sent various teams to deal with the large faction of enemies they got from signal intelligence. Wanting to keep classified technology secure, Lieutenant Ferguson sent Samuel and his team to investigate the colony and thin out the Rebel population. Stephan became more hands off and let Samuel have more control over his team during the operation. Not long after, Samuel launched with Mathilda to Cassidy III where they were instructed to push back and set up new sensors. "This location is much needed for the Office of Naval Intelligence. Secure the area, take out any hostiles and put up new sensors for us to track the enemies better if they are to trespass again."

- Stephan briefing Team Specter in person before deploying them.

ONI needed Cassidy III to be ready in case the Covenant were ever to find. It was a place for ONI to launch operations deep into Covenant occupied space along with valuable Forerunner technology. With each growing minute the URF spends on the planet, the Covenant had more chances to find out about the planet and destroy a viable place for ONI to use. A problem like the URF needed to be purged, and the fact that they were still around annoyed ONI. The ability for the planet to stay hidden proved valuable to them, with the United Rebel Front on it, it could jeopardize their backup plan. Samuel and Mathilda descended to the planet to drive down the URF's fighting numbers. Not focusing on civilians, Samuel only concentrates on the fighters and make the others leave due to the deaths of their close relatives and friends.

Working with Mathilda, they were able to figure out who the leaders of the encampments they were planning to attack. While the rain never let up for Samuel, he began to use it to his advantage on the colony that was crawling with enemies. Once figuring out their leadership, the two moved further back to see if they could gather any more information regarding their enemies. Watching their targets, they learned their routines and what is the best time to strike. The help of heavy rain allowed them to conceal their shots and hide the trace of their bullet through the air. Once gathering as much actionable intelligence as they could, Samuel began his campaign of sniper strikes against the enemy. Switching off each day, Samuel and Mathilda were able to split up the tasks at hand to keep their minds from getting overwhelmed from a long shift.

The two worked tirelessly around small encampments they needed to push back. Launching target killings, infiltrating into bases and tracking enemies, he was able to push back many groups of enemies that were too close in the eyes of ONI. As people continued to patrol, Samuel found enemies to take out. The URF saw issues on their borders and began to dispatch more units; they were only cut off by ambushes launched by Samuel forcing the reinforcements to retreat. His traps included the usage of improvised explosive devices and precise sniper shooting to eliminate leadership. As the URF began to conduct meetings at night, things got worse since Samuel was able to operate much better at night than during the day. People disappeared in the darkness and people began paranoid to go out at night. The URF took note of their mistake and worked during broad daylight around guards, yet that still not benefit them. After many failed attempts, they were forced to retreat from their border stations. "We only struck during the rain; the elements of the world became our ally and their enemy. I'm surprised they never figured that out, it was always during the storm when their people disappeared."

- Samuel reflecting on his way of conducting missions while on Cassidy III.

The stealth and quickness of Samuel put fear into the enemies that lived on the outer edges and close to where he needed to secure. His SPARTAN senses came handy when infiltrating into bases to recover intelligence. Testing his quick reflexes and strength in hand-to-hand combat allowed Samuel to learn just how strong he was. Using both of his traits, Samuel was able to appear then disappear quickly; it showed that he was able to be a ghost among the enemy he was hunting. After gathering what he needed, Samuel was able to retreat without him ever being spotted by the enemy within their walls. Going from a long-range marksman to a close quarters expert, he was able to expand his battlefield IQ. Becoming an exceptional Headhunter for ONI, there was no task that he couldn’t do while hunting the URF.

In the encampments Samuel attacked, people moved away and towards much larger settlements where they could be safer. His plan began to work, people were running away, and bases became vacant due to the fear of losing their loved ones or friends. Driving out the small factions, Samuel and Mathilda were able to secure the designated areas that ONI needed them to protect. As the bases emptied, Samuel watched the people trek down to the safer region then went back to locking down the area. Along with securing the field, he was able to set up new sensors for ONI to monitor the activity of the URF and be notified if they were ever to come back. Once testing the sensors and seeing them work, Samuel reported to Lieutenant Ferguson that he and his team had accomplished the mission and were ready to be picked up. Pulled off during a rainstorm, Team Specter disappeared off the face of the planet and returned to a UNSC ship.

The URF on Cassidy III felt they were under siege from an invisible enemy. The radio transmissions that ONI was intercepting showed that Team Specter was decimating the morale of the URF on the planet. In the four months that Samuel spent on the ground, he was able to hide and evade enemy patrols that attempted to look and capture him. Samuel's ability to use nature to his strength again showcased that Samuel was able to think outside the box to win. Stephan found himself more hands-off with Samuel this time and allowed him to make his own decisions. With this decision, Stephan began to see Samuel becoming the leader ONI needed him to become. Samuel viewed it as having his team and that he is deciding on what to do when getting into a combat operation. It was the first time Samuel had something that was indeed his after such a long time of having nothing.

Operation: URGENT TEMPEST
The UNSC and ONI had been working on the way to deplete the Covenant of their plasma supply. The war was not slowing down, and the Covenant were able to continue pushing against a tired UNSC Navy. Plans were made to slow down the production to give the UNSC Navy its time to evacuate colonies as well as prepare their lines of defenses. With limited Headhunter teams and on a mission, Lieutenant Ferguson's small team deployed in their first fight against the Covenant Empire. In a rare mission, Samuel was called upon to prepare for a Covenant mission which he thought was a rude joke at first. The objective of the mission is to disable reactors across. Along with disabling them, Team Specter studied how Covenant forces rebuilt them and gave ONI an idea on how to use Covenant technology to their benefit. Not long after, Samuel began his insertion onto Ealen IV and his mission.

Ealen IV was not the way that Samuel and Mathilda wanted their first mission to go. Both had remembered how the Covenant hit and took from them, their families and their happiness. They wanted to strike Covenant leadership, behead them and drive fear into their enemies. But Stephan was able to piece together two high-value targets that were spotted on the planet with tasks that ONI wanted them to stop managing. Their orders also gave them information to study any new enemies that had came to the planet. ONI had learned of forces they never saw and wanted to see if Team Specter was able to gather any further information. Once they located on a cliff, Samuel began his study of the enemy from a sniper nest created by Mathilda. Using his precise sniper skills, Samuel was able to disable panels and shoot wiring that was crucial to the development of the plasma. After the shots, they studied how the Covenant fixed the panels and sent their information back.

Moving around on Ealen IV, it felt no different than an Insurrectionists mission. Using wadis and cliffs as a mean to conceal their movement, they were able to stay undetected by almost all patrols they came into contact with. Weaving his way around enemy patrols and tracking enemy supplies, Samuel felt far more prepared as he studied the Covenant and their training. Along with watching their practice, Samuel also explored how they Covenant interacted with one another. Watching the and  bicker at one another allowed him to slip past them without being detected. Studying how the Sangheili trained and sending that information to Stephan allowed ONI to figure out how to counter the Covenant on the ground better than before. Despite the long reconnaissance against the enemy, Samuel dedicated himself to the task to save as many lives as he was able to. His revenge soon transformed into a motivation to give as much valuable information to ONI as he could.

Their first HVT came early in their deployment, a. Samuel was extremely excited; he wanted to kill the Sangheili but turned to look at Mathilda and told her to take the kill shot. Remembering that she saw her dad get killed by a, he wanted her to take out the first one. After convincing her that it was ok for her to take the shot, Samuel began to set up with her as they prepared for the shot from a cliff. Acting as a spotter, Samuel was able to give Mathilda a clean kill shot on the Field Marshal. Watching the death of the enemy gave them the satisfaction of revenge they both needed, their enemy was killable, and there was a lot to be still killed. Soon after the death, Samuel disappeared into a forest along with Mathilda as they watched the camp from a distance to see how the Covenant reacted to what happened. While the Covenant Empire conducted patrols, Samuel was able to study how they maneuvered and create more options on how to slip past his enemy. The Covenant never found who killed the leader but persisted with their patrols to find those who were responsible.

Samuel remained hands off for the majority of the operation, allowing the Covenant to go through their day-to-day routines. His desire to go weapons free was considered stupid due to the importance of the operation he had at hand. Lurking around bases and gathering intelligence allowed him to gather as much information as he could with the least amount of enemies hunting him. As much as he wanted to kill entire bases of enemies, he knew that it was suicide and there were better ways to disrupt Covenant activities. His anger for the Covenant began to be set aside, and he used whatever he could to get as much intelligence as he could to help out Humanity in the fight against the Covenant Empire. Not long after, he saw Mathilda set aside her rage and began to follow the same mindset that he had. "They were within our reach. The alien's breath smelled, steps that shook the ground and all the various shapes. I remember why I needed to take my identification course, they all look so similar yet so different with a closer eye."

- Samuel remembering how close he was to the Covenant.

Coming into contact with a pair, Samuel and Mathilda were put to the test as they went against the two towering enemies. They lured the two enemies that were practicing into a ravine and began to battle them. Using teamwork and trust with Mathilda, their abilities came to the full potential where they were able to take down the Mgalekgolo pair with no injuries. Samuel's quick thinking paired with Mathilda's intelligence helped them fight the towering enemies with no issues. Going back into cover to avoid the Covenant, the two were able to study their fighting and how to improve if they were to ever come into contact with another enemy like such. Not long after, the two went back into hiding and continue to study their enemy. As more search parties came about, Samuel studied further and gained more information regarding what was happening on the ground before him. He also noted that they needed to stop engaging the enemy or their last target was going to run away due to danger.

Their second HVT came along exceptionally late in the deployment, another Sangheili Field Marshal who oversaw the training of troops before deploying into UEG controlled space. Watching the enemy, Samuel was able to notice that the soldiers around were respecting the leader that was in command. Reports told Samuel that the Field Marshall was liked and respected among the Covenant, taking the Sangheili out dealt a blow to the morale of the group. Perched up along a cliff, Samuel began to zero in on his target. Samuel, with the help of Mathilda, was able to execute the Field Marshal. The death brought horror to the group, and the enemy began to search for the enemy that killed their beloved leader. The two were able to evade various patrol parties then get pulled off of Ealen IV with the help of a in the night.

Returning from Ealen IV, Samuel was able to give valuable information on how the Covenant worked their plasma reactors, took out two mighty Sangheili and came back alive. The operation was already a great success for Team Specter, but Samuel had more. They also returned with a vast amount of information regarding the way the Covenant moved about when patrolling and any patterns Samuel was able to create. On top of the intelligence, Samuel was happy with his actions that led him to have a successful mission. Stephan was worried that he wouldn’t see Samuel again due to dangers and the amount of risk. However, he was glad to see him prevail and get their first assassinations on the Covenant. However, the success of their Covenant mission sent them back to dealing with Insurrectionists. As well as they did on Ealen IV, they were forced back to dealing with the enemy that they did not even enjoy.

Operation: HYPER ANGEL
Insurrectionists activity began building on ; ONI did not want to involve the UNSC Garrison stationed there since they were already dealing with the Covenant War. The dispatching of a Headhunter team allowed for the problem to be taken care of, without having to take resources away from the Covenant War. With the significant success that Samuel had on Ealen IV, Stephan deployed him with two objectives, investigate and hunt. ONI and Lieutenant Ferguson were confident in Samuel along with his partner in their ability to work behind enemy lines and break up leadership positions. Samuel had proven himself in the past three years as dependable and reliable soldiers that can accomplish the goal outlined in front of them. It was not long before Samuel began his deployment to Harmony with Mathilda.

Samuel and Mathilda were dropped off on Harmony with their two objectives and told to give updates down the road. They moved to an ONI field base where they planned to communicate with their officer and inform ONI of their progress. Once checking in, Samuel was giving a range of intelligence that ONI had gathered and he soon began to draft up his work. There was no timeline for the operation, and they were the only two, the freedom felt awkward for him since he worked with leadership guidance for quite some time before getting their mission and free will. Samuel began to take control of the activities and began to apply the lessons he was taught by Lieutenant Ferguson. Being his first mission with all hands off, Samuel rose to the occasion and became the leader he needed to grow into. Moving out, Team Specter began their hunt against the enemy they needed to take out.

While lurking around enemy outposts and gathering intelligence, they were able to learn of an important meeting between two Insurrectionists leaders. Hiking through the mountains and the night, Samuel was able to reach a viable location to oversee then engage the enemy if they needed to. Being late to the meeting, Samuel was able to execute his target from 2,349 meters away alongside Mathilda. It became his longest confirmed kill, and shortly after, Mathilda began to analyze what were the reactions. While the death of the two leaders stirred up the Insurrectionists, it allowed Samuel to have a variety of targets to go after as well as find a valuable base that ONI had been having a hard time finding. With intentions of shutting down the Insurrection before the Garrison had to be called in, Samuel knew that he only had so much time before the Army had to pull more resources from the Covenant war to deal with Insurrectionists. With more patrols, the operation only became more challenging and enjoyable for Samuel. He began to push himself to ensure that nobody else needed to be called in.

Deployed to a continent where they came across a substantial enemy base, Samuel began his infiltration against the enemy. Once inside the walls, he gathered valuable intelligence for Mathilda to analyze. Once Mathilda built useful information, they waited for nightfall and began to prepare for the task at hand. He launched numerous targeted killings, sabotage missions and anything else he found which forced people to move away. Performing his first capture mission, Samuel was able to hand a fighter to ONI and was able to gather more intelligence from the insider. Using torture techniques, Samuel was able to collect even more information from the captured enemy. Seeing it as an essential sector, Samuel switched up his tactics and went after the smaller bases first before hitting bigger ones like he did on Cassidy III. With many people overflowing into significant bases, Samuel figured he could spot the leaders easier due to the increased activity outside their walls.

Launching precision sniper strikes against bases, Samuel began to work on psychological warfare where he targeted specific people and not others. Breaking the morale of the enemy meant that fewer people were willing to work outside and wanted to move back to safety. He learned that crushing the scouting outposts morale led to the main base becoming a hot target. Making many of the people paranoid about doing their daily work, the Insurrectionists began to stop what they were doing slowly. In a panic attempt, the Insurrectionists sent messages to other bases without proper encryption. Not long after, Team Specter was able to intercept messages to another main base where they prepared to move out. The mistake of one base was going to lead to the death of another leader within the Insurrection. With outer stations too timid to launch attacks and send patrols, Samuel was able to sneak by with no problem and push into the area he needs to go.

Before taking their shots, Team Specter resupplied and sent their updates to ONI. Once he informed his superiors of what was found, Samuel was given the green light to take out the leaders he had seen at the new base. Then, Samuel moved into another stronghold on Harmony where he studied and prepared another mission on an Insurrectionists meeting. Waiting for all the leaders to show up, it gave Samuel time to prepare for the perfect moment and shot. Along with preparing for a shot, Samuel was able to get a prepared to bomb the location. Launching an attack, he was able to take out two HVTs while Mathilda got the other two, and flee the area before being found. Shortly after, a Navy airstrike was launched on the base and decimated everything within the walls. The destruction of the base led to the ultimate fallout of the Insurrectionists for the time being in that region. Their actions led to the UNSC garrison to not be deployed and stopped an Insurrection from building up on a planet. "We were there, then we were gone. Our skillset has been honed to the perfection we needed them to be. As the sniper instructor said, who is in your crosshairs will have a bad day."

- Samuel thinking about how much he has improved since he first started combat deployments.

Samuel became the mastermind behind Team Specter and the success on the ground. Operation: HYPER ANGEL became the most successful mission for Samuel as the leader for Team Specter, a significant step forward in his career as a Headhunter team leader. Working with Mathilda and taking Stephan's advice, he was able to make the right judgment call. From the capture of an enemy to the precise airstrike, everything Samuel did was almost calculated to be perfect. Many decisions that Samuel made, he felt that he was making the right one based on the time and the circumstances. Changing from a Headhunter that was able to follow orders to a Headhunter that's able to develop a situation, Samuel had transformed into a leader that ONI had been looking for. While waiting for his next deployment, Samuel continued to prepare for anything that was to be thrown his way and take it.

Fall of Reach
Team Specter was called back to and deployed to  where they regrouped with Stephan to learn what their mission and objective were to be. With fighting many battles, Stephan was unsure where he needed to deploy his team to do the most damage. Learning of the Szurdok Ridge Offensive, Stephan found a mission and dispatched Samuel where he could assist the offensive. Once on a, Samuel began his missions on Reach to help with the pushing back of Covenant forces. Samuel had orders to join the reconnaissance team late and conduct more missions after receiving word that many units pulled back. Getting information from Stephan, Samuel was able to work with Mathilda and proceed with a plan. After spending time out of battle and not having many Covenant missions, Samuel was ready to get into the fight.

Conducting special reconnaissance for the Office of Naval Intelligence, Samuel was able to lead Mathilda through the valleys and locate many that other reconnaissance teams missed. Marking them with beacons and taking down their coordinates, Samuel relayed the information to Stephan. Going further and more profound than other teams, Samuel was giving many more locations of along with anything else that was found valuable. They were able to find vehicle depots and armories that the Covenant set up for forward deployed units as well. Giving all the locations to Stephan, they were soon sent to other UNSC personnel and. Staying deep behind enemy lines, Samuel was able to gather beneficial information that ultimately assisted with the repelling of the Covenant ground forces for a time. While the operation began, Samuel remained behind enemy lines to help in many ways he was able to.

The was more in favor of the UNSC and Samuel when he was able to provide excellent sniper support. Establishing their own sniper nest that was overlooking significant areas of the battlefield, Samuel began to take out enemies. He targeted leaders with stronger shields which helped the soldiers fight off the group of enemies and not lose as many soldiers. Assisting conventional forces for the very first time, Samuel allowed the advances of many ground forces through the Ridge, giving them strategic positioning. He focused on the stronger Covenant forces which made it easier for the conventional forces to make their push throughout the area. Once taking out the majority of leaders, Samuel moved back into the shadow where he continued to hunt down more enemies. Many of the army soldiers felt a God was watching their back, when in fact Samuel and Mathilda were clearing the way.

While NOBLE Team worked on, Samuel worked with Mathilda on infiltrating their way behind Covenant lines to take out leadership stationed on the planet. Seeing numerous Sangheili, Samuel worked closely with Mathilda as they performed sniper strike missions taking out the elite Sangheili. With their need for precision, Samuel was able to execute several leaders that were high ranking and much more advanced technology. While they continued to disrupt Covenant leadership, the was destroyed which brought low morale to the Covenant until  arrived. Despite his best efforts, Samuel saw the strike force he was attacking get resupplied with troops and more equipment. All that he had done in the past weeks went to waste, the Covenant's reinforcement had arrived, and Samuel was witnessing the slow Fall of Reach. He was pulled out of the area then commanded to assist operations in the city.

Samuel assisted with sniper support during the. Taking cover in skyscrapers, he was able to take out pilots and  door gunners before they could inflict damage on the UNSC  in the air space. Samuel along with Mathilda displayed their sniping ability taking out various pilots and knocking ships out of the sky. Staying in the area, Samuel was determined not to let New Alexandria fall into the hands of the Covenant. Communications with Stephan came back online not long after and Samuel was told to vacate the area immediately after hearing of a Covenant carrier entering above the city. When a Covenant carrier New Alexandria, Samuel was already gone and heading to  where he assisted with similar missions that he conducted in New Alexandria with Mathilda. The news of New Alexandria did not get to Samuel for some time, and he luckily missed the glassing.

With Quezon in the same battle as New Alexandria, Samuel was able to work at night much more effectively. The usage of the night and vacant buildings let Samuel move about without the enemy ever knowing where he was. As the Covenant set up command bases around the city, Samuel alongside Team Specter was able to target Covenant leadership and cause problems for their invasion of the city. Taking out Sangheili and Jiralhanae leaders, they were able to inflict casualties against the enemies. Their efforts were successful as they stunned the leadership for a time, allowing Samuel enough to get behind enemy lines and tear up the supplies being brought in. Pushing further out, Samuel began to attack ground supply lines and start to dry out the Covenant forces. Able to wipe out food and ammunition, Samuel slowed down the push on the city to let more civilians evacuate. But they could only do so much before the Covenant Empire overran Quezon. Not long after, Team Specter was called back to SWORD Base to assist with evacuating Stephan off of Reach.

Samuel regrouped with his commanding officer and assisted him with destroying files, deleting hard drives and breaking anything that could reveal ONI information to the Covenant. Working quickly with Stephan and Mathilda, the three were able to rip up all knowledge of anything Stephan needed destroyed and prepared to move. While SWORD Base remained in the hands of the Covenant along with the destruction of the below, it was only time before SWORD Base disappeared for good. Once securing the office, Samuel and Mathilda escorted Stephan to an evacuation area and onto a. Moving quickly as the Covenant prepared to glass SWORD Base, Samuel checked the area ahead to ensure it was safe to proceed. On the way, Samuel defeated a Sangheili Special Operations element in hand-to-hand combat then provided the protection of his commanding officer. Once reaching the Prowler, Samuel, Stephan, and Mathilda left Reach with no intentions of coming back. As Samuel watched out a window, he saw SWORD Base get destroyed by a Covenant carrier glassing the building.

The Fall of Reach was hard for Samuel and Mathilda; it was their first loss against the Covenant in combat. The loss of the military powerhouse brought morale low for the two since they saw their first glassing and destruction of a UNSC planet. They saw the beautiful and lush world that Reach was, turned into a planet that burned and looked like defeat. While they had time to build more hate against the Covenant later, Samuel went into as Stephan figured out what to do with his teams that were still deployed. Stephan had a plan in mind and briefed Samuel on what was going to happen. They were going to Cassidy III where they plan to wait for a green light from ONI to launch an attack on, a colony for the Jiralhanae. With one plan set in place for, Teash was the other target for ONI to inflict the mass casualties against the Covenant Empire. Samuel nodded at his commanding officer before going into cryo-sleep.

Operation: CALM CRUSADE
Under the name Operation: CALM CRUSADE, Samuel and the UNSC Battuta, a began their trek to Teash. Unlike Gray Team, Samuel was to do specific hits against the Jiralhanae since they know the Sangheili have forged a with Humanity. Samuel wanted to inflict mass casualties against the Covenant; he learned that sparking a civil war in the Jiralanhae colonies was going to do far more than what Gray Team was going to do, he thought. Team Specter used assassinations and sabotage to break up the activity of the Jiralhanae without it blowing back on them. His desire to have the Jiralhanae ruin another colony, made Samuel think he was able to eliminate one ally from the Covenant Empire. Knowing full well that he wouldn't be coming back, Samuel prepared for the mission like any other mission he had been sent on.

Arriving over Teash, Samuel was able to land in the jungle and prepared his covert campaign against the Jiralhanae. Instead of being full of rage and anger, he was filled with determination to execute each task he had at hand. Using everything they learned from his training and previous missions, Samuel led his team throughout the jungle, around various patrols, sensors and began to gather intelligence on his targets. Knowing full well that this was going to be his last mission, Samuel did everything to the best of his ability to ensure that he took as many enemies as he did with him. Anyone that Samuel was able to kill was good enough for him. While Samuel and Mathilda worked on identifying and thinking of ways to assassinate, they found themselves bringing along another companion.

Originally, Stephan was to stay on the ship and assist Samuel with planning. Seeing the patrols on Teash, Samuel knew it was too dangerous for Stephan to move with them. Along with the surveillance technology on the planet, it was too risky to use comms and being caught meant the end for all of them. After reasoning with Stephan, he joined Samuel and worked with him in the field. Much to Samuel's protest, he was not fond of having his commanding officer around him without combat experience. As he continued to follow Stephan, Samuel forced himself to stay close to protect him from anything that was bound to happen to him. During their free time, Samuel taught Stephan how to conduct missions without being seen and to stick close to him which allowed Samuel not to change his tactics. What Samuel did, helped Stephan far more significant than ever before. Out of respect for his officer, Samuel let Stephan use his sidearm during the operation since he did not have one. "We were told that the Jiralhanae did the worst to the humans. The stories, the reports, and the photos were enough for me to focus on assassinating as many of these animals as I can."

- Samuel reminding himself of why he is on Teash.

Locating two Jiralhanae Chieftains, Samuel and Team Specter had their work laid out to create a civil war. The two agreed to take out their target then meet up to ensure they all were to make it back to the ship together. Assassinating the two targets in front of their families, Samuel was able to show the families just what it was like for others to lose the ones they loved right before them. He stayed in position to study the reactions of his enemy, then moved out to regroup with his team. A message from Mathilda told Samuel that they needed to meet back up at the Prowler and something had gone wrong. Meeting back up with Mathilda, they learned that Stephan had gotten lost then captured by an enemy patrol. Immediately launching a rescue mission, Samuel tracked Stephan down and planned to bring him back to safety.

Making his way to a tribe, Samuel was able to infiltrate into the area where he felt Stephan was. While the guards and clan members went through their daily activities, Samuel was able to sneak by and learn where his commanding officer had gone. Using his tracking skills, Samuel was able to track Stephan's feet dragging into a room. Hearing screams and cries, Samuel broke into the room with his SMG drawn where he found two Jiralhanae torturing his commanding officer. Taking them out, Samuel was able to stabilize Stephan and informed Mathilda that he was going to come out with him. While the tribe went on, Samuel snuck out of the area and left a beacon for him to come back and avenge Stephan. Moving through the jungle and keeping Stephan awake, Samuel was determined to not lose him despite the pleas he heard from his commanding officer. With Mathilda in front, Samuel was going to bring his officer's body home, dead or alive.

Once securing Stephan back on the Prowler, Team Specter deployed back to the clan where Stephan was tortured. Stephan ordered Samuel not to go back out since it was going to be too dangerous and they needed to leave. However, it was morning, and they were only able to leave during the night. Not long after, Stephan gave the green light for Team Specter to go hunting. No longer looking at precision strikes, Samuel was there to slaughter as many of the enemies before running out of ammunition. Tracking the enemies down who were boasting about the captured human, Samuel executed them then moved forward to the next targets. He engaged the Jiralhanae Chieftain in hand-to-hand combat not long after killing his pack. Once killing the Chieftain, he beheaded the enemy and mounted his head on a stick for others to see. His goal was to take everything away from the enemy that nearly took everything from him. Taking the kills personally, Samuel ensured that he did take down every single target he scoped in.

Once getting back to the Prowler, Team Specter took off from Teash and began to head back to safety. Teash was the second mission that Samuel deployed onto an enemy alien stronghold planet. The results were exceptional on the ends for Samuel and Mathilda while being a disaster for Stephan. Ultimately, Stephan was going to make it through, but the psychological side was going to take longer. Samuel knew that Stephan was never going to be the same after what he endured, he was ready for his commanding officer to resign out of pain, but it never came. Being their first rescue mission, they were able to save the Lieutenant and get him to safety. The massacre of the clan never made it into the final report of Operation: CALM CRUSADE and the reason why they took longer to get back was covered up by Captain Nayla Raymond. The decision to hunt the Jiralhanae was not a logical one, but Samuel felt it was justified after everything he had seen those animals do to the human race.

By the time they made it back to the Sol System, the Human-Covenant War had come to an end. A new treaty was put into place between Humanity and the Sangheili. Furious at the new treaty, Samuel felt he was betrayed by the UNSC and how willingly some humans were to work with their allies. The UNSC began to rebuild, and new projects were put into place to help with the loss of assets the military had suffered. Samuel was unsure of what to do until he heard of, the , the along with many other enemies popping up since the fall of the Covenant Empire. While his hate for the Covenant still lingered, he was going to put it to good use where he wanted to assassinate as many Covenant leaders that were thrown his way. There was no slowing down of targets, and Samuel was ready to continue hunting his enemy.

Operation: HYBRID VANGUARD
Following the end of the Human-Covenant War, Samuel began to gear up with Team Specter for its next mission. Working with the Asymmetrical Action Group, Samuel started to work on taking out Covenant activity that spread across the Orion Arm. He was ready to trek across space to take out the species that had collaborated with the Covenant Empire. However, the upcoming operation sparked massive protest from Mathilda and who they needed to work around them. is a colony where both Sangheili and Humans reside; their mission was to assist both the Sangheili and Humans on settling the controversies in 2553. Mathilda was furious along with Samuel. Instead of going to hunt the enemy, they were going to help them with settling on a colony

Meeting with Stephan and discussing the issues, Samuel was able to get the mission directive changed to where they had only to fight the humans and not assist the Sangheili. Unable to get a different mission, Samuel knew that there was something behind it he did not know about. The colony had humans and Sangheili on it together, sparking protests and violence against one another for what had happened during the war. However, they still end up preventing personal attacks on the Sangheili which even frustrated the two, but they decided to bite the bullet and accept the mission. While the and other units focused on the Sangheili sector, Samuel and Mathilda only concentrated in their species sector and began their campaign of ensuring the protection of their new ally. Samuel informed Mathilda to be prepared to fight the Swords of Sanghelios if anything were to go south.

Their new ally was not a friend to Team Specter, Samuel spent a lot of time keeping Mathilda in check along with avoiding the aliens. She often tried to attack a loose Sangheili and beat them to a pulp, only to be pulled away by Samuel and pinned to a wall. While Samuel still wanted to rip the head off the Sangheili, he needed their intelligence to conduct raids. Not telling Mathilda, he began to work on the way to gather their information without having their dirty paws on it. To ensure there wouldn’t be issues between Team Specter and the Sangheili, Samuel was able to gather Sangheili intelligence through ONI and then run it through Stephan to ensure that it was indeed actionable intelligence. This maneuver allowed Samuel not to be worried that he was going to fall into a trap set by the Sangheili. Once finding out it was useless, he began to conduct his intelligence gathering and ignored all information sent by the Sangheili.

Hunting humans, they were able to prevent numerous terrorist groups from propping themselves upon the colony. Working in a desert, Samuel was able to maneuver about with Mathilda as they found training camps and bases set up to hit back at the Sangheili. Team Specter was able to avoid the building of other groups with the help of Emerysen. Once Emerysen built up enough intelligence, she became the primary person to gather information from. Due to the AI, Samuel was able to make better decisions based on the more abundant data he was able to collect from her. Worried that Mathilda was feeling left out, Samuel often spotted shots and allowed her to lead raids where he sat back and followed her. Still showing that he cared for her, Mathilda was happy to see that Samuel was not going to abandon her because of his new AI. Mathilda was much more willing to take ideas from Samuel's AI compared to the enemy Sangheili.

While Samuel wanted to hunt down Covenant factions, he learned that doing covert operations and special reconnaissance was a test to see if he was indeed ready to conduct operations for the Asymmetrical Action Group. The words put in by Stephan only went so far, Samuel had to prove himself in the field to ensure that the words matched his actions. Even though Stephan was able to say so much, Samuel was put onto Carrow and into a stressful situation to see if he was able to perform as he did on Teash. With multiple targeted killings, sabotage missions and extracting valuable data on the terrorists, Samuel proved that Team Specter was ready. His focus along with his determination to get a Covenant mission pushed him to achieve near perfection during his activities in the. His hatred for the Sangheili was noted, and the Asymmetrical Action Group prepared to incorporate Team Specter as another asset.

As their missions progressed closer to the cities, Samuel was forced to conduct missions out of his armor and blend into the environment. The night allowed Samuel to become a ghost among the people that were going through their daily lives. While his height made him stand out, his ability to move within the shadows helped him stay hidden and get what he needed. Gathering intelligence on multiple targets, Samuel came back with his armor and hit the targets. Using the speed and agility, he was able to be in and out before the enemies ever knew there was somebody around. Capturing or killing, Samuel was able to ensure that the people he was going after were sure to be taken off the streets of Carrow. He disliked being out of his armor, feeling that he was much more vulnerable. With city raids becoming much more common, Team Specter slowly developed into a robust urban team that could lurk around the towering structures and hid from the civilian population even in their armor. Known to be a team that operated best in rural areas, Samuel was able to prove that he was effective in any setting.

By 2554, Carrow had been secured for the time being. After completing Operation HYBRID VANGUARD, Samuel was able to see a decline of terrorist planning due to the missions he led on the colony. Missions for both humanity and Sangheili had stabilized the many sectors; it provided enough time for conventional forces to arrive and defend the areas. The Joint-Occupation Zone became a hotbed for many issues, terrorist attacks, racist propaganda and tension in the Human and Sangheili relationship. However, Samuel ensured it was the last time that Team Specter ever deployed into the J-O Zone. The idea of unity between the Sangheili and Humanity was near madness, and Samuel was utterly opposed to it. Lieutenant Commander Ferguson took note of their reactions and ensured that they never are used on another mission into the J-O Zone where they are to support the Sangheili. By the time Samuel was able to calm Mathilda and himself, they were given another task and it was one that he was excited to have.

Operation: HOPE OUTREACH
A former Covenant named Syra 'Losum was located on  by ONI and the Spartan teams located on the surface. Last known sighting of him was in 2551 and records of him went missing after the Great Schism occurred. Originally under the command of, 'Losum saw the Halo rings and felt it was his duty to activate them to etch his name as the greatest Sangheili. Due to his ruthless campaign against the UNSC, ONI had been hunting him for quite some time. With the Supreme Commander being a threat to the UNSC and unknown reasons to why he was on Installation 03, Team Specter dispatched to the to investigate and break up any activity that the Sangheili was conducting on the Installation. By the middle of 2554, Team Specter was deployed to Installation 03. While other units had been assigned to hunting down the leadership under 'Losum, Team Specter was ordered to eliminate 'Losum.

Once reaching the Installation, Samuel learned of the jungles that surrounded 'Losum's faction and began to plan out how to get him. The forest along with the long paths proved to be viable for vehicle maneuvering across the area. While many teams were dispatched by other branches, Samuel knew that it was only going to be a matter of time before 'Losum disappeared. Samuel obtained two and used the vehicles as a mean to cover much more ground and use less time figuring out where his target was. Samuel also requested drones to assist him with cutting down the time of finding 'Losum and where his leadership was. Once reaching the surface, Samuel began conducting special reconnaissance around the last known sightings of 'Losum and gathered a faint trail of what to follow. While lurking about, Samuel was able to discover another Covenant faction named the Harbingers of Reclamation. The information Samuel found matched with the other teams that were hunting the group.

With the help of Emerysen, Samuel was able to learn more about the Harbingers of Reclamation and what they intended to do. Samuel continued to track the group to find out the strength of the enemies and began to compile a report regarding various facts about the enemy. With the information about the group, it was shared to other members of ONI that were operating on the Installation looking for similar targets. Still not knowing what their overall goal was, Samuel was put on the path to reach a base that he was able to gather information. Using his speed in the night, Samuel was able to extract intel quickly while Mathilda watched his back. He was able to come across many small outpost bases that helped him get a better idea of where to go. Infiltrating smaller bases, he gathered loose coordinates for the main station and began his path forward. Staying out of sight and lurking around, Samuel kept moving forward without alerting the enemies that there was an enemy presence nearby. It was not long before Samuel came upon 'Losum's base of operations.

While Emerysen collected data and information in places no reconnaissance team had gone, Samuel prepared for his confrontation with 'Losum and the Harbingers of Reclamation. While weaving through the jungle and around the sensors set up, Samuel was able to close the gap to his target. Still not knowing the true intentions of his enemy, Samuel continued to track but without the need to go after his target right away. Not long after, Samuel was able to locate and establish a clear visual on 'Losum's base of operations. Infiltrating into the base, Samuel was able to gather even more data on Installation 03 and what needed to be accomplished. Learning that 'Losum planned to complete the, Samuel planned to whatever was necessary to prevent the goal from being achieved. He retreated out of the base and began to follow the group that was moving towards their desired destination. Once learning about the intention, Samuel began to pick up the pace knowing that his enemy wanted to inflict mass casualties.

Hunting down 'Losum, Team Specter conducted multiple missions where they were able to extract the latest location of the enemy then push forward. With Emerysen using all of her assets, she was able to help Samuel keep a close eye on his target as he moved through the forest. With the help of a given to them by ONI, Samuel was able to keep track of his target if he ever lost eyesight of him. Emerysen also proved to be a valuable asset that helped him get back on track when he got lost. Once getting 'Losum's location, Samuel kept a good distance as he observed and studied what he needed to do to ensure the death of the enemy. As he waited for the perfect moment, the arrival of more forces tipped off 'Losum, and he began to speed up his process. With time becoming scarce, Samuel needed to act before 'Losum attempted to complete the Great Journey. The two decided to go loud and close the gap between their enemy when the group took a break.

As Team Specter picked up their pace, they went close quarters combat as 'Losum got closer to his destination. Using their SMGs, knives and quick speed, they were able to cut through the enemies that stood between them and 'Losum. Once securing the entrance, Mathilda took up a sniper position while Samuel went inside to find 'Losum and deal with him. Samuel was able to reach 'Losum in time before he got to the and engaged him in a one-on-one duel. As 'Losum talked about how many of Samuel's kind he killed, Samuel was preparing to rip the head off of his enemy. It ended shortly with Samuel beating out the old warrior with his quicker strength. Samuel was successful with the assassination and dismembered the face of the leader to make sure he was dead. With the leader dead Samuel expected the Harbingers of Reclamation to disband and leave, but they stuck around, forcing the teams around to prepare for more combat. All the other forces that were deployed continued their engagements against the Harbingers of Reclamation; the Installation was secure. With the help of Emerysen, Samuel was able to stop whatever 'Losum was willing to do. After pulling off of Installation 03, Samuel was impressed by the.

Installation 03 was one of many Halo Arrays that the Forerunners created during their time of the ruling. As ONI tracked down Installation 03, they used science and military teams to ensure that the threat of a Halo Ring firing was near impossible. An activation by 'Losum was hard to be done, but the need to wipe the alien from the galaxy was something that ONI had wanted to do for a while. While there was an activation later, the Rings only became far more secure with campaigns launched on them to secure the dangerous weapon. Samuel came in with Team Specter to eliminate a threat that continued to follow the Prophets, his ability to assess then dispose of the enemy solidified that ONI had control over the ring. The death of the leader was going to be hard times to the group as they began to see a fallout of followers. The remaining Harbinger of Reclamations continued to fight against the incoming Spartan Operation teams where they met their doom.

Operation: NIGHT HUNTER
The continued to pose a threat against the UNSC and its alliance with the Swords of Sanghelios, Samuel prepared his team for their new mission which takes them back to the critical system they were once in not too long ago. The Banished began to take the stage in the Post-War Era; ONI wanted to figure out a way to disassemble the group that had become an issue. With the Jiralhanae returning to its home planet, the need for supplies and other basics needs grew which led to raiding parties. Some Jiralhanae had begun to sympathize with the Banished, and the UNSC needed to ensure that the mercenary group did not become more prominent than it already had. The need to keep the Jiralhanae controlled and on a leash was much more important than letting them gain more land to grow. Operation: NIGHT HUNTER launched, and Samuel began his voyage to  in late 2555, back to the Jiralhanae system. "Going back to the Jiralhanae system, I knew it would be much more comfortable. We understand how they operate, and we are prepared to hunt down every single target we come into contact with. It will be fun hunting these savages down again."

- Samuel preparing for his deployment back into the Jiralhanae system.

Arriving at the in early 2556, Samuel began on the first target colony. Once reaching the ground, Samuel was able to take in the land and what he was going to use to his benefit. He began to hunt down enemy recruiters and people who backed the Banished financially. With advice from Stephan to drain the group of recruits and money, the idea will make the Jiralhanae make rash decisions based on their limited funds. Taking out specific, kept the Banished struggling to recruit mercenaries on Warial. The destruction of funds led exactly to what Stephan felt was going to happen; the Banished began to make a rash decision. With the help from Emerysen, Samuel was able to lurk around the area better than he did when on Teash in 2552 to 2553. Despite his best efforts, the Banished were able to move to another colony, and it forced Samuel to move as well.

Their focus soon shifted towards a new clan propping themselves up, called the. The intentions of the clan were noble and right, but Samuel was under orders to control the major parties that were operating. Samuel conducted studying the group to learn its true intentions and decided how to handle the situation. Seeing the clan pushing itself into power, Samuel found a tribe to throw his attacks towards. Knowing that the group was able to take the hits, Samuel began to conduct operations. After some time, Samuel ran raids against the Jiralhanae clan to ensure that enemy only stayed away from. His efforts remained futile, but the escalation of troops soon led to conflicts between the Banished clans and Lydus clan. Doisac continued to be settled even with all of Samuel's attempt to try and cause a Civil War. Giving Samuel the perfect distraction to slip into places to get what he needed then leave without ever being seen.

Using Emerysen and Mathilda, Samuel was able to create plans that deterred the Banished from its original goals and slowed them down. Along with the destruction of recruitment and funds, Samuel began to hit supply caches along with anything else he was able to get his hands on. Hitting infrastructure and causing tribes to attack one another allowed Samuel and his team to slow down the Banished for a time, making them waste more resources than they needed to. Using psychological and the area to their advantage, Samuel was able to force more people to come after him that failed to find Team Specter. Becoming an enemy that was able to slip into the jungle and lose patrols, Samuel was able to watch as his enemies continued to search for him. After moving off of Warial, they reached Teash in middle of 2556. From there, he continued to launch multiple missions against the Jiralhanae and assist with slowing down the recruitment that the Banished had been trying to amass.

As Lydus' clan continued to push for control over the system, Samuel was able to watch and monitor Banished movement while the two tribes battled it out. As the fighting raged on between the two groups, Samuel took his time to plan his next hits with the amount of intelligence he was gathering. During the day, conventional forces and commanders fought each one then retired at night while they began to prepare for the next day. When they became exhausted and battle tired, Samuel often swooped in to take out the weak warriors then go back into hiding. Guards were not sharp, and it allowed Samuel the perfect environment to slip past them to assassinate the leader. The tactic allowed for Team Specter to be two steps ahead of their enemy and never be caught off guard since the enemy was fighting each other. Being able to sit back and watch, gave Samuel the perfect times to strike and strike a blow to the Banished.

Once on Teash, Samuel began to conduct surveillance and prepare for taking out more Jiralhanae. Picking up on a Banished base, Samuel was able to infiltrate in with Mathilda and learn more of what operations were being conducted. From logistical operations to supply bases, Samuel took the information and let Emerysen send it back to ONI. Inside of a Banished base, Samuel was able to place tracking devices into their equipment and allowed ONI to track where the shipments were going so they could plan more operations against the Banished. From anything that the Banished touch, Samuel tried to put a tracker on it to ensure that his enemy was never going to have a place to hide. Along with infiltrating bases and tagging supplies, Samuel was able to sabotage the communication and allow Emerysen to gather the data she needed to listen in on what the Jiralhanae were planning to do.

Using the equipment he sabotaged, Samuel can find out about a meeting and move into position on Teash where he had the option to assassinate and take out the enemies he found potentially. Moving to a ridge, Samuel was able to overlook the base and see the movement of his enemies. At first, Samuel was able to set up a good sniper position and wait for his target to arrive. Due to the increased security, Samuel knew that the leaders were critical and he needed to hit his shots. He relocated further out for a better chance and spotted for Mathilda as he waited for her to take the shots. On a cloudy day, Samuel spotted each target he needed to assassinate as they moved into an office to discuss what they had in mind. Once the meeting began, Samuel was able to spot the H.V.T.s and then spot for Mathilda as she recorded the two kills at 2,182 meters. With the death of the HVTs, the Banished began to send out patrols and found no one to hold responsible for the end of their liaison. Before the Jiralhanae could find anyone, Samuel pulled off of Teash and returned to ONI safely. "The Banished would be slowed down but not stopped. I wanted to stop them forever, but there were other plans for us."

- Samuel discussing his frustration with being pulled out of the Jiralhanae system.

The success of Operation: NIGHT HUNTER did not come with a full stop of Banished activity, it came with the progress that the Banished are forced to relocate more forces back to the colonies rather than trekking across the Galaxy. The leadership of the Banished was wounded by losing valuable recruitment and supply officers. Samuel’s trackers proved to be helpful, and other Asymmetrical Action teams were launched to take down the enemy combatants that were around them. His emotions of feeling it was a failure were soon replaced with the same feelings he felt during Ealen IV. Focusing on the bigger picture, Samuel was able to conclude that the operation did work out in his favor, it was going to take time. The Banished can be put down like the Insurrectionists, with the help from Samuel and Team Specter, the UNSC was able to put together a much more robust plan to crush them for good. With Samuel's intelligence, ONI began to draft proposals that were going to end the Banished once and for all.

Operation: BLACK WARDEN
Following the  on, the discovery of  and the new enemy called , ONI needed to get teams onto the newly discovered planet. A Forerunner shield world, ONI wanted to learn more about the technology used along with anything else. While the UNSC Infinity docked to get repairs and be retrofitted, Samuel and his team were launched as a small reconnaissance team to go into Requiem and build a network of what needed to be attacked on the Forerunner planet, ranging from H.V.T.s to important technology. Samuel had become extremely dependable as a deep reconnaissance operative and team leader who could communicate valuable information to ONI. Given whatever he wanted, Samuel began to prepare for his mission to go into Reqieum with Team Specter and investigate the area. Ever since and UNSC Infinity left, ONI had been looking for a way to get back in with reliable teams.

Piloting the ONI Into Darkness to the shield world, Samuel was able to arrive with the other teams and began Operation: BLACK WARDEN. Being one of the first teams onto Requiem, Samuel began conducting special reconnaissance on his new targets. Beginning with the task of scouting land for ONI to set up bases, Samuel along with other teams noted specific areas where ONI could set up. Using scout drones and Prowlers as a mean to cover the area faster, Samuel began to set location beacons for ONI to prepare its personnel. Learning about the Prometheans, a and the way that the two forces worked together allowed Samuel to find their flaws and exploit them quickly. Engaging Promethean targets early, Samuel allowed Emerysen to gain insight on how to kill them faster and easier. Creating a formula on how to kill them, Emerysen uploaded the numerous ways Samuel learned how to shoot the Prometheans to other groups that were planning to operate on Requiem.

Along with killing various Prometheans, Samuel was able to gather valuable data on Promethean weapons. Allowing Emerysen to HUD link a and collect more on the weapon system. Testing it out on various other enemies, he allowed her to gather vital information on the gun and how ONI could use its technology shortly. Each weapon system that Samuel tested helped him figure out what he needed to do when engaged with the enemy, helping him get the edge even more. But once he finished with testing, Samuel switched back to his rifles. The weapon testing allowed Emerysen to configure Team Specter shields to better against the weapons their enemy wielded. Testing against the enemy was also tested to see how many bullets it was going to take to kill each enemy. Using a variety of weapons, Samuel was able to work with Mathilda and create a system that counted the number of shots needed to take out each enemy. All of the information was compiled and sent to ONI along with the weapon system information.

Learning of the technology that  was going after, Samuel located a variety of places he could potentially infiltrate into and steal the artifacts before the Sangheili put his hands on them and use it for his advantage. While he planned, the Sangheili was already underway, and Samuel was forced to react to the situation at hand. Launching infiltration missions, Samuel and Mathilda were able to recover various Forerunner artifacts and sent them to a secluded ship above Requiem. Using his stealth and speed, he was able to weave around the search parties that were eagerly hunting for the same objects Samuel had in his hand. Going hand to hand with enemies, Samuel was able to prevent guns from being fired that were going to alert other enemies in the area. Escaping with the artifacts, Samuel was able to prevent the Sangheili from getting what he desired. With ONI able to get their hands on the artifacts, it gave them an edge in the UNSC’s ability to launch more effective campaigns against the enemy.

Beginning to work with another team named Team Skyfall, consisting of two Alpha Company Headhunters, Samuel worked with them to conduct much more effective missions against the new enemies and their factions. With the new team ready to assist, Samuel was uncomfortable when learning that he was going to work with Team Skyfall. He was defensive at first, not wanting to work with others but soon discovered that Emerysen had been assisting them with the information he had been gathering. Slowly but surely, Samuel began to talk with the team leader Elsa-A033 on what needed to be done. Sharing intelligence as well as working together to accomplish many goals on the same base, enhanced Samuel's ability to start working with other people outside of his small circle of trusted people. While he remained timid of talking face to face, he was able to communicate practical information to Team Skyfall and its assets. Not long after, Samuel began to take command of the teams and led four SPARTAN Headhunters across Requiem.

While tracking Covenant leadership, Samuel was able to spot those who played a crucial role in working with the Prometheans. The leaders that were working with the Prometheans took priority over the ones who were working with their species. Seeking the leaders, Samuel wanted to cut off the connection as quickly as he could to prevent any more advancements to the Covenant. The ally that the Covenant was making was much more dangerous, and Samuel wanted to ensure that they never had the chance to solidify the relationship. Working on learning how the leaders were able to communicate with the enemy, Samile tracked them for days before he assassinated them. Working with Team Skyfall, Samuel was able to hand some missions to them that Team Specter was not able to reach in time. Focusing on his targets, Samuel was able to hone his tracking with Mathilda, and they were able to continue their monitoring of the enemies.

Samuel only engaged the enemy when he needed to, which led him to pick his targets and prioritize what needed to be done. The number of enemies that were patrolling and how quickly he could be swarmed, it was best to stick to being quiet and engaging when he needed to. Sticking to stealth and infiltration techniques allowed him to avoid many firefights that could end with his death and the failure of the mission. Increasing his battle IQ, Samuel became someone who was able to predict what the enemy was going to do and move according to the situation. When getting into battles, Samuel was able to use flanking maneuvers to take out the enemy before they could call for help. The speed helped Samuel save ammunition and not run out during battles, saving him time and keeping his accuracy up during firefights. Along with the help from Emerysen, Samuel was able to tilt the favors of each action into his hand and win. He found the enemy much more comfortable to engage, the ones he used to fear are now feared by him.

Operation: BLACK WARDEN was the operation that made the Team Specter one of the best team in the Asymmetrical Action Group. The ability for the team to be dropped off and come back with far more intelligence than ONI had expected them to get, showed that the team could be extremely reliable. The variety of information helped prepared upcoming teams for what they were about to be deployed into, giving them an upper hand before even reaching the planet. Samuel also displayed he can work with other assets to gather much more information, only making him a much better leader. As the UNSC Infinity came into orbit with fresh troops and a new attitude for the planet, Samuel studied how the Covenant factions were reacting and what he needed to do to ensure that the next campaign on Requiem was going to be successful. During the opening hours, Samuel was spotted providing overwatch for an ONI base setting up shop. Not long after, he pulled off the planet with his Prowler and docked with ONI supply ships before heading back down.

Requiem Campaign
With the in its early hours; Team Specter was spotted near  providing security for the contractors that were setting up the base. Once securing the base and letting the security forces take over, Samuel was prepared to move out into the world to pick up where he left off. Not long after, Samuel was given an and told to investigate leads that ONI had been studying since more personnel had begun studying the planet. Samuel was forced to put his missions on hold and began to conduct the ones that ONI had given him. While Spartan Operations took the enemy head-on, Team Specter started to their missions deep behind enemy lines where they continued to learn about the planet and its enemy combatants. He was frustrated with the new tasks and how they were put aside because superiors wanted more results from the campaign. Samuel soon found himself with Team Specter in where they began to track a Covenant leader that they did not know of. "First, I had my missions. About the Covenant leadership structure and what I was planning to do. But the superiors had something else in mind."

- Samuel reflecting on the chain of command before deploying into Sniper Alley.

Sniper Alley suited the name for the missions Samuel began to conduct within the area; he launched multiple sniper strike missions against the Covenant patrols. With the assistance of drones and intelligence from ONI, he was able to pinpoint many locations that he needed to act on. Using his vehicle to move quickly around the alley, Samuel was able to hit numerous targets rapidly without having to spend too much time waiting for his next to appear. Upon hearing that a Jul 'Mdama Lieutenant was in his area of operation, Samuel began to capitalize on the opportunity. Launching multiple raids at night, he was able to find the location of the Lieutenant and end his life quickly. Staying on the enemy and not letting the Lieutenant escape led to the quick death that he was able to give to the enemy. While Spartan Operations showed up to the site later along with other units, Samuel studied the groups as they moved across the area.

While moving back from Sniper Alley, Samuel learned of an attack on Copernicus Base and moved back to deal with the invaders that were pushing onto the base. It was not long since the establishment of the station and Samuel wanted to get back to protect the security forces. The word that Jul 'Mdama was nearby forced Samuel to up the tempo and get back to the base was only more important. Upon arriving, he was able to locate Jul 'Mdama who was retreating on a Phantom. Forces began to wobble out as Samuel began to punch his way through the last that stuck around. Too late, Samuel began to clear out the overran base and secure any information that was not destroyed. While destroying valuable information, Samuel came across and found out that the UNSC Infinity was unaware of an attack had happened on the base. Frustrated with the Infinity and Spartan Operations, Samuel continued to secure the base and its personnel. Not only was he frustrated at ONI, but he was also frustrated at Spartan Operations for their lack of information which led to the death of a Fireteam.

A SPARTAN-IV fireteam named Fireteam Phoenix arrived not long after Samuel secured the area. Already frustrated, Samuel was in no mood to talk with the SPARTAN-IVs that had come and turned his attention to how this attack happened. When investigating what had happened, Samuel learned that the power was cut and the base was not able to get out its backup generators on time to signal for help. Taking his investigations further, Samuel was able to figure out where the Covenant had come from and where he needed to go. After talking with Emerysen and Mathilda, Samuel decided it was best to discuss a plan with the SPARTAN-IV fireteam. Talking with the Fireteam leader, Peter Graver, Samuel informed the SPARTAN of what had happened and what he needed to do. But Fireteam Phoenix decided to stick with Team Specter and move out with them to hunt down whoever gave the word to 'Mdama regarding the research facility. Seeing no harm from taking the team, Samuel allowed the team to tag along, and they began their hunt. Receiving another warthog, the teams moved out to go after the leaders that were responsible for the attack.

Reaching an area called, Samuel began to conduct surveillance and learn of the enemy forces in the area. Splitting into two groups, Samuel was able to gather much more information than he was going to get with just his team alone. Tracking the communication chatter, Samuel was able to figure out that his suspect was in command of the forces that led the attack. Noting that the enemies were close to Copernicus Base, Samuel was able to figure out what had happened. Getting the same information from Fireteam Phoenix, Samuel was able to prepare a plan and bring justice to the dead ONI personnel. Not long after, Team Specter alongside Fireteam Phoenix began to work on taking out the leadership in the region. Mathilda was able to secure the kill on the enemy that had launched the assault, ensuring the revenge for the death of the ONI scientists that were killed while Samuel assassinated a leader that boasted about having the most kills.

While multiple SPARTAN Fireteams were called back to defend the UNSC Infinity, Samuel pushed into an area called the. Fireteam Phoenix stayed with Samuel and continued to investigate anything that Team Specter was going off of. With Fireteam Phoenix staying with them, Samuel was able to conduct many more missions to gather more information about the Covenant. Samuel was able to learn about the Covenant performing archeological digging as well as searching for various artifacts. Taking extensive notes, locating coordinates and the average forces, Samuel compiled a report with Emerysen that was to be sent to others. He relayed the information to other Asymmetrical Action Group teams and continued to conduct missions around the Warrens to find anything else of value. With the arrival of, Team Specter stayed in the shadows as they watched the Fireteam retrieve information Samuel already had. Both Fireteam Phoenix and Team Specter were able to stay one step ahead of the direct action teams by being deployed deeper and further than other units. Samuel continued to lurk in the shadows as his enemy continued to make their patrols.

On an unexpected notice, Requiem was being destroyed, and it forced Samuel to make a hasty retreat to the ONI Into Darkness. Using the Warthogs to race back to the Prowler, Samuel was able to weave his way around debris and keep Mathilda alive as enemy forces continued to chase them. Fireteam Phoenix remained close behind him, Samuel was able to reach the Prowler and took off with the help of Emerysen jumpstarting the engines. Having Mathilda as the lead pilot, Samuel was able to navigate her to safety without crashing into other ships and out of the world before being sucked in. The skills the two developed ever since they been piloting in 2553, they were able to make a safe exit and reach the rest of the UNSC ships that had been outside to watch the destruction of Requiem. Fireteam Phoenix transferred back to the UNSC Infinity, and Samuel got his next assignment. Before leaving, Samuel was thanked by the Fireteam for letting them join him in his missions during the Requiem Campaign. "Reqiuem was destroyed. All of our efforts to find a new Forerunner planet to study went down the drain."

- Samuel thinking on the loss of Requiem and the effect it has.

The Requiem Campaign ended with the destruction of the world, all missions ceased, and there was no longer a planet to study. Leadership and superiors frustrated Samuel to no end, seeing that his mission was changed and deaths of ONI personnel due to scanner mistakes. Aside from all the mistakes, Samuel still came out as a better leader and commando that the Asymmetrical Action Group enjoyed having. Samuel took another step forward working with a SPARTAN-IV fireteam from the Special Reconnaissance Regiment. Having been biased about the SPARTAN-IV program and its members, Samuel was able to tolerate the group he had alongside him. Samuel's ability to establish a base, hunt down Covenant forces and conduct special reconnaissance made him a perfect candidate for being a newly discovered world team. The ability for Samuel to achieve so much in such a little time was unlike anything he had done before. Samuel still felt wrong about the deployment due to the people that were trying to joystick him around to get results.

Operation: GOTHIC ARCANGEL
After Requiem, Samuel was frustrated with the way things went on the Forerunner planet. He wasn't able to voice how things went down on his end and wanted to execute so much more. Despite his best efforts to remain quiet about it, Samuel soon found himself in a new position that was going to give him exactly what he wanted. Team Quantum, better known as Team Q, was Samuel's next team he was going to be placed in command. Working alongside Mathilda-B079, Elsa-A033 and, Winnifred-A296, Samuel was told by his new commanding officer, Vilda Stenbeck, that his new team was going to have the gloves off. His next operation, GOTHIC ARCANGEL focused on an enemy that the UNSC had very little knowledge on, but they were known to be extremely lethal based on second-hand intelligence from the Sangheili. In a deep space reconnaissance mission, the Prowler Corps was able to locate an unknown signal. Team Quantum was called upon and ordered to investigate what was going on with ; it had remained one of the untamed worlds that they were not able to secure for a time. With the dangers and new signal, Samuel and Team Q were more than ready for their first mission together. They left not long after to investigate the area.

Arriving over Erebus VII, Samuel was warned about the wildlife from former (RCT) that had deployed to the planet. Ordering only heavy weapons, Samuel wanted to ensure that anything they hit was going to get hit hard. Gathering information about the wildlife and the enemies he was going to encounter, Samuel requested two ONI for Team Quantum to use while conducting reconnaissance on the planet. With the knowledge of the enemy, Samuel prepared for any fight against the enemy. He also upgraded his armory to the that both Winnifred and Mathilda used, two, and a variety of armor-piercing rounds that he hoped were going to deal with the wildlife. The final piece left on ONI Into Darkness was a, a final plan if all other options failed. Samuel mentally prepared himself never to use the last option, but the wildlife on Erebus VII was going to test Samuel and Team Q. After getting everything they needed, Samuel moved outside of the walls of the ONI base and towards the source of the signal. No longer hunting the Covenant or Forerunner, Samuel was hunting vicious wildlife that his training never informed him about before. What was going to start as a reconnaissance mission was bound to change into an operation that was going to change due to the circumstances.

Pushing out into Erebus VII's forests, the wildlife made sure to introduce itself to Team Q in a quick time. The given the name Zwierzę, meaning beast in Polish, were swift, agile and territorial. Their fast attacks at Team Q were met with quick responses that put down the raging Zwierzę. It didn't take long for Samuel to notice that were many more hunting them, for the first time, Samuel felt he was the prey. Not long after their first contact with the hostile species, waves of enemies came at them, which forced Team Q to move quickly past the hunting grounds that were set up. Using his evasion and escape training, Samuel was able to dodge near misses as Mathilda was able to engage the enemies with her. Multiple enemies continued to try and swarm their position but were pushed back. As Samuel continued to speed forward, he was able to notice many dead RCT operators that had gone dark. Torn to bits by the creatures, Samuel ensured to kill as many as he was able to. Reaching the unknown signal, Samuel dismounted with his team and pushed forward with an M57 Pilum while having his sniper rifle close by. Quickly ambushed by a Sharquoi, he dodged their attack and used his knife to stab the eye of one. Firing one rocket, he was able to witness the enemy recover from the attack and Elsa followed up with hers, and it finally fell. Immediately after seeing the enemy, Samuel prepared to use the nuclear device.

Intending to detonate a nuclear device, Samuel took in collateral damage as well as any species that were going to become extinct. In the meantime of figuring out what the right thing to do, Samuel and Team Q shifted their focus to destroying ONI research bases that were posted throughout the planet. No longer in use due to the dangerous wildlife, Samuel moved around the bases with his Prowler and was able to cut out the danger of transporting via ground vehicle. Along with using the Prowler as a means to move across the area, it was also utilized in a way to take out the bases. Once the ground was secured and there was nothing else of importance to be retrieved, Team Q was able to destroy multiple bases as they continued to weigh out the decision for using a nuclear device on the planet. Transporting across the world, Emerysen was able to scan the planet for the same signal that the Prowler Corps had found and learned that multiple signals were transmitting in the area. Doing a further investigation, they were all confirmed to be Sharquoi, and Samuel quickly pushed for the usage of a more powerful nuclear device. Vilda advocated for the usage of a, a planet killer, but was denied due to the irrelevance of the target. Samuel was forced to use his HAVOK nuclear device and prepared to detonate it over one hive. It didn't stop him from mapping out all the hives that Emerysen was able to find. "Elsa, I need you on the sticks ready to pick us up when this is all over. Winnifred and Mathilda, you shoot anything hot on me as I run down into the hive with the nuke. If all goes to plan, we root out one hive on this planet."

- Samuel discussing his plan with Team Quantum.

Along with destroying the valuable information, Team Q was able to recover the bodies of many missing scientists, contractors, and operators. Gathering anything that resembled their identity, Samuel made sure he was going to return it to Vilda, so she was able to provide closure to the families that had lost close ones on the planet. Wasting no time, Samuel mapped out the territory that the enemy Zwierzę were hostile over. Mapping out the terrain and testing routes, Samuel was able to conclude that there were two Hives he was going to reach before getting swarmed by the enemies. Once inside of the Hive, using their speed and agility, they were going to maneuver their way through the enemies that stood before them to get the nuclear device as rooted as they were able to before leaving. Samuel was going to act as the runner in the mission he planned, using a Gauss Warthog to the best of his ability while two shooters, Winnifred and Mathilda covered him for as long as they were able to. Elsa was going to pilot the Prowler with assistance from Emerysen, so the ground team was able to make an extremely fast exfiltration from the area. All members quickly approved the plan of the team, and they began to prepare for their battle against the Sharquoi and Zwierzę. With one hive down, Samuel knew that he was going to help build a plan against the enemy that was far stronger than anything the UNSC had ever faced before.

Assaulting the Hive, Samuel was able to maneuver his way through hostile territory and towards the target. Arming himself with only an M6H sidearm and a HAVOK nuclear device, Samuel used his speed to get past the patrols and enemies that stood before him. Winnifred and Mathilda learned that shooting them in the back of the head was far more effective than their other tactics. Dodging swings and charges, Samuel was able to reach the center of the hive and armed the tactical nuke after ordering Mathilda and Winnifred out. Throwing a tracker into a tunnel, he allowed Emerysen to track a fleeing Sharquoi as he also fled from the area. Wasting no time, Samuel ran around and over the dead bodies that his shooters had taken care of. Seeing the Prowler, he jumped onto the ramp and allowed Elsa to pull them away in time to not be caught in the nuclear detonation. While the bomb destroyed the Hive and the surrounding vegetation, Samuel learned that the hive he nuked was connected to another. Orders from GORGO delayed Samuel from launching another recon mission; he was ordered back to the UNSC Infinity immediately. Wasting no time, Samuel took the critical information and stored it away for later usage. Leaving Erebus VII, all agreed on ONI Into Darkness that they preferred to deal with the Covenant rather than the Sharqoui and any wildlife. Team Quantum became the first combat team that deployed onto the planet and were able to leave with success. Making it to the Infinity, Samuel learned of the new threat and was caught up on it quickly. "Hunting was done, but we came back to something far different. Colonies were knocked offline, and there was a new enemy that had effectively wiped out almost all structure. We were in a conflict with artifical intelligence, one who claimed they had a responsibility to fulfil."

- Samuel reflecting on the newfound problems after coming back from Erebus VII.

Quickly ordered by an ONI officer to hand over his AI, a standoff ensued between an ONI officer and Samuel. Vilda defused the situation and brought Samuel to a secluded room where she talked to him about what had happened since GOTHIC ARCANGEL. The attacks on colonies due to, going rogue and, creating a new faction called the  was the outline Samuel got. He turned to Emerysen, who informed him that she was rejecting the Created and desired to stay by his side. Vilda took note and ensured that Emerysen was a friendly AI, not an enemy. On the UNSC Infinity, Samuel learned that he was going to be one of many spearhead fights against the Created. Vilda had limited information about the enemy and needed more before she was going to commit Samuel to another mission. Working her contacts, she was able to cast a net over colonies that had been hit as well as others that had not. While Vilda worked on getting a mission for Team Q, Samuel informed his team about what had happened since they left. Getting alone time with Emerysen, Samuel learned that Emerysen was coming to the end of her service. Already pushing seven years, Samuel was worried that she was going to fail him in the worst scenario. Silently agreeing with her to continue using her, Samuel was going to put a -risk AI within his suit and fight the Created until he no longer saw her fit for service.

Occupation of Talitsa
After the attack on by a Guardian Custode, a majority of the colony was knocked offline as  began to contest the ground. Before going offline, an Office of Naval Intelligence outpost required assistance with information about the allies that the Created had. As the Insurrection and Created began to close on the outpost, Team Quantum deployed in efforts to acquire the information that the outpost had. Launching from the ONI Into Darkness, Samuel prepared for his first combat action missions since the. Learning that Earth had been attacked, Samuel wanted to return to protect the fortress world, but Vilda took him that he was needed to hunt down leads to the allies. Once getting a green light, Samuel and his team moved out towards Talitsa. With a plan in mind, Samuel began to prepare for the problems he was going to run into on the planet. Also, with the issues, Samuel was able to learn more about the enemy forces that occupied the area surrounding the outpost he was needed to reach. As Samuel reached the system, he began his approach to the planet. "We're here for our intelligence. We stay away from the Armingers and the Insurrectionists, let them kill one another while we get what we need. We are not here to help them, we are going to get what we need and then get out."

- Samuel explaining what the plan was to Team Quantum.

Reaching Talitsa, Samuel was able to navigate onto the planet without issues from the Guardian and its allies. On the ground, Samuel cut out as much technology as he could to prevent the Guardian and the Armigers from locating him. Once establishing a route to the base, Samuel was able to move out with four M290 Mongooses with no tags. Wanting to be an impossible target to hit and track, Samuel took the lead as he moved the team throughout various routes that were hard for both enemies to gain an idea of where they had gone. Once reaching a desert valley, Samuel observed an Insurrectionists camp being wiped out by the Armigers. Knowing that he was not there to protect them, Samuel used the attack as a means to get around the attacking force without having to engage enemies. Before leaving, he watched as the Created continued to slaughter anything in their path. It made him think about getting to the ONI outpost before it was too late.

Once reaching the outpost, Samuel was able to meet with the officer and his team running the location. The outpost was able to catch a transmission from that indicated the  were embracing the Created and its cause. With the information that he learned, Samuel was prepared to send it off to the UNSC Infinity but stopped due to the fear that the Created was going to trace it. Another issue that Samuel ran into was that there were multiple AIs in the area that were aligned with the Created, he was asked to assist with shutting down the AIs and destroying them to ensure they were not going to support the cause anymore. Knowing that if he did not deal with the AI threat, then, Samuel was bound to have a much harder time moving across the area. With the help of Emerysen, the two began to plan out a way to shut down the AIs without alerting the Armigers on patrol. Once hearing her plan, Samuel dispatched Team Quantum into two elements, and they began their hunt across Talitsa. While they did not plan to do hunt AIs, Emerysen showcased the deadly threats they were if not taken care of promptly.

Samuel moved out with Mathilda, pushing across Talitsa to secure the destruction of various AIs that were aligned with Cortana and the Created. He was able to locate the multiple areas that held AIs but figured out he was not going to get close with his intentions. Emerysen proposed the idea of acting as allies to the Created, seeing there was no other option, Samuel brought Team Quantum back together to take out AIs. Taking his time, Samuel slowly approached the enemies as Emerysen pretended to align with the Created. He was successful in taking out one AI, but it led to a gunfight between the Armigers and Team Quantum. Once Emerysen was successful in killing her enemy, Samuel prepared for moving out to the next enemy. With their plan possibly found out by other AIs, Samuel was able to get his hands on a few which gave him an upper-hand against upcoming AIs. Moving across the valley, Samuel continued to knock out AIs until he found that he did enough to escape without having to watch every corner. Once finished, he returned to the ONI outpost to gather more information about the Unggoy and the alliance.

Making it back to the outpost, Samuel learned that the United Rebel Front had overrun it. He began to destroy all the information around the base that was not already deleted; he came upon a transmission that told him about a United Rebel Front base nearby. Working with Emerysen and the maps he had, Samuel was able to locate the base without too much of a hassle and prepared to move out. It did not take long before he discovered such a base, Samuel disabled the sensors around the area he set up, and Team Quantum prepared for their movement into the camp to rescue the officer. When night came, a rainstorm followed, and Samuel pushed into the base with Elsa. Winnifred and Mathilda covered the two as Samuel caught a guard that Mathilda shot the head off. Once securing the entrance, Elsa went to obtain the officer while Samuel covered her. Upon hearing that the officer was killed, Samuel protected Elsa as she rigged the base to explode. The two extracted and blew the camp up, attracting the attention of the Created giving Team Quantum the perfect cover to escape. After the failed rescue, Samuel prepared to return to the Prowler and retreat to the UNSC Infinity where he planned to go after the Unggoy on their homeworld. "Talitsa was a mess. Insurrection, Created, and ONI personnel was playing a dangerous game. Walking the fine line here is near impossible, we need to stay in the dark for 99% of the time to accomplish the mission. Another routine operation, if you ask me."

- Samuel reflecting on the mess Talitsa once departing the planet.

Upon returning to the ONI Into Darkness, Samuel was able to retrieve gather valuable information that was going to be used to take out an ally to the Created. Team Quantum pulled off of Talitsa not long after and began their return to the UNSC Infinity, Samuel felt that there had to be a way to defeat the Created after killing AIs. Upon returning to the UNSC Infinity, Samuel informed Lieutenant Commander Stenbeck on the information he found. With information about the Unggoy being an ally to the Created, it took some time for Vilda to get the location of the Unggoy homeworld to Samuel. While waiting for the information, Samuel was preparing for another operation that was going to sink him deep into enemy territory. He began to improvise a variety of weapons as well as grab scramble grenades. Samuel wanted anything that was going to give him an advantage against the enemy that seemed never to stop coming. It was not long after that Samuel was given a mission to deploy on.

Before Samuel began his next mission, Emerysen informed Samuel that she was growing worse. Her rampancy began to slow down and worsen Samuel's ability to operate in the field, forcing him to do what needed to be done. Samuel did not want to see his friend suffer; he didn't want her to think herself to death. Making his way to a room, Samuel decided to Emerysen for their own sake. Remembering the, Samuel began the regulation as he prepared to deactivate Emerysen properly. Effectively ending her, Samuel was conflicted with himself; he was sad for the first time since his homeworld was attacked. Vilda saw Samuel standing alone in the room and walked over with his new AI, Spokój. Samuel was able to spend little time mourning the death of his close companion for the past five years; he placed Spokój into his SPARTAN neural interface and quickly went back to work. Walking with Spokój, Samuel got a lay of what she did and how she was going to be a valuable asset to Team Q. After a quick meeting with Team Q on ONI Into Darkness, they all moved out for their next mission.

Personality and Traits
"It's not reality unless it's shared."

- Samuel's personal motto

Before he became a SPARTAN, Samuel was known to be an extraordinarily idealistic and wanderlust individual. Although he was raised with little experience to technology and only speaking Polish, he found that the world he lived on was full of endless possibilities. His parents told him great stories about his ancestors traveling across the Galaxy to find peace and serenity. Growing up to be a farmer, Samuel followed the same path as his father and work with the others in their small community. His friendship with Kalina was setting him in the right direction on where Samuel wanted to go with his life.

After Samuel joined the SPARTAN-III program, he was lost and angry. Forced to do things he did not enjoy, he rebelled against the instructors and got punished for his actions often. Acting on impulse and being short-tempered, he was not someone many enjoyed being around. His actions drove him to be by himself often and never talking to other people. Due to this, he made no friends during his initial training in Beta Company and was incredibly lonely. While many instructors felt that Samuel was to fail and washout, he continued to push on, it took time for him to shift his behavior, but by the end of initial training, it was too late for him to make any friends.

Privately, an instructor worked with Samuel on improving his English and technology skills. The instructor found Samuel in a classroom trying to read when he was supposed to be in bed, instead of punishing him, the instructor stayed. Seeing that he benefited from one-on-one training more, Samuel pushed himself much harder and set records in categories that were nearly impossible to set new records in. Transforming himself into a completely driven and focused individual, Samuel developed into the SPARTAN he was called upon to become. His anger took the backseat, and his drive pushed him through the next day to where he was able to win anything he put his mind towards.

Once graduating from SPARTAN-III training, Samuel had become extraordinarily loyal and dedicated to the UNSC cause. If he wasn't a SPARTAN, Samuel was to be sure dead by now, and there was nothing that he'd do than serve the UNSC. Due to this ultimate devotion to the UNSC, Samuel was willing to go as far as he needed to ensure Humanity and its affiliates are safe. His duty was bound to avenging his parents and those he lost in the little farm community he had come from. With trust embedded into Stephan and the Beta-5 Division, Samuel was willing to do whatever it took to win and continue to fight the Covenant.

Throughout the Human-Covenant War, Samuel displayed unorthodox thinking to many situations, a desire to learn, and the mentality that he must always win. He worked his hardest through the mundane tasks and succeeded in the hardest assignments. One of the extremely few Headhunters to ever come back consistently, Samuel was also one of the few that survived the Human-Covenant War and continued to deploy. Even though Samuel was stuck on Insurrection missions for the majority of the time, he still performed at his best regardless. His ability to keep coming back from suicide missions showcased he was indeed a 1% SPARTAN-III from Beta Company.

In the Post-War Era and Created Crisis, Samuel continued to deploy across the Orion Arm fighting against splinter factions of the Covenant Empire. He was known to be extremely calm and collected leader. Samuel began to work with other people and take in their opinions for him to succeed at the mission he had at hand. With assistance from his AI and expert partner, Samuel was known to be one of the best leaders in the Asymmetrical Action Group. He was able to keep his emotions in check at all time and work at accomplishing the task at hand with his team. Setting aside his dislike for other UNSC units, Samuel was able to grow as a leader and develop traits that only made him a better person.

Early on, Samuel found it extremely hard to communicate with people outside of his group. Being a person that needed to trust others before talking, set him back from collaborating with other teams. Having full trust in Mathilda and Stephan, Samuel knew that he always had someone he could speak to with his walls down. After some time, Samuel began to talk with other people in the field when he was in control of the situation. The two teams he started to become comfortable with were Team Skyfall and Fireteam Phoenix, while Samuel was a lower rank, he was respected among the group as a tactician. It slowly led to him getting a confidence boost that he desperately needed to evolve as a field commander.

Personal Life
Of Polish descent, his heritage belonged to the plains of Poland where his family has worked as farmers, herders and anything that involves agriculture. For centuries, the Gwozdz had been proud farmers that contribute to their society. Mixed with German and Ukraine blood, the Gwozdz spread into New Harmony after being paid by the Polish Government to assist with farming for the colonies. Ever since their migration to New Harmony, they have lived a quiet life and farmed till many were wiped out during the Human-Covenant War.

Samuel is fluent in both Polish and English, he arrived at SPARTAN-III training speaking Polish and needed to learn English. Being a farmer's child and someone who played hide and seek, Samuel could weave his way through high grass fields unlike any other child and lose instructors. Able to read the sun in the sky and what land is good, it allows him to move around an area, how to hide better and what surfaces are safe to step. He is an excellent mine detector, often saving his peers from losing their legs or life.

Previously spending all his time between deployments on ships and whatever base he was to be stationed on, Samuel often shared a room with Mathilda to save space and protect one another against unknown people. Samuel always traveled place to place with Mathilda, allowing him to feel safe with one person he knew. But once they got their mission, Samuel was gone and sent back out. Living around made Samuel want to find one place he could settle down and unwind his mind as he waits for his next mission.

Now, Samuel spends his time at a new base, Beta-5 Division Facility Charlie-7. Ever since 2553, Samuel has resided on Earth where his new home is when he's not deployed. With the vast space and ability to stay away from many unknown people, keeps him comfortable until he is to forward deploy from the UNSC Infinity. On average, Samuel spends two to four weeks at the base on Earth then forward deploys to the Infinity one week before to perfect his skills and be prepared for combat.

Being an active chess player and someone who listens to the sounds of rainstorms with Mathilda, he can keep his mind busy with games as well as relaxed. During chess battles with Mathilda, he will use his AI to assist with a countermove. Often, the two are found competing who could put together the gun quicker and see if it could still operate. Using Samuel's old M6C, the two can use a weapon that they both become extremely used to and the ability to know all aspects of the gun.

Due to continuous deployments, minimal breaks, and his inability to talk to people outside of his circle, he pursues no romantic relationship. His life and energy are focused on his service to the UNSC. Seeing himself as a valued person to the success of the UNSC's mission, he ensures that he is ready for every deployment and mission. Although he did develop feelings for Mathilda early on, he crushed them not long after and focused on developing deep friendships and partnerships where the two come back all the time.

Beliefs
Undergoing his training as a SPARTAN-III candidate, Samuel began to learn about the many religions Humanity had and took a strong liking into Zen Buddhism. He found the practice of Zen Buddhism a way to calm himself and clear his mind of thought through meditation. Before making crucial decisions in the field, Samuel was able to calm himself to a point where his adrenaline was not going to make the decision he had in mind. In many stressful situations, Samuel had found himself using Zen Buddhism to calm himself down before reacting to what is going on in front of him.

Along with the practicing of Zen Buddhism, Samuel took on the philosophical belief known as Stoicism. Working with Stephan and taking the teaching learned, Samuel began to transform his mindset into a thought of doing without the fear of pain and the desire of pleasure. Early on, Samuel was dreading for revenge against his enemy, and it hurt him more than help. With the philosophical belief of stoicism, Samuel began to develop the trait of being "stoic calm" which helped him make the best decisions during the times where they were no right decisions.

Being the leader of a Headhunter Team and deploying behind enemy lines, Samuel learned to tell himself the truth regardless of how adverse the outcomes were. He developed a sense of realism when developing a plan, thinking through each issue at hand and what each realistic outcome was. Being completely honest with himself and his partner, Samuel was able to face the hard reality of his decisions if they were to fail. Known to be a borderline pessimist, Samuel continued to show optimism, but the majority of his missions were planned with realism in his mind of what was going to happen if they were going to fail or succeed.

Alien Species
Losing his parents to the Covenant Empire, Samuel shared the same hatred towards alien species. He hated the Jiralhanae the most, due to the species torturing his friend and commanding officer. As he began to mature and change his hate into motivation, Samuel developed as someone who was not going to lose his control when battling against the Covenant Empire. He still holds intense hatred towards the Jiralhanae but does not allow it to cloud his thinking when needing to decide on the field. Seeing the Jiralhanae as an enemy that needs to be kept at bay, Samuel continues to use the necessary tactics that keep the savages from lashing out against humanity.

The Sangheili is another species that he is growing to accept slowly, it will take decades before he can even trust them, but Samuel still has his reasons to hate them. Throughout the Human-Covenant War, Samuel came across a variety of Sangheili and executed them as they preached the Great Journey. During the Fall of Reach, Samuel watched as Sangheilis killed innocent civilians fleeing from a war they were not to get involved. As a species which claims they have honor, stabbing a woman in the back as she protects her child struck Samuel wrong, and he continued to assault the enemy Sangheili.

With the quick trust embedded into the Sangheili, Samuel refused to be around humans who accepted their newfound ally so quickly. While many humans claimed Glyke was a war crime, Samuel found them insane since the Sangheili glassed many more planets and killed billions. Many people around the Office of Naval Intelligence suddenly changed their thinking against the Sangheili, but Samuel remained firm to his beliefs. Often, Samuel never said Sangheili and used derogatory terms to ensure they were always below him.

In recent years, the Swords of Sanghelios had become the group of Sangheili that have a treaty with the UNSC. Samuel does acknowledge there is a treaty but he refuses to accept it is a valid concept. Keeping his eye on the Swords of Sanghelios, Samuel was always ready to go to battle against them. However, he often kept Mathilda at bay and ensured that the alliance was not ruined by Mathilda assassinating every single Sangheili she saw. He usually kept extreme distances from them to ensure there was never a conflict between the two species.

Spartan Operations
Throughout the Post-War Era, Samuel had his issues with Spartan Operations and its counterparts. Early on, he felt that Spartan Operations and the SPARTAN-IV program were never going to be able to do the same things that the SPARTAN-II and SPARTAN-III programs were able to do. Many of the field officers and commanders were former enlisted soldiers who did not have the command experience and were being thrust into the new leadership role. Fireteams became a hassle to deal with for Samuel due to the mixing of branches and their ideas. With too many opinions, morals and beliefs floating out, Samuel felt that SPARTAN-IVs were not capable of doing what was needed to win.

Often Samuel found himself struggling to accept SPARTAN-IVs due to their blind trust into some Sangheili. Meanwhile, Samuel also lashed out at various SPARTANs who made remarks about the SPARTAN-III program and anyone in Beta Company. While he didn't make friends or enjoy the people in his training class, Samuel knew that each one of those soldiers from Beta Company died doing their duty. He joined Mathilda in a cell after attacking a Fireteam of SPARTAN-IVs due to what they said about Beta Company. While Samuel did work with SPARTAN-IVs during the Requiem Campaign, he tries his best to stay away from the group as much as he can.

During the Requiem Campaign, Samuel gave up on believing in Spartan Operations following the invasion of Copernicus Base and the death of ONI officers. While a six personnel SPARTAN-IV team was killed, Samuel learned that the UNSC Infinity did not catch the advancement of forces on the ONI research base. Running into Fireteam Phoenix who was apart of the Special Reconnaissance Regiment, Samuel did not want to work with them but decided to have them tag along. After his time working with Fireteam Phoenix, Samuel began to work more with the leader due to his thinking and ideas. While Samuel still stood firm on his beliefs about Spartan Operations, the Special Reconnaissance Regiment was one section he was willing to work with.

Mathilda-B079
Mathilda-B079 is Samuel's second-in-command and closest companion; she is known as Specter 0-2 and the designated shooter for Team Specter. Samuel met Mathilda in a fashion that he never expected; she was the child that bullied him throughout Beta Company Training. Samuel was frustrated and ultimately scared away from Team Tango due to the treatment he got from Mathilda. As Mathilda grew more violent towards Samuel, he refused to retaliate against her. Samuel knew that he was a better soldier and SPARTAN than she was, the anger being lashed out on him was not his fault, and all he had to do was find ways to avoid it. During his time of training with Team Tango, Samuel never reported Mathilda and used her means of bullying to harden himself. When she learned that her attempts were failing, she tried other brutal methods. By that time, Mathilda was pulled out of Team Tango, and Samuel was already an outcast in the Beta Company.

The two were ultimately put back together in 2545 after the Office of Naval Intelligence felt that it was a good fit for the two. Samuel was furious; he was to work with a person that tried to kill and hurt him more times than he was able to count on one hand. He pressed the Office of Naval Intelligence to change his partner, but they told him that she was his partner. Frustrated, Samuel decided to talk with Mathilda because he had no other option. During their discussions, Mathilda went back in her memory and apologized for each action she did to him. Samuel did accept the apologies but continued to hold her back due to the fear that she was going to lash out at him. As time pressed on, Samuel began to trust Mathilda slowly. During training exercises, he found that Mathilda was following his orders with no complaining or backlash. Samuel ultimately decided to trust her more after he allowed her to rename Team Tango-II to Team Specter, their Headhunter Team name.

Early in their combat operations together, Samuel noticed that Mathilda was far better at specific tasks than he was. At a slow pace, Samuel began to give much more abstract tasks to Mathilda. He wanted her to feel apart of the team, and the success brought about. At the end of each mission, he often told her that it was a joint effort that they were able to win. Throughout their time as a Headhunter Team in the Human-Covenant War, Samuel began to build much more trust with her. They talked about their lives before the Human-Covenant War, what they loved to do, and how they planned to seek revenge on the Covenant Empire. During a Covenant Operation, Samuel let Mathilda secure the first Covenant kill for Team Specter. It was a small gesture that went a long way, Samuel was able to give Mathilda the taste of revenge she desperately wanted while he figured out a way to unleash Mathilda.

In the final years of the Human-Covenant War, Samuel was extremely close with Mathilda. He viewed her as the friend he had back on New Harmony, Kalina. He had a profound sense of trust embedded in the relationship they shared during combat and mission rotations. Their chemistry was unlike anything they had ever expected, and they were coming back from missions better than ever before. Due to their ability to trust one another in the field, Samuel felt extremely safe with her by his side. Not wondering if she was going to kill him, Samuel was more concerned how many times she was going to save him. While Mathilda's anger still caused her to snap at him during planning, she was able to keep a level head thanks to him. Without one another, they both knew that they would not be alive.

The Post-War Era was a time of different operations for the two. Samuel was given a Smart-AI while Mathilda learned to pilot a Prowler. Mathilda felt extremely jealous that Samuel was given an AI despite his desire to share the new team member with her. It did not take long for Samuel to notice her jealousy, he confronted her about the emotions and told her that no one was going to take her away from him. Mathilda began to see him as someone that was always going to protect her; he proved that during their mission on Carrow. Samuel was able to calm Mathilda down after hearing that the Swords of Sanghelios were going to operate alongside them. Her jealously quickly went away, and Mathilda soon found the Smart AI an instrumental asset to Team Specter's success in the field.

In the early months of the Created Crisis, Samuel found Mathilda by his side when he told her that his Smart AI was going to stay with him. Seeing that Mathilda valued the relationship, he had with Emerysen showed Samuel that she was the second-in-command he always needed. While battling the Created, Samuel continued to let her lead raids due to her ability to take on other tasks far better than before. Since they had been operating together for over thirteen years, Samuel has found Mathilda to be the only person he can deploy into the field with. Since Samuel is known to be an extremely shy and timid person, Mathilda is the only one who can see him fully. There is no doubt in his mind that Mathilda will always be ready to deploy with him wherever they go.

Stephan Ferguson
Stephan Ferguson, known as Specter 0-0 and had the callsign BLACK SHEEP, is the former handler and commanding officer for Team Specter. A former Air Force intelligence officer, Stephan was recruited into the Office of Naval Intelligence and worked as a handler for Team Specter. He was an outcast among his peers, someone that was not welcomed due to being from the Air Force and desire always to find something. His Headhunter mission handling came when Team Specter was formed, and it was off to a rough start. Meeting Petty Officer Third Class Samuel-B256, Stephan was forced to cool the head of the angered Spartan due to being paired with the girl that bullied him. Stephan tried to work with Samuel on getting a new partner but failed when the Office of Naval Intelligence shut him down. With no other option, Stephan began to work with Samuel on creating a bridge of communication with Mathilda-B079. His efforts helped, Samuel, started to talk with Mathilda and form a relationship.

In the early years of Team Specter's missions, Stephan began to focus on building up Samuel and his leadership. Since Stephan was not able to see Samuel after each mission, he left important notes about how to improve Samuel's leadership capability. As time went on, Stephan began to let go of Samuel. Him letting go, allowed Stephan to witness the growth and maturity of Samuel as a Headhunter leader. As Stephan started to let go more, Samuel saw it as an opportunity to prove himself as a leader to his commanding officer. By the time that Stephan let go of Samuel entirely, he watched his Headhunter team transform into an extremely lethal asset that was still being launched against Insurrection targets. Luckily, Stephan was able to find a Covenant mission that he assigned to Team Specter. Seeing the Covenant pop up, Samuel knew that Stephan worked hard for this mission and made sure that he was hugely successful.

In the final years of the Human-Covenant War, Stephan worked as a recognized officer within the Asymmetrical Action Group. His attempts to bring Team Specter in failed, the Office of Naval Intelligence blocked them each time. Regardless, Stephan refused to let go of the team due to the trust he saw that Samuel had in him. During the Fall of Reach, Stephan was present on SWORD Base where he worked as a field officer coordinating targets for Team Specter. When Reach fell, Stephan prepared other plans for Team Specter that he wanted Samuel to accomplish. Making their way to Teash, Samuel protested the decision of having Stephan join them. Being a stupid officer with no field training, Stephan joined them and was soon captured by the Jiralhanae. With luck, Samuel was able to recover his commanding officer and save his life. Due to the action, Stephan owes his life to Samuel.

In the Post-War Era, Stephan and Samuel saw each other as equal. Stephan saw Samuel as the SPARTAN who saved his life while Samuel sees him as the commanding officer he has full trust in. With Stephan's help, Samuel was able to bring Team Specter into the Asymmetrical Action Group where he began to deploy as a Specialized Skills Team. Stephan made a promise to Samuel that he was going to give him as many Covenant based operations as he could. During Carrow, Stephan was able to rework an entire mission due to the complaints that Samuel brought to him. Many officers protested the decision Stephan made, but he knew it was the right one to see the best product from Samuel. It didn't take long for Stephan to see Samuel as a son he was guiding through his military career. The relationship remained close between the two even as Stephan rose up through the ranks in the Office of Naval Intelligence.

Stephan last saw Samuel before turning him over to Team Quantum and Vilda Stenbeck. In October of 2558, Stephan was killed in Sydney, on Earth during the Subjugation of Earth. Samuel was in the dark about the death of Stephan for quite some time; Samuel thought his mentor and long-time friend was operating on Earth alongside other forces that were battling against the Created. In early 2559, Samuel learned about the death of Commander Stephan Ferguson and was furious at Vilda Stenbeck for hiding his death. It took time for Samuel to understand that his mentor was killed after all they had gone through. Frustrated that the Created has stolen so much from him in such a short time, Samuel began to build up his desire to go back out on another mission. Samuel took each lesson that was taught to him by Stephan and began to use them to his advantage in the field when fighting. It didn't take long for Samuel to get his next mission, looking for the targets that had assisted with the attack on Earth that killed his close friend. Upon the end of the Created Crisis, Samuel found Stephan's name on ONI's Memorial Wall that had been erected at a new site.

Emerysen
Emerysen, a UNSC, and ONI Smart Artifical Intelligence is assigned to Team Specter. She is a companion to Samuel-B256, residing as the Team's intelligence specialist and Samuel's advisor. Emerysen is a UNSC tactical AI that can assist Team Specter in various military missions while they are deployed deep behind enemy lines. The addition of a Smart AI to Team Specter brought stress and jealously to the members already in the team. Mathilda-B079 felt she was being replaced by the quicker AI, when in fact that was never going to happen. Since Emerysen is an AI that works with an elite team, her capabilities stretch to what seems forever. She has become an instrumental asset to the success of Team Specter in the field.

Joining Team Specter in 2553, Emerysen was able to experience what it was like to work with an elite Headhunter Team. Samuel welcomed the AI due to her ability to flood his mind with knowledge and information he did not know before. It reminded him of his mother in a way, how she always told stories about where humanity came from and where they were. Emerysen was able to notice that Samuel saw her different than the others, making sure that she was always safe when being transported around inside of his head. While Samuel valued the relationship with artificial intelligence, he had to figure out a way to win the mind of his jealous teammate. Emerysen knew that Mathilda grew to be an essential person to him; she was able to offer advice on how to diffuse the situation he was currently stuck in. With help from Emerysen, Samuel was able to solve the troubling emotions that Mathilda was having for the AI inside of Samuel's head.

Throughout the Post-War Era, Emerysen helped Samuel with several tasks. She taught him how to pilot a Prowler, various ways to use Covenant technology against the users, and the dangers of Forerunner technology. As a battlefield manager, Emerysen was able to offer ways to get the upper hand on the enemy during firefights as well as inform Samuel about enemy radio chatter. It took time for Samuel to get used to two people telling him what he was able to do. Samuel began to build trust in Emerysen during his missions on Carrow, seeing that she was right based on analytical data and reasoning, but still resorted to Mathilda's advice. It did not take him long to combine the two, leading to much more operational success due to the combination of their ideas put together to create a plan. Emerysen was able to see that Samuel was confident in both of their abilities; he never played favorites at the time and wanted to have the best plan for everyone to come home alive.

In the waking months of the Created Crisis, Emerysen was able to detect there was a problem with the AIs across the Orion Arm. When Cortana came out and called for AIs to join her, Emerysen noted the fear in Samuel's voice. While she was able to understand the concern, she knew that Samuel had developed a lot of trust for her since they began working together. Samuel never had someone betray him before, he lost people but never been betrayed, if Emerysen were to be the first to betray him; she was bound to be deleted by the person she cared for. She ultimately rejected Cortana's calling and stayed with Samuel, feeling that her job was better suited as his companion and asset rather than a rogue AI that wanted to be deleted by him. Samuel found Emerysen by his side as he continued to battle against the Created forces wherever they went.

Team Quantum
The newly created Team Quantum is the new team that Samuel-B256 operates out of. The combination of Team Specter and Team Skyfall was thought out by Captain Niklas Gronseth and Commander Stephan Ferguson. Samuel already worked with the assets in Team Skyfall during Operation: BLACK WARDEN, making the transition easier for him and his partner, Mathilda. They joined Elsa-A033 and Winnifred-A296, who were also Specialized Skills Operatives for the Asymmetrical Action Group. Samuel being the shy person he was, struggled at first when communicating with Elsa and Winnifred. He overcame the fear of practicing his line of thought with Mathilda, and from there, Samuel began to come out of his shyness and become the leader he was for Team Specter.

Already apart of the team were Mathilda-B079 and Emerysen, he was able to keep a steady foundation of people he found trustworthy in the new team. As the element leader of Quantum Team - Beta, Samuel was able to continue work with his trusted companions. Instinctively, he found himself spotting and taking advice from her. It took time for him to get used to working with other people, but he was able to adapt and develop from his previous position. Mathilda played a crucial role in getting Samuel talking to Elsa and Winnifred, she still remains extremely protective of him both in and out of combat. As Team Quantum continued to develop, Samuel found Mathilda being one of his strongest supporters when it came to developing plans she knew would work.

The former team leader of Team Skyfall, Elsa-A033 was one of the hardest people that Samuel had approaching with the creation of Team Quantum. The Chief Petty Officer was the designated element leader for Team Quantum - Alpha, the two shared the same mindset, but she was far older than him. Her experience outweighed Samuel's, but she was prepared to work with Samuel. Slowly but surely, Samuel began to work up his confidence and the two began to collaborate on how to conduct their operations. Once Samuel became comfortable with Elsa, the two began to work together a lot more often on planning. With Samuel's ability to develop plans while Elsa was able to bring in every idea she was able to think of. With the ability for Samuel to work closely with Elsa, the range of Team Quantum's operations spanned far longer than Samuel was able to even comprehend.

Once getting comfortable with Elsa, Samuel became far more comfortable working with Winnifred-A296. Another Chief Petty Officer, Winnifred was able to become close friends with Mathilda due to their elite marksmanship. As Samuel continued to work with Elsa, Winnifred began to approach Samuel but only met an extremely shy person. With word from Elsa to take it slow, Winnifred took her time to warm up to Samuel. After Samuel began working with Elsa, Winnifred soon saw that he was talking to her. As the marksman for Team Quantum - Alpha, Winnifred was able to embed her trust in Samuel through his success on Operation: BLACK WARDEN. With the confidence already embedded, Samuel found it quite easy to work with Winnifred on either side of the field.

Appearances
Non-Canon


 * Survival Of The Fittest S07 - 2019

Novels


 * Halo: Second Contact (TPF) - 2557 to 2558

Short Stories


 * Halo: Forerunner Tomahawks (TPF) - 2557
 * Halo: Last to Fall (TPF) - 2553
 * Halo: The Black Sheep (TPF) - 2545
 * Officer Entanglement (TPF) - 2591
 * Quality Friend Time (TPF) - 2554


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