Andra-D054

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Andra-D054, better known as Andra Kearsarge to her assosiates and born Andra Kearsarge Bradford, is a former commando recruited and trained by the conspiring  program, the DELTA Initiative. Under their tutelage, Andra became part of SPARTAN-III Delta Company and was assigned to Team Boson, a Delta Company training unit that would become her new family and home.

Originally born on in, Andra escaped death by mere months through her Spartan recruitment when her home planet was caught up in a  that decimated its population centers in. Before joining Delta Company however, Andra was emotionally-crushed by the physical torment and abuse from her suicidal, late father who was impaired by mind-altering drugs and alcohol following the death of his wife at the. Orphaned and broken in, Andra entered training and was immiedately beset by obstacles including unyielding instructors, distant peers, and persistant depression. Andra struggled in her new environment, nearly washing-out of Delta Company on several occasions; considerable responsibility for her abismal performance was attributed to the selective mutism she developed after her father's abuse. Assisted by a group of supporting figures, including a particularly close friendship with Merlin-D032, she began a slow recovery. By, Andra was an unmatched sharpshooter and showing a beginner's knack for explosives-handling. Even though she was a partial-mute, Andra had bounced back, and following graduation, was transferred to the for further training with the rest of Team Boson, now being groomed to be a  under Kyser Duceppe, sanctioned by  with assistance from SPARTAN-III Gamma Company special, VIOLET-III.

After qualifying, Ferret Team Boson mostly handled missions, staying close to the heart of the and the  which was very unusual compared to their fellow Delta Company graduates who were kept to expeditionary roles in the. In late, Team Boson fractured for unseemly reasons and sent rogue members running for deep space. With only a and only Merlin-D032 at her side, Andra was reassigned to the Headhunter unit, Team Massachusetts. The in full swing, Andra and Merlin now struggle to find the purpose and drive to fight  that has already won their war.

The Military Brat
"Umm. My dad was in Signals Intelligence. My mom served in the as a combat medic. I think our family went back several generations on but I don’t know much beyond that."

- Andra-D054 describing her past to Merlin-D032.

Spartan Evaluation
"She's like a fragile little doll. She's got talent but that shit-poor motivation is going to wash her out. Maybe she'll make it through, dunno. That's for her to decide."

- A grilling assessment of Andra-D054 by one of her drill instructors on Argus V.


 * FULL NAME: BRADFORD, ANDRA KEARSARGE
 * SERVICE #: D054
 * UNIT: NAVSPECWAR/SPARTAN-III DELTA COMPANY/CABIN 005
 * ENLISTMENT DATE: 04/24/2552
 * LOCATION: JADE HOPE YOUTH TREATMENT CENTER
 * STATUS: ACQUIRED
 * GENDER: FEMALE
 * BIRTPLACE: ENFIELD, SIGMA OCTANUS IV
 * BIRTH DATE: 11/06/2545

Physical Appearance
"And you're sure she's a Spartan? She looks like a skeleton."

- Major Kyser Ducepte commenting on Andra-D054's physique.

Merlin-D032
"We’re best friends. I’ll always have your back."

- Merlin-D032 reassuring Andra-D054 that he'd stand by her.

Andra and Merlin first became acquaintances during the days following the arrival of Delta Company's initial batch of recruits on Argus V. Compared to their future partnership, their introduction did not begin on a positive note and escalated into a wrestling brawl triggered by Merlin's naive and overbearing curiosity. While the first of many fights between Delta Company recruits, the duo's clash would help mellow out their misunderstandings and establish a friendship to last. When Andra arrived on Argus V, she was plagued by the lasting nightmares of her father's abuse and eventual suicide. Merlin's friendship played a healing role for Andra, providing her with a friend she could steadily rely on for comfort and support.

Merlin and Andra struggled together through the training of SPARTAN-III Delta Company, nearly washing out on several occasions. While Merlin was a decent recruit among the Spartan hopefuls, his continued friendship with Andra-D054 cost Merlin his chance to stand out among his peers. The drill instructors took special note of the two's budding relationship and tried to divide them up in hopes of shaking their overreliance of one another. As time went on, Merlin started to rely on Andra in his own way, using her as a voice of reason and calm away from the hostilities he encountered on all sides. Even when briefly split between Spartan training teams Boson and Anion, the separation did little to break their habitual co-dependency of one another.

Even after being assigned permanently together to Team Boson, Merlin, and Andra were exceptionally close, having a friendship even more privy within to their "new family." Their close proximity over four years of training helped to cement their friendship while also building on it further in more unorthodox ways. Merlin's relationship with Andra is one based on mutual trust and commitment to each other's well being; vocally, they've described each other as their "best friend." Even as best friends, Merlin and Andra's relationship is not quite platonic as hints of romantic feelings have surfaced between them. The lack of social maturation as Spartans previously prevented deeper ties though exposure to civilian life has certainly changed that.

While on combat assignment, Andra is assisted by Merlin as her spotter in their hunter-killer marksman team. She shoots, Merlin spots targets. Merlin's talents for land navigation and scouting further augments Andras's capabilities to eliminate targets. Together, they received some of the highest shooting marks in the entirety of Camp Ambrose and SPARTAN-III Delta Company. When their team fractured towards the end of, Andra, and Merlin stuck fast to one another and began training to become a Headhunter team.

Joshua-G024
"Josh? Uhh...what can I say about him? He's a great Spartan, a great teacher...he's an ass to Merlin. I think he's a good guy but...I think he might be more messed up in the head than I've ever been..."

- Andra-D054 describing Joshua-G024 to Major Kyser Duceppe.

The relationship between mentor and student has always been strained in the case of Joshua-G024 and Andra-D054. First meeting aboard the in late, Joshua-G024 was the leader of Fireteam Xiphos and a member of the , VIOLET-III. In contrast, Andra just graduated from SPARTAN-III Delta Company weeks before and was only beginning to learn how the galaxy had changed since she became a Spartan. Josh would be one of the first individuals to introduce her to.

Joshua was from the bloodied SPARTAN-III Gamma Company and experienced his, becoming disillusioned with. That said, there were a number of similarities between the two Spartans that caught Josh's attention enough that he took the young girl under his wing. Upon reading Andra's declassified personnel file, he found striking similarities to his own experiences before becoming a Spartan including losing his parents at an early age to drug addiction. Also detecting the same latent talents seen by ONI during her recruitment into Delta Company, Josh saw Andra as a kindred soul and a Spartan with wasted talents.

Imparting his knowledge and experience to Andra, Josh applied a greater focus on combat tactics, close-quarters fighting, and expanding on her insurgent-like fighting style in an attempt to cover up her shortcomings. Andra greatly flourished and enjoyed the tutoring she was provided, however, her opinion of Josh was one of apprehensive appreciation. On one side, he greatly improved and expanded on her combat prowess and intelligence, on the other, his blunt attempts to pass on his worldview and recruit her into VIOLET-III continued to frustrate Andra. His vocal dislike of Andra's best friend, Merlin-D032, and his continued cynicism about the life of a Spartan did not earn him goodwill with her.

Even divided by an age difference of eight years, the two Spartans were relatively close, like that of close friends. To Andra, Joshua played a brief but positive and lasting role in her life, teaching her the skills needed to survive in the post-Covenant War era and the that followed. Upon learning of his death in late from his teammate, Amy-G094, Andra mourned his passing and wished she had the chance to tell him how much his lessons and friendship meant to her. She continues to feel a mild-regret toward him, having missed an opportunity to at least say goodbye.

Reyna Zhou-Romero
"You were selected for a reason, Andra. You may not believe yourself to be strong, but you are. I believe you are. You just don't know it for yourself yet. Let us show you – join our program and become a Spartan."

- Dr. Reyna Zhou-Romero recruiting Andra-D054 into Delta Company.

Team Boson
"If I cannot bend the will of Heaven, I will move Hell."

- English translation of Virgil's Aeneid, book VII.312, quoting Hera, queen of Mt. Olympus. Unit Motto of Team Boson.

Appearances

 * Delta's Path
 * Halo: Corporeal Delta

Development Notes
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Biography
"Andra was born to military parents, not quite impressive, however, her genetic profile is a goldmine of opportunity. Her case as an orphan is shockingly tragic - the death of her mother, the abuse and eventual suicide of her father shattered any resolve in Andra's mind. Her fragile mental state makes her one of the worst candidates we've considered for Delta Company. Beyond her improbable mental state, her athletic background is appealing with a visible talent for swimming and track. What she's capable of remains an unknown, and any attempt to push the girl was halted due to fear of causing her to become further uncooperative. Even with all the cards stacked against her, she showed an interest in becoming a Spartan. I find myself, while apprehensive, willing to give Andra a chance."

- Remarks about Andra-D054 by Dr. Romero. 2552.

Personality & Traits
"There's no feeling worse in the world than losing your family. It's happened to me twice now. Honestly, I don't know what to do."

- Andra-D054 reflecting on the collapse of Team Boson. 2558.

Relationships

 * Merlin-D032

Andra and Merlin were first made acquaintances during the early days following the first batch of Delta Company recruits arriving on Argus V. Their friendship didn't begin as such, the first time they talked ended up in an aggressive wrestling match, one of the first of its kind between Spartan recruits. The tussle ended relatively fast and resolved itself. The two children were left to themselves to resolve the clash of personalities that blossomed into a friendship. Andra, upon arriving on Argus V, was still reeling and dealing with the tumulous emotions brought on by the death of her mother, the abuse from her father, and her father's eventual suicide. These horrid circumstances would plague Andra's ability to function as a Spartan recruit early in her training, however, her early friendship with Merlin-D032 would assist in bringing her out of her shell and moving past her grief.

By the time Induction rolled around, the two recruits were inseparable and attempts were made to separate the two Spartans to no avail. Andra was temporarily assigned to the lower-ranked team of Team Anion to replace the team's designated marksman, Shima-D011. After a continued struggle to bring out any change in Andra that could prove positive, Andra was returned to her original team, Team Boson.

Andra struggled to get along with the other Spartans in Delta Company, managing only to trust the members of her team and pretty much no one else. Andra and Merlin would be made a Hunter-Killer Team duo, later on, emphasizing the two's compatibility and ability to work as a team. This close proximity between the two Spartans has created some unorthodox emotional ties between Merlin and Andra. Easily each other's best friend among the Spartans, Merlin's relationship with Andra is one based on mutual trust and commitment to each other's well being. Not quite platonic in nature, their friendship has never descended into a romantic direction - caused directly by a lack of understanding of their own feelings and a lack of active discussion along with a lack of education in the concept as Spartan supersoldiers.

Being teammates and both qualified shooters, Andra is assisted by Merlin as her spotter in their Hunter-Killer team duo. She shoots, Merlin spots targets. Merlin's talents for Land Navigation and Scouting further augments the Andras's capabilities to eliminate targets. Together, they have some of the highest shooting marks in the entirety of Camp Ambrose and Delta Company. When both Spartans went rogue with the rest of their team, Merlin and Andra stuck to one another when the team fragmented and have since been wandering the colonized frontier as close allies.


 * Team Boson

Fictional Appearances
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 * Delta's Path
 * Born Fighters
 * Midwest Heist
 * Familiarization Course
 * Good Game