Samuel-B256 (TPF)

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"SPARTAN-B256 will be a unique asset for the Asymmetrical Action Group. A Beta Company Headhunter that made it through the Human-Covenant War with his team, wants to destroy the Covenant and can think quick on his feet. If he was to become a Ferret, you might as throw him away since he will be of no use to you and your Ferrets. Let me take him to the Asymmetrical Action Group, and you will see the results you want."

- Lieutenant Commander Stephan Ferguson talking to Rear Admiral.

Samuel-B256 (SPARTAN Tag: B256) (Callsign: Quantum 0-1) is a that works for the UNSC Navy and Office of Naval Intelligence. 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.

Throughout the and  and, Samuel deploys with Mathilda-B079 where the two continue hunting down crucial Covenant activity around occupied planets. After being recruited into the Asymmetrical Action Group by his commanding officer, Samuel led Team Specter across the until early 2558. He took command of the newly created Team Quantum in the summer of 2558. He remains as one of the last few Beta Company SPARTANs that still operates in the field.

Early Life
Samuel Jurek Gwozdz was born on May 17th, 2530 to Juri and Odeta Gwozdz. Being the son of a farmer, Samuel was raised in a tight household with his parents. At a young age, Samuel learned the life of a farmer and what steps he needed to take to be a successful one in the future. Due to their location on New Harmony, Samuel was disconnected from the rest of the planet and anything that was happening. He was out of touch with technology and homeschooled by his mother. His life was destined to become a farmer, and Samuel was to produce for New Harmony and the population. Though it hurt him in the years coming, Samuel loved his time where he was told stories, and his mind could create whatever he wanted to believe.

While being in rural areas, Samuel had limited exposure to other children and became timid meeting new people. Growing anxious, he was nervous and reticent when people tried talking to him. He decided to stay with his parents than play with someone else, which reinforced the idea not too long after Samuel was made fun of by a nearby child. Returning home to his parents, they found him crying and not wanting to play with anybody else. Being an only child, his parents began to formulate a plan that helped him play with other children. His mother slowly worked on rebuilding his confidence with the neighbor's daughter named Kalina. He was extremely defensive and hostile until the two began to become better friends. "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.

As the two became close friends, Samuel began to protect her. Asking his father on how to fight, he was scolded for asking such a thing but later learned a few moves that helped him get the upper hand if he ever got into a fight. Samuel often watched as people walked onto their property and saw his father defend it, he figured out that his father was the protector of the family and Samuel wanted to be like him. Sharing books and talking about everything, Samuel and Kalina began to trust each other more than ever before. The parents of the two children were happy, hoping that the friendship developed into a long marriage and living on the legacy of farming that their ancestors previously carried for centuries. For Samuel, he was happy to have one friend that did not laugh at him in a mean way. "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.

When the arrived on an early morning in, Samuel was unaware of what was going on as many aircraft were swarming around the land. His father prepared himself with a large gun while his mother instructed him to go to his best hiding spot. Getting a hug from his mother, Samuel was told to run out the backdoor. Hearing a loud boom as he scurried out of the house, he ran into a shed where he made himself a makeshift bunker and waited for his mother to find him. As he heard weird voices and loud thuds, Samuel heard two shots from a gun followed with numerous others. More screams and cries filled the air as he put his head between his knees and closed his eyes thinking it was all a bad dream. He remained in the makeshift bunker for the rest of the morning.

Growing hungry and thirsty by the afternoon, Samuel left his hideout to get food and water. As he walked around his farm, the land was destroyed and littered with bodies. Samuel began to notice people and did not understand why they weren't responding to him. Seeing his home on fire and burning down, Samuel went to investigate what happened and where his parents went. A group of soldiers stumbled upon the farmhouse and located Samuel looking for his mother. An ODST sniper picked up Samuel and held him as two ODST searched the burning house. An ODST noticed a man and woman with plasma wounds to their body. Upon leaving the house, Samuel asked the ODST if his parents were ok and the ODST did not know what to say. The Sniper carried Samuel as they moved back to an evacuation area.

Being carried back to a city, Samuel also didn't know what happened to Kalina and needed to find out about her. He tried to break free of the ODST's grip and failed numerous times. Still, Samuel fought against the ODST's grip to see if his friend was ok but never got away. While walking off the plantation, Samuel saw black smoke rising from Kalina's farm and pointed for the ODST carrying him to go that way. The ODST continued to move Samuel away from the house despite his pleas to find his only friend. His desire to rescue his friend was ignored, and the ODST team continued ignoring his request. Unfortunately, Kalina was another casualty during the Battle of New Harmony.

While waiting to be loaded onto a transport to go to in New Harmony, Samuel tried to run away but failed as the ODSTs continued to catch him. He needed to get back to his spot before his mother found out he was not there. He knew that if she did not find him, Samuel was going to be in a lot of trouble. His desire to respect his mother's promise was ultimately broken, and he was sent to another location far away from her. His frustration towards the ODST continued to grow as they kept telling him lies about what was going on. Before he ever got back to his mother, he was loaded on a transport shuttle and sent to an orphanage. The farming community where Samuel was from got decimated in the attack, and there were only two survivors that emerged from the attack.

Another orphan of the Human-Covenant War, Samuel was lost, scared and timid of everything around him. Looking at screens, tall people arguing with themselves and intercoms in the ceiling, Samuel was terrified. Crying his eyes out each night screaming for his parents, he had no luck and began fighting the staff. His ruthless nature of going after the people that barred him from getting out got him into trouble. Samuel did not want to be with other children; he wanted his mother, father and, friend Kalina. Getting creative, Samuel started to pickpocket and grab anything he was able to get his hands on from what he had stolen. Stealing keys from the doctor’s belt, Samuel attempted to break out of wherever he was but failed when security caught him. Despite his attempts to break out, he was always hauled back to the orphanage kicking and screaming.

The orphan was then allowed to join a program that allowed him to get back at the Covenant. Going through tests and evaluations, the psychologist noticed Samuel's intense hatred towards one English word, Covenant. Samuel was only able to speak Polish which posed a problem but soon corrected with the program offering an English class. Once finalizing the tests and given the green light by the psychologist, the recruiter began to lay out her plan and what Samuel was going to do. Before the recruiter finished his talk, Samuel was willing to join whatever it was that he needed to do to fight the Covenant. He didn't know where he was going; he didn't know what his future held; all Samuel knew was that he was going to have a chance to fight the Covenant. Adopted a month later by the Office of Naval Intelligence, Samuel was erased and transferred to a secure location where his life was bound to change forever.

Conscription and Training
Arriving on in, Samuel pushed himself away from the other kids. Nobody was his parents or Kalina; he did not trust them because they were not who he wanted them to be. The training began the day Samuel arrived, and he learned more about himself than he ever did in his life. The loving touch from his mother was replaced with the punches he took, the laugh of his father was soon replaced with the screaming of drill instructors and, Samuel was fighting. Physical conditioning, learning a new language, mental toughness, and mental strength was slowly built into Samuel. At first, he resisted such training and fought back against instructors such as called Senior Chief Petty Officer. His hatred for Mendez, along with the other officers, built him to become the soldier he needed to be without ever thinking twice.

Passing conditioning and conscription, Samuel was assigned to a team that he refused to work with. Assigned to Team Tango with Mathilda-B079, and, Samuel was forced to team up with Mathilda and the two rarely talked to one another. His friendship within the team never existed, and he found himself on the end of every joke that Mathilda or Jonah had in mind. Along with his inability to connect with people, Samuel struggled with many other tasks. He was not able to understand many of the technological features that he was told to learn; it led to him struggling and only falling further behind due to his fear of asking questions and being punished. During team activities, Samuel went off on his own or tracked Mathilda to where he needed to go. Though they never showed teamwork, the two began to work around one another rather than with one another slowly. It took quite some time before Samuel became a team player and someone willing to work alongside others.

With Samuel being excellent in navigating fields, he often ran into the areas surrounding. It was his way of getting away from everything, from the instructors to the mean people that made fun of him. Losing instructors and the people trying to find him, he enjoyed the game to the extent that it forced some Instructors to use Mongooses or thermal scanning to see him. When navigating a prop minefield, Samuel was one of the few to make it through. Noticing the difference in the soil and vegetation put out of place helped him spot which areas he could step safely. His Engish improved by working with one instructor, and Samuel began to develop his skills much faster than before. As he began to prove himself, some people started to take an interest in Samuel and his potential to become something greater than they planned for him.

Weapons training made Samuel learn how to become accurate with a. Due to his nature, he instinctively turned the rifle to the side, threw it at a rock, put it in water then fired the weapon. Many instructors were intrigued that he was one of the few that threw a rifle into the dirt and kicked it around to see if it was still going to fire. Instead of the other candidates who prized their carbines, Samuel felt there was nothing special except for it being a pile of junk. No matter what people told him, Samuel still led himself to the conclusion that the gun was worthless. He remembered the ODST who rescued him had a much lengthier gun, Unknown to what it was, Samuel wanted to use it and become the best at operating that weapon system in a firefight.

The MA5K Carbine was not effective at longer ranges, and it's for sure not a sharp weapon, seeing the other candidates have the same rifle, Samuel was not fond of that. In the initial stages, Samuel was told to fire up close to test the weapon's accuracy. He performed well, but he wanted better, and he pushed himself to get better. Wanting a better rifle and having better efficiency, he became an expert at longer ranges with a Carbine. His skill went up, staying further back allowed Samuel to keep his thoughts collected and calm. While further away, Samuel displayed that he was a genius at planning attacks and when to take the right shot. Even though he was alone, many ONI officers took more of an interest in him and prepared him for a test was going to change his role as a SPARTAN-III candidate.

As a prime candidate for an elite group, Samuel was put through a series of tests that were seeing if he was able to join such a group. The trials included various physical exercises, a verbal board, and, a written exam. The physical activities included long hiking to be completed within a set amount of time along with specific requirements for tasks he needed to complete. The verbal board focused on seeing if Samuel was a tough individual; they needed to ensure that he was not going to crack under pressure. The exam was about testing the combat intelligence of Samuel, seeing how he was going to handle situations at hand. A written exam, Samuel was forced to write out how he wanted to conduct missions along with being placed in various situations. In the end, Samuel learned that he passed all three phases and began his transfer to a more elite training program.

Moving towards the individual training of Beta Company training, Samuel continued to perform as a solo operative but worked with Mathilda every once in a while to get what he needed. Team Tango was no friend to him, and Samuel often stayed away from them since they picked on him. Using his dislike towards the team, he tried to outperform them in each task even if it involved a team. Remaining an outcast of his group and fellow candidates, Samuel spent little time with his team and kept to himself as he stayed to the edges of the training compound. He did make one friend with an instructor, but it lasted so long, and Samuel was left alone again. Not having someone that Samuel fully trusted like Kalina, set him back and he felt that he would ultimately fail SPARTAN-III program training because he was such an outcast. However, other plans were set in motion for Samuel to become something greater than he ever imagined.

Individual Training
Passing initial training, Samuel underwent individual training where he learned his role as a SPARTAN-III. While Samuel felt he was unteachable, an instructor took him to a sniper class where he laid out the weapons Samuel was going to use, and he spotted the same rifle as the ODST. He was given an introduction to sniper courses due to the simplicity of each task and the repetitive nature that Samuel was able to master; his destiny as a SPARTAN was unraveled. Learning to become a sniper, Samuel took his new role as a means to kill as many enemies as he could before they found him. He was taught how to care for his rifle and spent hours mastering the cleaning aspect of it before he began to fire the sniper rifle. The training put Samuel's accuracy to the test, his patience to the limit and his calmness to the brink. Seeing there wasn't anything else he could be, Samuel executed his tasks on a day to day basis to make himself become a fundamental and sound sniper. He was not the best, but he was consistent in each round. "Become one with your rifle. Feel the weight, the pressure of the trigger, the way your heartbeat steady as your breath comes to a calming pace and pull the trigger. Your mind will be sharp, the body is relaxed, and your hands will be steady. Who is in your crosshairs will have a bad day."

- A Sniper Instructor discussing the mentality of a sniper while Samuel engages targets down range.

Learning all aspects of sniper warfare, Samuel trained himself in close, medium and long ranges, counter sniper training and urban tactics. He tried his best in everything and ended up coming second or third among his peers. While he was always second or third, it showed that he was still putting in the work during the boring parts. Setting up a spot, he learned how to hide in an environment and what locations were best for using as a sniper's location. He wasn’t the best, but he knew how to operate his weapon system in ways it did not show up on the scoring sheet. His fundamentals were sound and nearly perfected, there was no missed shot in his last test, which qualified him to become a sniper. His technique became his craft, and he slowly transformed into a deadly sniper with some of the best fundamentals that graduated from Beta Company. During his final test, Samuel scored a 96.89%, ranking him as a top sniper in the Beta Company Headhunter program.

No matter how much he protested, Samuel grumbled his way through spotting classes. As much as he hated spotting, he developed a knack in the training where he was able to spot things no other candidate was able to. Tracking enemies, calculating their movements and using that information to make an informed shot allowed Samuel to confirm that he is making the right call before an engagement. His mathematical skills improved as he continued to study hard for each situation he was going to be thrust into. Learning the various ranks of his enemy and their armor type, Samuel was able to spot who the important, or which made him make the right decision to hit the right target. Samuel needed to learn that accurate spotting gives the shooter the right location to high ranking enemies to secure the kill. As much as Samuel disliked the course, the things he learned helped him become a top spotter in Beta Company.

Along with his designated training, Samuel learned how to become the leader of a sniper team that helped him know what skill to use in each situation. From the various conditions he was going to be thrown into, Samuel needed to have a baseline of how to operate. Stealth was the main emphasis he was taught to ensure that he will be able to work for longer. Although Samuel excelled through the training, he found it hard to get his feet under himself as a leader during his first mission due to his inability to talk with other people easily. His need for deep trust in people made it hard for him to find a partner that he was willing to trust and command. Nobody wanted to team with him due to his quiet and taciturn personality, but the Office of Naval Intelligence knew that Samuel was the right leader for a sniper team.

Following his training as a sniper team leader, Samuel took classes that specialized him in special reconnaissance, sabotage and targeted killing. Special Reconnaissance became the focal point for Samuel's training; he learned how to do reconnaissance deep behind enemy lines. His training ranged from gathering Signal Intelligence (SIGINT), Image Intelligence (IMINT), Measurement and Signature Intelligence (MASINT), Technical Intelligence (TECHINT), and specific data collection. What Samuel collected from his special reconnaissance, led to him learning whether to conduct sabotage or targeted killing. He was put into a variety of scenarios that he was able to test which solution was the best. Training also included how to sabotage important equipment along with successfully conducting a targeted killing mission, each section was mastered by Samuel through repetition and the desire to be the best. Once passing the training, Samuel moved onto his final months of training.

In his final months of specialty training, Samuel went through numerous leadership courses which would make him become a leader for a Headhunter team. The small class allowed Samuel to work one-on-one with an instructor and helped him learn better than in a group setting. Much of his training included how to exploit a sensitive site, ONI classified destruction protocols, commanding ground troops and anything else the instructors could teach them. Unknown to what a Headhunter was going to encounter in the field, they trained Samuel as a leader for any situation he was bound to run into. Given the official title Specialized Skills Operative (SSO), he became an official leader of a Headhunter team and began to take on more skills as he worked with his team handler in ONI. Samuel did not know he was going to be a Headhunter even after all the classes he had taken, the small number of people in the last class had him worried.

Samuel never completed the final tests in SPARTAN-III training, he never graduated from the program like the rest of the SPARTANs in Beta Company. Thinking he was expelled and failed his training, he struggled with the concept that he lost and failed himself. He made it to the end and came up short, Samuel was frustrated at himself for blowing a chance to get back at the Covenant. However, he was wrong. Samuel was one of the extremely select few that were pulled out of the Company that received Headhunter training and became one of the elite soldiers from Beta Company. An Office of Naval Intelligence officer informed Samuel that he had passed Beta Company training, but there were other missions in store for him. Unknown to what that meant, Samuel was prepared to move on and fight the Covenant with his new mission and training.

Augmentations
Project CHRYSANTHEMUM was the augmentation project that gave Samuel his strength and abilities as a SPARTAN. The augmentation process was said to be successful in all subjects, and Samuel was ready for his enhancements. With the drugs he was to be given, Samuel had numerous surgeries scheduled that were to transform him from a boy to 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 includes 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 are impossible to break, strength off the charts, eyesight nearly perfect and he was able to react to a situation faster than he could comprehend. He found himself different, but in the right way. He was happy to hear that the augmentation procedure worked perfectly and there were no issues with him. 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. With his enhanced body, his chances only grew more and soon he was going to be one of the soldiers that faced the Covenant down.

Along with becoming a faster SPARTAN, Samuel was able to grow dramatically in height and put on considerable weight. Going from a scrawny farmboy to a SPARTAN supersoldier was quickly the most significant difference in him. Originally at roughly five feet and ten inches, he grew to six feet and nine inches thanks to the growth hormones and specific genes that allowed him to grow much taller. 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. He wasn’t the tallest or the strongest; he was about average in every way with his physical appearance. Despite 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. In 2553, his standard neural interface was upgraded to the SPARTAN neural interface before going onto other missions across the Orion Arm. Once completing the second neural interface surgery, he told himself never again. Samuel felt that the neural interface was a waste since it served no benefit to him, but he agreed to the operation for the sake of becoming a SPARTAN.

Team Specter
Samuel was paired with Mathilda-B079, who he protested strongly. His anger towards her was well justified due to her bullying him ruthlessly; he brought a case against Mathilda calling for her not to be his partner. The Office of Naval Intelligence told Samuel to work with Mathilda because that was his assigned partner. The two started rough, Mathilda tried to make up for what she said and did to him. Samuel was not taking any of it and continued to keep away from her. She decided to spill everything to him, why she treated him like dirt to her changing. When Samuel saw her tell him everything, he slowly began to talk and open up to her. His trust was extremely short with her, but he slowly began to communicate with Mathilda more. To make peace, he began to listen to her more even when he didn't want to. His attitude soon changed towards her, and Mathilda became his closest companion.

Joining the Beta-5 Division, Samuel and Mathilda were put together to be a Headhunter team. Unlike many other Headhunter Teams, they began to target Insurrection targets before hitting Covenant, which frustrated both members. Of the numerous Headhunter teams to emerge from Beta Company, the two are one of extremely few that had made it out of the Human-Covenant War. With targets from the Insurrectionists to the Covenant, there was no target that the duo couldn't hit. Their training partners, Roland and Jonah also became a Headhunter team, but Samuel and Mathilda never saw the two after training. They were thus making Team Tango the first training team to produce two Headhunter teams.

Originally called Tango-II, the two were given the option to change the name of their team. While Samuel picked Team Surgeon, Mathilda picked Team Specter. With an argument over the title, the two settled in a chess battle. Since Samuel never played chess, he found it unfair, but Mathilda taught him how to play, and the two began their fight for the title of the team. Mathilda won the match and renamed Tango-II to Team Specter. Accepting the loss, Samuel was willing to take the team name and let her celebrate the win for the time being. Samuel became Specter 0-1 while Mathilda attained the callsign Specter 0-2. Samuel did more research on the name and learned that the name meant “Ghosts.” He later admits that her name was better than his, but still never told her. "We were known to be a binary Headhunter Team. Tasked with sniper-hunter missions that were going to take down targets the Office of Naval Intelligence needed us to hit. The Covenant Empire was pushing deeper into Inner Colonies space, and it was up to us to stop them. But, the Office of Naval Intelligence had something else in mind for us. They always did."

- Samuel remembering the time where he first became a Headhunter for ONI and what his tasks were going to be.

When going through the desired matchmaking course, the two were able to score 97.21%. It was an impressive score among the other teams that went through the same course. Coming in third, they were one of the top groups in their Company, but Mathilda wanted to go further. Her desire to get the perfect score annoyed Samuel, and he needed to come up with a way to get her off the idea that they needed to go back through the simulation again. Samuel knew that the matchmaking course did nothing to prepare them for combat. He informed her that they had to prove themselves to be the best team in the field rather than on a score sheet. It took some time for Samuel to persuade her to go along with his plan, but she agreed to it and the two prepared for field deployments.

Operation: SILENT SERVANT
The Office of Naval Intelligence had been gathering information on the growth in the year 2546. Ever since put them down in 2537, select few Beta Company Spartans had been deployed in assistance of shutting down individual sections of the party. While the UNSC continued to route more efforts to fight the Covenant, many Mamore Insurrection factions began to come back and take back what they lost. In 2546, Operation: SILENT SERVANT was launched to assassinate critical leaders of the FLP, destroy supplies that are being shipped throughout the group and ensure they no longer pose a threat during the Human-Covenant War. It was going to be the first mission Samuel was going to go on, and he prepared for the mission thinking it was going to be his last.

Samuel and his partner deployed onto where they scouted out the numerous targets, picked which ones were needed to be assassinated and studied the supply lines. Using the fog of Mamore, Samuel was able to sneak past the enemies that were close by but never saw him. These three objectives helped them find more powerful people inside of the FLP faction they were hunting. Samuel was eager to get into the fight, make a difference, and show to ONI that he was worth the investment they put into him. While the Mamore Insurrection began to build up, the Headhunters deployed to various provinces were ready to strike against their factions. As other Headhunter teams struck down their targets, Samuel took his time with each enemy to ensure that he was indeed tracking the right person. He spent time with Mathilda preparing for his first kills and future missions they conduct after their first targets were successfully killed.

Tracking the FLP to a safe house in the mountains of the Kepsela Province, Samuel continued to inform Stephan what he had found and the next steps in their anticipated plan. Setting up a snipers nest and looking at the safe house, Samuel was able to gather a clear picture of what he needed to do. When Lieutenant Ferguson authorized Samuel and his partner for lethal action against the leader, it was the first of many times that he saw the success of his work against the enemy. Receiving their orders, Samuel and Mathilda were ready to fire upon their enemies and showcase their abilities to fight. The two SPARTANs moved closer to a ridge where they were able to shoot from and ensure the death of their enemies. While the leaders conducted their daily briefings, Samuel was preparing for his first kill against the enemy he had in his scope.

Set up from about 1,200 meters away, Samuel was able to hit two out of three High-Value Targets (H.V.T.) while Mathilda took care of the other one. The walls were painted red while the glass was cracked, the blood of their enemy soaked the carpet on an early morning. Seeing the death of his targets, he was excited to get his first confirmed kills as well as accomplish his first mission within Operation: SILENT SERVANT. However, his excitement was soon turned to motivation as he received his next set of orders from Stephan. Being ordered to only track shipment supplies and mark their locations, Samuel provided special reconnaissance missions that gathered intelligence on shipyards, housing structures and warehouses that allowed ONI to launch a much stronger attack against the FLP in the future.

Continuing his hunt, Samuel worked much more closely with Mathilda on getting what he needed. He saw that Mathilda changed since the last time they worked together on Onyx and began to depend on her with little tasks slowly. While he remained the leader of Team Specter, Mathilda became the central reason for the success of each mission. Spotting, covering each other as they infiltrate into areas and conducting special reconnaissance together, they formed the bond needed to survive. The grudges he held against her were soon dropped, and he began to let go of the past that he continued to hold onto. Using their coordination, Samuel was able to take out a body that Mathilda caught before it hit the ground. With their trust in place, the two continued to conduct missions that allowed them to gather more information than doing it by themselves. "Fairness implies that the enemy had a chance. Well, they were wrong about that one."

- Samuel looking back on his recent missions on Mamore.

Using stealth and patience, Samuel was able to lurk around areas and be places that the enemy was not checking. The fog on Mamore proved to be a natural element that played into Samuel's pocket when moving across an area. His patience and ability to wait for the perfect moment helped him work perfectly deep behind enemy lines. While other teams continued to make small mistakes, Samuel remained flawless in the field. His partner often assisted with ensuring they were always in the right position and tracking the right enemies, with her expertise in the technological field, Samuel depended on her for the vital information she relays to him. Shortly after tagging all the supplies and taking out their final target, Samuel extracted from Mamore with Mathilda. They were content with their mission and felt that they had done an excellent job.

Operation: SILENT SERVANT was a success for Samuel; it was the first successful operation he executed. Getting his first kills and performing excellent tracking, success became a stable building block. His actions among the other Headhunter groups that deployed to Mamore were far better, reminding himself that the score during training meant nothing to the score in the field of combat. Along with the success of the mission, Samuel found himself trusting someone that had changed drastically since his last encounter with her. He welcomed Mathilda as a trusted partner after her insight on what to do throughout the operation, keeping them alive much longer. The two began to build their chemistry and work on incorporating new ideas into their future actions. With his first confirmed kills, Samuel slowly moved up the ladder for harder targets to take on. His eyes were still set on the Covenant Empire, but other plans were in mind from the Office of Naval Intelligence.

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
In the month following the fall of Requiem, Samuel underwent numerous psychological and oral exams to ensure that he was up-to-speed on his mental health. Samuel's time on Requiem made him a force to be reckoned with as well as a valuable leader. Following the success that Samuel refused to see on Requiem, he was placed into another operation with Mathilda that was going bound to be laced with controversies. Colonies were going offline for unknown reasons, the UNSC Infinity was chasing after an H.V.T. while Samuel had been told there was a much bigger issue at hand. A Sangheili mercenary group captured a Beta-5 Division expedition team while they were in the Joint-Occupation Zone. Samuel, alongside Mathilda, was ordered to bring back all of the expedition team. Team Skyfall was going to assist them with the rescue operation; they combined their forces that created a new fireteam called Team Quantum. The UNSC and ONI did not want assistance from the Swords of Sanghelios; they wanted their scientists back due to information regarding the reasons why human colonies were going offline. In April of 2558, Samuel launched with Team Quantum where he went after the Beta-5 Division expedition team with Mathilda, Elsa, and Winnifred.

Conflict on Sarcophagus (REWORK)
Following the loss of Requiem, Samuel deployed to in the early months of the Created Crisis. Being deployed back to the Joint-Occupation Zone, Samuel protested the decision until he learned more about what he was doing. Once reaching the inside of the in May of 2558, Samuel began to prepare for missions across the land. He learned about the named Trevelyan and the intended use of it. Informed about the Promethean presence on the planet, Samuel was soon dispatched to take out groups that were going to pose a threat to the settlement. Once obtaining two, Samuel prepared to move out. Before leaving, Samuel was able to get into contact with Team Skyfall and coordinated their missions to cover more ground. Instead of feeling dreaded to work with them, he felt comfortable and excited to be back with Team Skyfall. "The entrance to this world was weird; the entire structure of this place is abnormal. Emerysen even continues to say things that make my head hurt with confusion."

- Samuel referring to Sarcophagus and the unusual readings Emerysen had been giving him.

As spring turned to summer, Samuel conducted special reconnaissance along with remote surveillance on the Prometheans. Initially, he wanted to engage them but saw that they had become defensive. The unknown reason why they became defensive soon piqued the interest of Specter and Skyfall. Instead of looking about for a fight, Samuel moved to a location where Prometheans were guarding and began to conduct experiments. With the help of Winnifred-A296, Samuel was able to execute one and watch what happened. The forces reacted by going into a strong defensive position, Samuel noted the location along with the weaknesses to figure out how to get past the opposing enemies. Working with his AI, Samuel was able to conclude that they were hiding something. Wanting to find out what it was, Samuel began to derive a plan to get inside and learn what they were hiding.

The arrival of the drew the attention of Samuel along with Team Skyfall. Following the death of two UNSC Marines, Samuel began to investigate the group but soon sat back when and  were studying what had happened. Watching the two SPARTANs, Samuel was able to keep an eye on what they found and any new intelligence. After they left, Team Specter and Skyfall began to investigate what the intentions of the group were and who the leader was. With help from Emerysen, Samuel was able to learn about but nothing more. Pushing around for more intelligence, Samuel pulled back seeing they were not able to gather any more intelligence and began to build a plan on how to take out the newly arrived enemies. He put the Prometheans in the back of his mind, since they were defensive and not posing a threat for the time being. But Emerysen kept a close on them in case anything did happen.

When learning about the capture, Samuel was forced to decide on striking against the Covenant remanent or waiting for the perfect time. The forces were still establishing their bases, and the leader was hard to spot, he was told that it was best to wait for Pale Blood or do an all-out assault. Emerysen taught Samuel the importance of the Huragok and how it was going to hurt the settlement. All that talk went quiet when a appeared in the sky not long after, Samuel quickly learned about what the Armingers were protecting and found himself trapped between a three-way conflict. Shortly after the arrival of the Guardian Custode, he heard Emerysen say something had gone wrong across the Orion Arm. had called for all to join the, which Emerysen refused and continued to work alongside Samuel and her counterparts. The Servants found their time to move, which forced Samuel to stay where he was and stop the quick advancement of the group. "With Emerysen not joining the Created, it allowed us the chance to remain one step ahead of the Servants. Without her, I don't know if I would be standing here making the same decisions."

- Samuel thinking on Emerysen's choice to stay with him.

While Samuel began his action against the Servants, the Guardian Custode along with its allies were trying to bring the shield world back into real space. Unable to do much against such an enemy, Samuel continued to focus on the Servants and let the colony deal with the large structure. With the help from a Huragok named, the Guardian Custode was shut down, and Sarcophagus remained within its safe. The safety lasted shortly with the Servants and Prometheans coming from both angles, making Samuel decide which enemy to take on. Arminger forces continued to pose a threat across the shield world while Samuel continued to focus on the Servants that were attempting to make a push for the settlement. With the usage of precision strikes and Team Skyfall, Samuel was able to repel back the majority of the force while leaving stragglers for the security.

Luckily, Sarcophagus was able to remain in its slipspace bubble and not be policed. The Servants were repelled by Samuel and kept at bay while he continued to plan his next missions. The friendly Huragok Prone to Drift was able to secure the safety of the people within the world. While the Servants and Armingers continued to be a threat against the people within the settlement, Samuel worked closely with Team Skyfall on how to go about things now. With to Earth or other assets, Samuel took control of the situation by preparing more missions against the Servants. Learning that the Servants had plans to move elsewhere, Samuel prepared to shut them down for a while they remained on Sarcophagus. Once taking down the Servants, he was going to turn his attention to the Armingers and ensure they were no longer going to be a threat to the people on the shield world.

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 has the callsign BLACK SHEEP, is the 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.

During the Created Crisis, Samuel was able to keep in contact with Stephan shortly before they both went dark. For the first time, Samuel and Stephan were not able to contact one another. By the time Samuel went to battle on Sarcophagus, Stephan had full trust in Samuel that he was going to come out on the other side alive. As their time apart grew, Stephan continued to think about what Samuel said to him on the operating table on Teash. Samuel is the sole reason that Stephan is still alive and working for the Office of Naval Intelligence. In the end, both had helped one another elevate themselves in their careers working for the United Nations Space Command. Samuel values Stephan's no-nonsense leadership while Stephan prefers the clear-cut Headhunter he has trained since he first stepped into the field of combat.

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 on Sarcophagus.

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


 * SOTF 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
 * Quality Friend Time (TPF) - 2554


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