Samuel Rayburn

"Come on, Zoe. It could be worse. I could be hitting on you again."

- Sam to Zoe. Samuel Alexander "Sam" Rayburn ( :  34228-97113-SR) was a   in the    in the     during the . He served as part of Alpha-Four for a majority of his career and was killed during the Battle of Gamma Omega.

Early Years
Born on the colony world of Parnassus, Samuel Rayburn was a man of rich Greek decent. Being one of the few "pure" Greeks on the colony, Sam was able to pickup skills faster than most while in school; mainly reading, writing and speaking greek and english. This propelled Sam to being one of the smartest people in his class, something he would normally brag about.

After a couple more years of schooling, Sam found intreats in picking locks around his school in order to steal food during a free period. When administration and his parents learned, their punishment was sending Sam to boot camp.

Despite this being a punishment, Sam enjoyed the military lifestyle and afterwards, enlisted with the marine corps to fight the Covenant.

Human-Covenant War
"This is callsign Alpha-Three-Three, deploying onto the battlefield."

- Sam entering a firefight. When Sam first enlisted, he was assigned to Alpha-Three, a front line assault team and infiltration.

Battle of The Verge
Deployed to Strike Base Alpha upon arriving at the colony, the team was sent in as additional forces to help secure the base. As the team landed, two wraiths entered into the bases area and began to fire. Dashing over, the ODSTs opened fire at the tanks and were able to take out one but two of the Helljumpers were killed in the process.

As the team tried to come up with a way to clear the area, UNSC AA's were shut down and Covenant were entering from all sides. Sam suggested to his CO that if he could blow the glacier at the top of the mountain, the pathway to the base would be blocked and stop the invading ground forces for a time. The CO agreed and Alpha-3 was sent to destroy the glacier. Arriving via a falcon, the team went to work and planted explosives and grenades along the permitter of the glacier. After the explosives were ready, Sam used a grenade launcher to trigger the explosives. After the explosives went off, the plan worked as predicted and the Covenant ground forces were crippled. The ODSTs returned to the base and assisted with evac. However, the Covenant were able to reengage with phantoms and banshees. Using all possible resources, the UNSC tried to fight off the Covenant just long enough.

Despite the efforts, the base was soon captured by Covenant forces and the remaining UNSC forces entered caverns to help escape. Arriving by a UNSC airstrip part of the base, Sam and his team used the last ship to escape from a large glassing beam that was close by. The planet was lost and Sam survived.

Battle of Elysium
Alpha-4 was deployed to the initial LZ of the Covenant in downtown Rook City to drop in and capture a nearby military compound. When the team landed, Rick, Zoe, and Sis went to the armory of the facility while Sam, Hugh and Pillar were sent to the main control station in order to download necessary mapping data on the planet.

While Rick and his squad fought into the armory, the group collected some Covenant technology and weaponry. Sam and his team then made it to the main control center and began the download while the armory was rescued and the area fortified. Rick, Sis and Zoe then found an Elephant along with two Warthogs. After the download, the rest of the team reunited with Rick and his squad and mounted up. Rick and Sam took one hog, while Sis and Pillar took the other leaving Zoe and Hugh to the elephant. The team made their way to a local highway and drove through the ruins of Rook City encountering minor Covenant resistance along the way. The elephant proved to be an excellent shield and provided the team much needed cover. The team made their way to the Western Airport for a pickup via pelican drop ship. While the team held off Covenant, the LZ was moved further down the sector and deeper into Covenant control territory. The team then fled to a nearby subway system.

Once inside the system, the team captured a small Covenant LZ and waited for an inbound phantom. Once the phantom landed, Rick, Pillar and Hugh made their way to the ship and captured it. Once captured, Hugh and Pillar returned to pickup the rest of Alpha-4 while Rick piloted a Banshee to escort the phantom through the tunnels. After clearing out several Covenant inside the tunnels, the team encountered and destroyed a scarab blocking their escape. The team escaped the city with the data and returned to a nearby UNSC airstrip but were shot down due to the heavy Covenant invasion there. The team then hiked the rest of the way to the base and gave command the data.

Operation: Ground Pound
After the necessary data was collected and the military base secured by Alpha-4, the team along with several other UNSC squads and attack teams deployed into the city to retake it from the Covenant forces. Alpha-4 was sent in along with Alpha-2 and Delta-1 to retake the local park and boardwalk along with it. Rick, Sis and Pillar led a charge into the area with Delta-1 while Sam, Hugh and Zoe stayed with Alpha-2 to give covering fire. Afterwards, Captain Drake of Alpha-2 along with Hugh and Zoe joined the charge and used several trees as cover while Sam and Alpha-2 slipped past the Covenant and boxed them in. After the park was cleared, Rick and Hugh retook the boardwalk and set up an LZ for UNSC forces. Once the area was cleared, the team moved through the city while the other ODST units were redeployed to the front lines. Alpha-4 then proceeded to move through the rest of the sector in warthogs until being stopped by a Covenant roadblock. While Rick, Sis, Sam and Hugh led a diversion while Pillar and Zoe took out the main defenses and destroyed the blockade.

Moving through the destroyed city, the team began to move into the Grandees Hotel and proceeded up the tower and killed several Covenant along the way. The team then found other ODST units and civilians captured by Sangheili forces. The team cleared the floor and rescued the group and proceeded onto the executive floor. The team cleared the pad and floor and called in an evac crew. Once the falcons came, Rick, Zoe and Pillar entered falcon 77-C with the rest of the team in falcon-78-C. While the team escorted the pelican away from the building, additional UNSC units secured the tower. The team got the pelican to the starport and returned to the city and gave Alpha-2 some needed air support.

The squad continued onward until 78-C was shot down and crashed on a nearby rooftop. While Rick and the pilot covered the down falcon, Zoe and Pillar tried to save their crashed teammates. The two were able to get Sam and Sis out but Hugh was killed on impact and his injuries to server to let him move. The team then cleared the roof and moved Sam and Sis to the building inside to give them medical care. Sam and Sis were given care and got right back into the fight after they saved Rick from an inbound elite. The team then buried Hugh and proceeded through the city and linked with a squad of army soldiers clearing a strip mall. Afterwards, the army troopers were picked by a pelican and Alpha-4 were as well picked up by a separate pelican and brought to High Comm.

Battle at Wolfgang
After their debriefing at High Comm., Alpha-4 was redeployed to Wolfgang Orbital Defense Station to rearm the orbital defenses to drive off the remaining three Covenant carriers while the navy was to give them cover fire. The team was able to maneuver through the Covenant infested airspace with relative ease and entered the station and cleared the already stationed Covenant in the hanger. Rick, Sis and Sam went to rearm the station’s defenses while Pillar and Zoe went to clear the control center to fire the main guns.

Both teams were met with light and heavy Covenant resistance but were able to make into their designated areas. Afterwards, Rick, Sam and Sis got the weapons online and armed while Pillar and Zoe had some trouble getting into the control center due to Brute forces. The two were able to break into the facility and fired the main guns and took out at least one carrier and damaged another until another fleet arrived. With the navy powerless to stop the incoming Covenant fleet, the UNSC retreated and Alpha-4 was picked up and taken to the UNSC Barricade for redeployment.

Battle of Octan
Deploying with the rest of the 233 Battalion, Alpha-4 was sent to the city of Gomez to recapture it from Covenant forces. As the team was deployed, a Covenant corvette attacked the frigate the team dropped from. Rick and his squad could only watch as the Covenant killing hundreds more. Once on the ground, the team moved through the streets and linked with a small UNSC force.

Once with the force, Rick and his squad began to push the Covenant back but with no avail and soon, they came back in force. As a result, Rick ordered a retreat and had Sis and Sam find an escape route and rally point for the UNSC while he, Pillar and Zoe held off the Covenant. While in the defense, Pillar became wounded and soon, lost an arm to an elite zealot. Before his death, Rick was able to save him and joined the UNSC in their retreat to the rally point at a UNSC bunker in the city. Once there, Pillar was brought in to receive a new arm while Alpha-4 was assigned to their next objective, Operation: Double Flex

Operation: Double Flex
While Alpha-6 would continue out the main objective, Alpha-4’s tasked was to cause a distraction for them and lure the Covenant away from the scene. The team was able to strike a Covenant staging area and caused a large platoon to respond. While the team set up cover, banshees flew in and bombed the area. Though the team was not injured, the terrain around them was destroyed and left them little cover when the Covenant arrived.

Once the aliens arrived, the team worked franticly to stay alive and use what means necessary to do so. Luckily, the squad was saved when UNSC Air Force bombers came and killed the remaining Covenant ground units. Afterwards, the squad was then picked up by a pelican and brought to the location of Alpha-6. Once there, Rick and Sis secured the area while Sam and Zoe assisted the other ODSTs into the bird and left together.

Battle of Descendit
Alpha-4 was deployed to the city of Descendit to halt the Covenant there along with several other ODST teams. The squad landed and were quickly engaged by Covenant forces holding a local courtyard. The ODSTs were able to recapture the area and proceeded though the area until they regrouped with other UNSC forces and attacked opposing troops. The squad then located a Covenant computer network and began to hack into it until the whole system shut down as well as Covenant comms. Regardless, the team pushed onward and attacked a small Covenant armory station and checkpoint. As the checkpoint was attacked, two ghosts and a wraith came to reenforce their breaking Covenant station.

As a result, the ODSTs attacked the inbound Covenant. The team fought off the inbound soldiers until a Scarab came into the area and opened fire. Rick ordered cover to be attained and thus the team divided themselves to save themselves from the inbound walking tank. Rick, Sam and Zoe took a position within a run down apartment building with Sis and Pillar moving into a ditch for cover. Zoe took a position on a roof and opened fire at the deck crew while Pillar attacked the legs with Sis covering him. Rick and Sam ran up through the building and past Zoe and into another building. The two then ran up the higher tower and jumped onto the Scarab. The two finished off the deck crew and entered the tank, killed the pilots and crashed the Scarab into a Covenant Phantom and two banshees flying by.

Afterwards, the five soldiers moved into a Covenant heartland at the nightfall. The group moved through the area and came across Descendit Hospital, guarded by Covenant forces. Zoe and Sam fired their weapons and killed the guards from a range while Rick, Sis and Pillar infiltrated the building. The five met up and moved from floor to floor and cleared a majority of the main stay and operating rooms. Once the lower levels were cleared, Rick called in for UNSC reinforcements. However, Rick and the rest of Alpha-4 learned that the UNSC thought they were dead. Upon hearing the team’s call for help, command quickly sent a pelican to the hospital for evac of the team. After the main landing pad was cleared, the team was extracted and left the city.

Retake of Gomez City
Alpha-4 and several other ODST squadrons were deployed into the city of Gomez to capture a large Covenant LZ located there. After the ONI HQ was destroyed, this was a last ditch effort. Landing a few klicks away from the site, the team moved through the Covenant controlled territory. While moving through, the team captured a small Covenant motor pool and used a Shadow to lead themselves into a deeper part of the arena. After linking with UNSC forces, the ODSTs ditched the transport and joined in the firefight. The Covenant resistance was light and the landing zone captured as more UNSC forces arrived near Alpha-4's position. Alpha-4 was then recalled back to the Forsaken and watched the Covenant leave the planet, resulting in a UNSC victory.

Battle of Demeter-3
Alpha-4 arrived in orbit of Demeter-3 with their ship, the UNSC Long and Forgotten, on September 3, 2549 and were swiftly pelted with Covenant barrage of torpedoes and other rounds. Making a swift descendent towards the planet, the ODSTs were forced into making a quickly launch down onto the surface. After launching, the Long and Forgotten was destroyed and several drop-pods were shot down by Banshees and Phantoms. Rick’s drop pod was also damaged in the fall, but luckily, emergency ejection worked just before he made contact with the ground. Rick used a tree to break his fall and after landing was engaged by Covenant forces.

Moving through the woods with communications jammed for a time, Rick met up with Pillar and the two continue to fight off Covenant soldiers. As the two were fighting, the UNSC naval ships were able to eliminate a Covenant jamming field and allow for open communication between all UNSC units. As communications went through, Rick and Pillar heard the horror of how dozens of men and women were dying due to overwhelming Covenant forces on the ground. Plus the naval presences of the Covenant resulting in a minor UNSC retreat. The two eventually received word from Sam, Sis and Zoe and their location. Upon arriving at their position, Pillar and Rick saw their comrades under fire and Sis great wounded by needle rounds. After clearing out the Covenant forces, the team called in for an evac bird. However, due to overwhelming Covenant forces, the pickup was assigned two klicks north of their current location. Pillar carried Sis to the clearing while Sam, Rick and Zoe discussed Sis’ position and how she will die before they are pickup.

In the clearing, Rick contacted command stating their position. Just as the evac bird arrived with Colonel Söze, it was too late and Sis died in Pillar’s arms.

Battle of Gamma Omega
Deployed to Gamma Omega, the team was order to assist a large UNSC base on the outskirts of Alpha, the capital. As the Covenant army attacked the main gates, Alpha-4 was order to plant explosives along the main bridge to protect the base. After the bridge was destroyed, the team fell back to defend in the main courtyard. After heavy Covenant resistance, the team fell back deeper into the building. While inside, Sam planted explosives per Söze's orders and thus prepared to destroy the compound.

While in battle, Covenant forces overwhelmed the team as well as the other UNSC troopers to evac the area. Punching a hole in Covenant defenses, pelicans were able to come in and extract the survivors as Sam destroyed the compound.

Mission to Alpha
Alpha-Four was sent to the capital of the colony, Alpha to halt the Covenant advance. Sam and Zoe in the north tower, while Rick and Pillar were in the south. As the Covenant advanced, their forces split into two and attacked both towers to eliminate the threat. As a result, Sam and Zoe had to vacate the tower and zip-line over to the south tower. While moving over, the towers, Covenant used lock on rockets to attack the ODSTs. Both rockets locked onto Sam who realized the action. As such, Sam cut himself loose and fell down to the Covenant below, taking the rockets with him and was killed on impact with several other Covenant figures due to the missiles.

Psych-Interviews
"Never rush me while I'm on a job."

- Sam to Zoe.