Marco-035

"In modern war... you will die like a dog for no good reason."

- -Marco-025, quoting Ernest Hemingway

SPARTAN-025, also known as Marco-025, Marco Wade, Sierra Zero-Two-Five, Codename:BULLDOZER by and later The Beast by the Dark Ones, was a SPARTAN-II Commando of the top secret Sigma Division. Marco was an extremely versatile Spartan, being proficient in most fields of combat, although he favoured close quarters combat. Marco served with distinction during the, fighting countless battles alongside his team. Marco fought in several Major engagements, including the and the. He later became a leading figure in the First Galactic War, fighting from it's beginning, to it's eventual conclusion in 2599.

Marco was one of the preliminary 150 candidates selected by Dr. to become Spartans. However, he was one of the 75 not taken. However, the Office of Naval Intelligence member, Dr. Calvin Roe, was given permission to take twenty of the children, to make them into ONI's 'personal Spartans'. Marco, and nineteen others were abducted and given identical training to that of 'Halsey's Spartans'. However, ONI found the children a lot more rebellious than first expected; they would not carry out thing they thought was morally wrong when quizzed, firing on a crowd of unarmed protesters, for example. Chief among these 'rebels' were Marco, and Jack-085.

Marco and ten others survived the Augmentations that would transform them from regular humans into Spartans. Shortly after, however, Jack-085 and Ahmad-126 tried to convince him to leave the base and go on the run. Marco reluctantly declined, leaving the other two Spartans to escape, Ahmad commiting Suicide when being cornered and Jack dissapearing for many years. This would always be one of Marco's main regrets in life: Should he have fled with his friends? Later on, Marco came to accept that humanity needed him, and all of his fellow Spartans, running away would never change that.



Throughout the Human-Covenant War, Marco was only promoted once: to Petty Officer Second Class in 2550. It was not until after the war did he realise, after being promoted several times for his bravery, skill and loyalty, that it was in fact the fault of Dr. Roe, who had been blocking promotion orders for over 20 years. By the time of the outbreak of the First Galactic War in 2571, Marco had attained the Rank of Lieutenant, Junior Grade, given to him when he was called to train the SPARTAN-IV X-Ray Company.

During the First Galactic War, Marco stepped down from his position as Commanding Officer of X-Company, leaving it in the hands of Alex-A121. He was placed in charge of Operation:SCALPEL, a ONI-led effort to eliminate the leaders of the Splinter Alliance. Marco was reunited with his former teammates Kane-099 in 2578 and Jax-007 in 2583, both of them had been training their own SPARTAN-IV companies. Lieutenant Commander Kane took command of the Operation from Kane, who did not object; he was just happy to have his comrades together again.

Thanks to the efforts of Marco and the team,Roger Maxon, the founder of The Legion, an Insurrectionist army in the Splinter Alliance, was assassinated in 2594 by Chief Petty Officer Ulrik-Y732 of Marathon Team. In 2598, His Eldest son, Joseph, was also killed, this time due to the actions of several Headhunter Teams. In 2599, Marco was part of a huge offensive against the Legion, which would lead to the colossal Battle of Minerva and the end of the war. Marco was badly injured during the battle, in which a majority of his Spartans were killed. He spent several months recovering afterwards.

Career Service Vitae
(Updated as of January 2615)

Full Name: Marco John Wade (middle and surname redacted)



SPARTAN Tag: 025

Age: 89 (Chronological) 25 (Physical)

D.O.B: April 14th, 2511

Gender: Male

Blood Type: O

Rank: Lieutenant Commander

Unit: UNSC ONI SPARTAN UNIT

Performance Records:

''S-025 has an impressive enemy KIA record, numbering in the thousands, leading to a Hyper-Lethal rating. Known for being very aggressive on the battlefield, reports indicate that due to his excessive violence, he should not be shown in mainstream media. Several eyewitness accounts on New Hope in 2568 say that he 'tore apart' a platoon of rebels using only his hands. Also, S-025 is flexible and adaptable; he can work alone or in a team. He has been known to become attached to squadmates, showing extreme anger if a team member is killed. A prime example of this was during the in 2552, during which SPARTAN-041 was killed in a suspected 'friendly fire' incident. It is largely unknown what happened following, though Codename: PYRRHUS, though the event was never thoroughly investigated due to the urgency of the war.''

''Like most of the surviving SPARTAN-II's, Marco has fought just as much against Insurrectionist rebels, in addition to Covenant forces, even more so, due to the War with the Insurrectionist force known as The Legion. In several psyche reports, particularly to the end and after the war, at the dawn of the 27th Century, Marco had begun to express regrets for several of his actions throughout the years, showing sympathy for several Anti-UNSC factions, though he never supported extremist acts. However, this did contribute to his disappearance in 2609.

''As a SPARTAN-II, he has seen over 60 years of warfare, and is seen by many others,his own Spartans in particular, as a walking legend due to the scarcity of older Spartans in the late 26th Century. Battlefield reports show that in his presence, friendly troops fighting effectiveness increased by nearly 40%. Also, S-025 has been shown to be protective of Sierra X500, due to a biological family relationship. X500 is a member of Special Operations Unit Wulf Team, under the command of LT X112. However, he is still an extremely competent and fully-functioning SPARTAN-II.''

''In the Training of X Company, Marco was known as a harsh, but fair, trainer, he has earned the respect of his company trainees. In barely a year on training, X Company shaped up to be the best of the three SPARTAN-IV Companies, although by the time of the Armageddon War in 2625, over two thirds of it's members were dead. Marco's state seemed to deteriorate after the battle of Minerva in 2599, dropping off the grid in 2609 in his ship, Novus Orsa. He was not seen again until 2614, appearing on Reach as one of the leading members of the LOFP (League of Free Peoples). ONI, believing that one of their best Spartans had gone Rogue, sent a full company of 1000 Spartan-IV's, and Wulf Team to Reach to find him and take him down. Only two other SPARTAN-II's were ever recorded to have gone rogue, one in 2525, and one in 2545. Both of whom were taken down by their fellow Spartans afterwards. Marco's assassination was placed in the hands of Maynard-X112, who was considered the best of X Company.

''It is unknown what happened following the confrontation in the mountain base, while Zulu Company engaged both rebel and alien forces. It is assumed that both were killed during the fighting.''

Note

''Suffers from some degree of Posttraumatic stress disorder, experiencing nightmares, headaches etc.Has refused treatment, saying that he will be fine. SPARTAN 025's Symptoms likely due to the Battle for Minerva last year, which took the lives of many fellow Spartans.''

Early Life and Training.
Marco, full name Marco Wade, was born in London on on April 2nd, 2511, to two Hispanic immigrants from Madrigal. He was abducted by ONI agents at the age of 6 and taken to a secret military base in Washington DC, in the United Republic of North America on the orders or Dr Calvin Roe, whom Marco had always harboured a great hatred for.Marco was one of the 75 potential candidates that were not chosen by Doctor Catherine Halsey to be taken to Reach for training. He and twenty others were picked by ONI from the remaining 75 for what was known as 'S' or Sigma Division. He and the nineteen others were given rigorous training, similar to that of the Spartan inductees on Reach. Despite this, Doctor Halsey never knew of Sigma Division.

During training, he became good friends with Wulf-041, Jack-085 and Nef-015. Later, Marco would join Wulf and Nef as part of Sigma-Blue, a section of the team.

At the age of fourteen, Marco and the other candidates were taken for the augmentations that would make them into the supersoldiers the UNSC needed. Nine of them were killed during the augmentations. The others were left to recuperate. After three weeks, two of the Spartans, Ahmad-126 and Jack-085, escaped, killing several guards. Ahmad later killed himself when cornered by UNSC personnel, and Jack evaded capture, not to be seen again, at least by the UNSC.

First Mission
In January 2526, Sigma team was sent on their first mission against some Insurrectionists that had entrenched themselves on the small colony world of Gallis. UNSC forces had managed to drive them out of most areas of the planet, but a few thousand had been holding off the UNSC attackers in the Capital city, and were threatening a mass civilian killing with a captured FENRIS Nuclear Warhead. Sigma team was to be dropped in, and using the sewer system, get in behind the enemy forces and disarm the Nuke. The Nine Spartans split into three teams of three. Team One consisted of Kane-099, Marco-025 and Jacob-076, who would attack the insurrectionists main camp and capture their leader.

Team Two, Fenn-145, Wulf-041 and Resk-063, would find the bomb and disarm it. Team Three, Jax-007, Nef-015 and Amy-133 would disable the rebel vehicles and signal the nearby Marine forces to attack. The teams were dropped into the underground sewer, and travelled along it until they found the access point. They knew that they would have only have minutes to act.



The three teams set charges to each hatch and when they were all in position, blew them open and began the operation. Jacob-076 led Team One to the main camp, which was on high alert, and using a sniper rifle, covered Kane-099 and Marco-025 as they searched for the leader of the Insurrectionists. Fenn-145, Wulf-041 and Resk-063 killed several guards, but were unable to find any type of bomb. So, Fenn began hacking into the Insurrectionist's network while the others covered him. While doing so, his team came under attack by a large force, and was pinned down in the building. Meanwhile, Team Three had quickly wiped out the enemy forces and had secured the hostages, but the leader of Team Three, Jax-007, felt as if they were walking into a trap, and his suspicions were proved when several rebels, using Warthogs, burst from a garage and attempted to kill the Spartans before attempting to escape to the main camp where Team One was currently fighting. The trio took a third Warthog and pursued them.

Down in the main camp, the Spartans were slaughtering the poorly equipped rebels, something that Marco looked back on in his later years as something 'shameful', and regretted doing. eventually, Marco came across what appeared to be the leader's room. When he entered, a recorded message began playing:

"If you are hearing this message, Spartan, then know that I am gone. I highly doubt that you will find me for a while, but should you survive, we will meet again, be it you or another one of your brethren. Goodbye"

When the message stopped playing, Marco ran from the room, exiting the building just as it exploded. Kane and Jacob approached him, asking what had happened. He told them that the Rebel Leader had left the planet, and that the building was trapped with explosives. Soon, Team Three arrived, having killed the other rebels as they had fled. Team Two radioed in, saying that there was no actual bomb, and that they needed backup. The six Spartans hurried towards the compound where the bomb was to have been kept, and attacked the rebels, who, facing the armoured Spartans, soon surrendered. Fenn-145 then called in the waiting UNSC forces, who secured the area from the remainder of the insurrectionists. Sigma Team was extracted by Pelican. Marco was silent the whole way back, pondering over the message. How had the Rebel leader known they were coming? Who was he? Marco was sure he had heard that voice somewhere else, but it would be over 24 years before he heard it again.



When they returned to Earth, they were greeted by Dr. Calvin Roe, and then Lieutenant Colonel Richard Mack. Like the other Spartans, they were assigned to the UNSC Special Warfare Command. However, Sigma Team answered to orders directly from ONI, and Dr. Roe in particular.They were also given Ranks according to their Skill. Fenn-145 was given the high rank of Master Chief Petty Officer because of his amazing strategic and leadership skills. Kane-099 was second in command, given the rank of Senior Chief Petty Officer. The other members of the team were all given the rank of. However, Marco, who saw answering to ONI as making them 'personal assassins', complained. Dr. Roe's response was to just demote him to the Rank of Petty Officer Third Class.

The Human Covenant War
Marco and Sigma Team operated in secret during the Human-Covenant War, and were deliberately kept away from the other Spartan-II's by Dr. Roe lest the Sigma Project be found out by Dr. Halsey. They participated in several major battles and countless black op missions against Insurrectionists and the Covenant.

Throughout the war, Sigma team was called upon to test many variants of the MJOLNIR armour, such as the 'Rogue' variant and the testing of other power armoured variants, such as the 'HAYABUSA' variant, to compare it's statistics to the conventional MJOLNIR armour used by the Spartans. All of Sigma Team tested these variants in 2536, but almost all preferred to use the MJOLNIR variant. Marco remarked on the armour, saying:

"It's as durable as the regular stuff, but i'd rather not go into battle looking like a bloody ninja"

- Marco, after helping to test the HAYABUSA Armour

Contact with the Covenant
On the 21st of December, 2530, Sigma came into contact with Covenant forces on land for the first time. The Spartans were sent to a research station on the outer colony world of Brennus. The station had gone quiet, and not knowing if it was Insurrectionists or Covenant, The nine Spartans were given orders to secure the station, and destroy any kind of navigational data, as per the Cole Protocol.

When the Spartans moved towards the facility, they found it overrun by Covenant forces. Fenn-145 ordered Marco, Nef and Wulf to flank the large number of enemies outside and move into the building while the other members of the team got the attention of the enemies guarding the facility, and would secure the perimeter, ensuring that no Covenant soldiers could escape if they had any data.

Marco's team moved into the facility, eliminating several hostiles as they cleared it out. Eventually, they came to the main data centre, where they found an species of alien that appeared to be accessing the Facility's database. Nef-015 shot it in the head, killing it instantly. Having secured the perimeter, Sigma Team then set explosive charges around the base after purging the computer systems. They destroyed the facility to make sure that the Covenant could not make use of it in any way.

Spartan Team Sigma was then extracted from the colony after destroying the research facility. Brennus was glassed several months later when Covenant ships arrived to find their advance teams wiped out.

Fall of Kurovan
In 2545, the UNSC had been given word that a Covenant fleet was on it's way toward Kurovan, a heavily populated planet in the Inner Colonies. This was the first time the Covenant had launched an attack on one of the Inner Colonies, and the UNSC wanted Kurovan as well-prepared as possible, in order to fight off the Covenant Invaders.

As the SPARTAN-II Project was not yet publicly known, ONI Decided to send in Sigma Team, their own 'private' Spartan's. Sigma arrived on Kurovan on June 28th, 2545. For two days, the Spartans were tasked with the evacuation of civilians from Kurovan's Major cities. On June 30th, the Covenant fleet arrived, consisting of twelve cruisers, and one Supercarrier. Marco, along with Amy-133 and Resk-063, was in the Capital city, escorting several VIP's at the time. Their building was hit by banshee fire as they were in a lift. It rocketed to the ground, killing the VIP's, but leaving the Spartans more or less unharmed.



The Covenant had decided to land most of their ground forces in the Capital in a bid to get to the local ONI HQ, with it's massive data storage. Marco's team were several miles away, and pinned down by hunters in the building lobby. The rest of Sigma was spread out across the city, the closest being Fenn-145, who had been directing the local UNSC forces. The fleet above Kurovan was taking heavy fire, and despite having taken out four Cruisers, they had lost two thirds of their ships.

To secure the ONI building, ODST squad's were dropped in from orbit into the Capital city. Among them was Whiskey-04, an elite team normally assigned to Sigma for extraction and Intel recovery. Whiskey, led by Major John Ackton, managed to land away from Covenant ground troops, and set up defensive positions in a city street along with a platoon of marines, and managed to hold of attacking forces until Spartan assistance arrived in the form of Kane-099, Jax-007, Nef-015 and Jacob-076. Kane ordered The squad to head for the ONI building while they held off the approaching Covenant.

Marco's team had also been making their way towards the ONI building. On the way, they met up with Wulf-041, who had been rallying troops near an abandoned hotel. The four Spartans, along with the surviving marines, made their way towards the Government building, in the city centre. Upon arrival, Marco was almost shot by a Sniper, had it not been for Amy-133, who pushed him out of the way. The Spartans were forced to take cover as a column of wraiths entered the area.While Resk and Marco engaged the enemy, Amy searched the rubble for anything of use. Eventually, she found several small propane canisters, and after some work, she had made a small bomb, put inside a children's stuffed teddy bear. When the wraith's began to move past the building, she threw and ignited it, destroying the wraith, and blocking the path of the others. Resk called for a bombing run on the area, as the wraiths began to destroy their hiding place. It was approved, and the Spartans and Marines fled as the area was blown up by a shortsword bombing run. Marco later commented on Amy's bomb, saying that she was probably the "scariest person" he knew.

Whiskey had reached the ONI building, but not without some difficulty. They had been ambushed by an elite patrol, and had lost three members. The others ran towards the building, with the elites not far behind. another one was killed by a Banshee strike, and as they entered the building, a gung-ho team mate, who was covering them with a shotgun, was impaled with a energy sword and killed. His attacker was shot dead. By this point, there were only three survivors: Major John Ackton, First Lieutenant Steven Embry, and Sergeant Major Richand Mack. In another part of the city, Kane-099's team met up with Resk-063's, and they formulated a plan: Marco, Jax and Nef would lead a counter-attack, using Scorpion Tanks and Warthogs, to break through he Covenant lines long enough to plant a beacon underneath a Covenant Cruiser, which had come in over the city to deliver reinforcements. Amy-133 and Wulf-041 would head to the ONI building, and complete Whiskey's mission if they failed. At the same time, they would meet up with the squad leader, Fenn-145, who they had lost contact with several hours before. Jacob-076, Kane-099 and Resk-063 would find transport to leave the city, and call in for bombing runs where necessary.

With Sigma leading the resistance in the city, Whiskey-04 continued onwards into the data centre, where they found SPARTAN Fenn-145 at work on the main computer. He had been coordinating UNSC attacks, and he needed defending long enough to get an SOS out to local Human forces. Meanwhile, Marco's attack had successfully been able to penetrate the Covenant defences, and after Reaching the base of the Supercarrier, knew that their beacon would not be enough to destroy the ship, so he formulated a new plan: They would capture the ship.

Using the ship's gravity lift, Marco, along with Jax-007, Nef-015 and a dozen surviving marines, entered the Cruiser, and after over half an hour of intense fighting, had managed to secure the bridge. Marco himself killed the Sangehili Shipmaster with his Combat Knife. However, not knowing how to accurately pilot the ship, Marco was instead able to plot it on a collision course with the other cruiser orbiting the city. The three Spartans, being the only survivors of their boarding party, escaped the ship via several banshees.

Meanwhile, UNSC forces had been pushed back in the city, fighting fiercely for every street. It was not until the Covenant forces called in a Scarab that the retreat began in earnest. The Scarab was only stopped by a last minute bombing run by the three shortsword fighters that had been providing support throughout the battle. Inside the now-besieged ONI Facility's Data Centre, Fenn-145 had finally been able to send a distress beacon to UNSC forces, and ordered Whiskey to plant explosive charges around the data centre. Wulf-041 and Amy-133 had arrived upstairs, pursued by Covenant forces that had broken through the defensive turrets. After making their way down and finding their commander, The Spartans and ODST's sealed off the floor as best they could, and made their way to the base's emergency escape route: An old monorail leading to the spaceport. The Kurovan Central Spaceport was the main rally point for what was left of the UNSC forces on the planet, and was where the Spartans were making their final stand until everyone else had made it onto transports.

Fenn destroyed the ONI Facility remotely while they were on the monorail, and by the time they arrived at the spaceport, all hell had broken loose. Covenant forces had breached the wall and were attacking the fleeing humans. Many transports had made it away; the Covenant fleet seemed too busy glassing the planet rather than paying attention to the small freighters escaping. The nine SPARTAN-II's met up, and after successfully driving the Covenant attackers back, took off in the last transport along with Whiskey-04 before they could regroup.

Sigma and Whiskey made it off of Kurovan hours before the entire planet was glassed by the Covenant. Marco was surprised that he and the entire team had made it through with only superficial injuries. The tactics employed by the Spartans, coordinated by Fenn-145, were astounding, though the UNSC lost the planet, they considered Kurovan to be one of the finest examples of Spartan tactical prowess.

Battle for Nevarra
In 2549, Marco, Nef-015 and Amy-133 were sent on a mission to assassinate a high-ranking Rebel leader on Nevarra, one of the few remaining Outer Colony worlds. The success of the mission was vital, as the death of this leader would break the back of one of the few remaining holdouts the insurrection possessed.

Though none of the three chosen for the mission were as skilled as Kane-099 or Jacob-076 with a sniper, they were known for their talent for destruction. Upon infiltrating the base from which the Leader, Colonel Jensun, was currently residing, they set about their work. The plan was to assassinate the Colonel as he gave a speech the next day, killing him and his senior staff, as well as destroying rebel military assets, such as transport ships and vehicles.



Marco was assigned to place the C-12 charges on the reactors which powered the base, as well as on the main landing pads around the base. Nef was the designated shooter, taking his position in an air traffic control tower, which would be empty for the duration of the speech. Amy, as the main explosives expert of Sigma, had set up a large quantity of C-12 around the infrastructure of the facility, to be used once the Spartans had made their escape.

On the night of the speech, however, the unthinkable happened. Three Covenant Cruisers had appeared above the planet, getting past the bulk of Human defences via slipspace jumps, and smashing them from behind. As team leader, Nef ordered the Spartans to regroup outside the facility, watching as an army of Covenant soldiers was dispatched mere miles away from the base, while the other two Cruisers began to glass other parts of Nevarra.

At first, the Spartans were content to detonate the base when the Covenant reached it, killing as many as they could before exfiltrating and linking up with a UNSC Prowler on the edge of the system. However, further recon indicated that many civilians from the towns and villages nearby were making their way towards the rebel base to find shelter or transport. This was a problem; the Spartans could not kill that many innocents, or let them be butchered by approaching Covenant forces, so a risky plan was made.

Infiltrating the base once more, Marco found the Colonel in his war room, discussing plans to evacuate in the three ships they had. The problem was, that they would not have enough room for their forces and the hundreds of civilians. Marco dropped into the room, and despite facing half a dozen men, proposed a deal with Colonel Jensun: The three Spartans would assist the insurrectionists in holding off the incoming army for as long as it would take to evacuate the civilians, and then they would retreat through the surrounding jungle to the location of the Spartan's ship, which at full capacity could hold roughly a hundred people.

The Colonel reluctantly accepted the plan, more out of desperation than anything else. Amy and Nef joined Marco in the base, where they began to coordinate a defence against the incoming enemy forces. Using their remaining Lotus Mines and C-12 packs (Marco deliberately neglected to tell the Colonel about the hidden charges around the base), the Spartans set the area around the base up as a trap for enemy forces, while the rebel forces set up ambush points up the roads leading to the base.

After a few initial skirmishes, a column of Wraith tanks were sent against the humans. Nef, who had climbed a tall tree, was able to take the first few out with his Spartan laser before they zeroed in on his location, forcing him to retreat further up the hill, towards Marco's location. Marco had been keeping enemy infantry pinned down on the right flank, losing many soldiers as he did so. Amy had kept back, along with the Colonel, who was overseeing the evacuation. She would signal to the others when to fall back, and once they had done so, the charges would be triggered.

Marco and Nef, along with a dozen rebels, had been pushed back up near the base's entrance by a large force of Elites, who were attempting to flank them. After acquiring an energy sword from a dead Zealot, Marco cut a bloody swathe through the enemy, Nef and the soldiers assisting him as he pushed Covenant squads back.

Upon hearing about the 'Demons' on the battlefield, the Covenant Ship Master ordered that a Scarab should be deployed onto the battlefield. Unable to hold back the giant walker, the human forces fell back as it, accompanied by hundreds of combatants, cleared a path to the Base.

By the time the Scarab had arrived, two of the three transports had departed, and the third was lifting off. The few working AA guns at the base ensured protection from banshee fire as the few dozen survivors of the battle outside made it back to the base. Waiting until the Scarab had reached the optimal zone, Amy detonated the remaining explosives, crippling the walker. Despite this, Covenant Infantry swarmed over it's burning husk and towards the base. It was time to leave. As the humans fled into the jungle, Marco triggered the explosives that they had set the day before, obliterating the base. The Colonel and his surviving men followed the Spartans to their ship, and got on board. Despite his hatred for the UNSC, Colonel Jensun admitted that he admired the Spartans for their devotion to protecting Humanity, and agreed to willingly turn himself in.

The three Spartans and the rebel survivors managed to escape offplanet without attracting enemy attention, and escaped the system in a waiting Prowler.

The Battle for the Hephaestus Array
In 2550, many years into the war, Sigma Team, along with Battle Group Tempest, was sent to the Olmara system to investigate a series of attacks on UNSC ships in the area by insurrectionists, who were raiding and capturing the vessels. Among the cargo in one of these vessels was several suits of MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armour/EOD variant, that were in transit to Earth for extensive testing by Sigma team. However, when the ship was captured, ONI despatched Sigma team to go with the Battle group, and recover the armour. However, at the time, Fenn-145, Jax-007, Kane-099 and Resk-063 were not available, so they sent a team led by Jacob-076, who was third in command behind Kane. As the ships drew near the planet Endrin, they came under attack by several captured ships of varying sizes. All but one of these ships were destroyed by the Battle Group, with the last one fleeing towards the planet. As the Destroyer, UNSC Livingston, pursued the ship close to the planet, it was hit by several MAC rounds, severely damaging the ship. On the far side of Hephaestus, a large fleet of over 80 Insurrectionist ships was assembled. Most of the ships had either been captured by the Insurrectionists or had been taken. The largest, a Gorgon-class Destroyer that had been among the ships taking the supplies and the Armour to Earth. As the battle group prepared to attack, the Insurrectionists sent out a message to the UNSC forces.

"Greetings. We wondered when you would arrive. We have been assembling this fleet for over twenty years, and with a little more time, it would be complete. I ask you simply to work with us, as my creation, which I have dubbed the 'Hephaestus Array' after the Greek God, may be the key to winning this war, is that not what you want? If not, you will be destroyed. Please, give me your response, if you do not want to work together, you will be destroyed"

- The Insurrectionist Commander

See The Battle for the Hephaestus Array for more Details on the larger battle

Marco was deployed alongside Wulf-041 and Jacob-076 in a bid to destroy the main ship in the array, and kill or capture the Insurrectionist leader. However, although they had not told their superiors, the Spartans knew who the enemy leader was, and that it was very unlikely they would take him alive. Amy-133 and Nef-015 were deployed to assist separate UNSC forces groundside.

The first team was sent in with over forty Pelicans, escorted by two Frigates. They took heavy losses as they approached the array, with only twelve of the pelicans surviving, and the Frigates destroyed. The surviving ships landed on the Hull of the ship, and the Spartans, along with several platoons of ODST's entered the ship through the airlocks, intent on finding the Insurrectionist Leader, Jack-085.

The Spartans led the fighting through the ship and towards the bridge. They took heavy casualties as they neared the bridge, and Jacob-076 ordered the surviving ODST's to fall back towards the pelicans, saying that the fighting would end soon. The real reason for him saying that was because he and his fellow Spartans both knew in their minds who the enemy leader was, and wished to keep it a secret from the rest of the UNSC. they entered the Bridge, and made quick work of the bridge crew. However, the Insurrectionist leader was nowhere to be seen. As they took control of the helm, Jack-085, who had been waiting for them, fired a rocket, narrowly missing the Marco and hitting the floor near Jacob, sending him flying. Jack then fled, with Wulf and Marco in hot pursuit. They chased him to the hanger, where Jack boarded a Shortsword Bomber in an attempt to escape. Marco and Wulf followed him on a Pelican.

However, as they left the ship, a covenant fleet arrived and began attacking both the human's forces, making them team up against the new foe. The now badly damaged Array fired all of it's remaining MAC guns at the covenant forces, destroying two cruisers with their combined firepower. Meanwhile, on the Bridge of the array, Jacob-076 had taken the controls despite being wounded, and was directing all remaining firepower at the covenant. Jack-085's shortsword entered the atmosphere and crash landed after being hit by UNSC AA fire. The Pelican landed nearby, and the two Spartans made their way to the crash site. When they got there, Jack, was alive, protected by his MJOLNIR armour.

Jack attacked the other Spartans, wounding Wulf and nearly killing Marco. However, Marco was able to trip him up and grab his Pistol, shooting and wounding Jack. Jack again tried to escape, but Marco simply kicked him over. Meanwhile, in Space, the array had been almost completley destroyed, with only a few key ships left in it. On the bridge, Jacob-076 had only one choice to save the planet and the UNSC forces, who were taking heavy losses. He piloted the Array on a collision course to the Covenant Supercarrier. a Pelican, piloted by Amy-133, reached the array in a bid to save Jacob. Amy stayed with the dying Spartan until the Array impacted, killing them both.

On the planet, Jack managed to get to his feet, and disarmed Marco. As he pointed the pistol at his former friend, he looked up, and saw his creation being destroyed, He took off his helmet, and fell to his knees. The array impacted with the Covenant Supercarrier, crippling it, killing Jacob-076, various rebels, and many Covenant soldiers.With UNSC forces closing in, he ran from Marco, dropping his pistol as he did so, towards the burning ruin of what had once been his masterpiece. It crashed, completely obliterating the surrounding area.

The UNSC were never able to find Jack's body, and so always considered him to be missing, although with the blast radius, he was presumed dead. Marco told the rest of the team what happened, and they all swore to keep it a secret. Despite the high chance of Jack being dead, Marco always felt that he was still alive, out somewhere in the universe.

Harpa
See the Battle of Harpa for all the details.



The battle of Harpa in Early 2552 was a heavy toll on Sigma team. During the Battle, Marco lost his friend, Nef-015, and the Team Leader, Fenn-145. both of whom sacrificed themselves to save the human defenders. Also killed the engagement was Brigadier Richard Mack Senior, a war hero, who was killed by Shipmaster Felo 'Ranakee whilst trying to save Jax-007. Marco also obtained several injuries in the battle, fighting on for three days with a broken arm and damaged armour. The fight for Harpa was some of the fiercest fighting seen in the war, at least until Reach.

It was after this engagement that Marco and the surviving UNSC forces travelled to Reach, where they received upgrades for their MJOLNIR armour.

Reach
In July 2552, Marco was deployed on Reach with the rest of Sigma. Shortly after arriving on Reach, Sigma was called in to assist a team of Spartan-III's who were under attack by a covenant vanguard force. Sigma was later called in to assist in the takedown of a Covenant Spire, designated 'Spire Three', in the. Marco, with the assistance of Spartan Team Upsilon, destroyed several wraiths that were decimating UNSC forces. Spire Three was destroyed by Sigma Team shortly after the destruction of, though the Spartans used several C-12 charges to demolish the structure rather than wait for a MAC round from supporting ships.

However, with the destruction of both Spires and the appearance of the Supercarrier,, which obliterated the Sigma, along with all other nearby UNSC troops, were put into full retreat.

On August 17th, 2552, three days after the relative success of, The UNSC initiated a follow-up mission, codenamed: Operation:DROPKICK. The goal of the mission was to destroy several Covenant cruisers on their way to the city of, to buy the UNSC forces in the city more time to evacuate. Utilising several YSS-1000 Sabre fighters that had not been used in Operation:UPPERCUT, Wulf-041, who was the most experienced in Space combat, accompanied Spartan Team Tau in their attack. Marco, along with Kane-099 and Jax-007 stayed behind at the launch base to fend off incoming Covenant attackers.

Marco and Jax later extracted the strike team from the hangar of one ship while the other team planted an explosive device in the other. The mission was successful, but at the cost of two Spartan-III's: Dom-A178 and Frank-A103, whom were killed aboard the ship while protecting Louie-A199, who planted the bomb. With the destruction of the two cruisers, the rest were quickly destroyed by the dwindling UNSC Defence Forces.

Marco also fought for a short time in the, in a bid to save Dr. Calvin Roe from incoming Covenant attackers. Marco was unenthusiastic about the mission, and even suggested leaving Roe to die. However, When four Spartans, including his squadmate,Wulf-041, were killed when Roe detonated explosives throughout the building they were in to cover his escape, though the Spartans were fighting a winning battle against Covenant forces.

Marco assisted in pursuing Roe, hell-bent on killing the Doctor. After a lengthy chase, in which another Spartan, Sal-A142 was killed, Roe was finally cornered in Outpost Foxtrot Whiskey, where after trying to plead with the Spartans, Marco killed him with a Shotgun. The incident was never reported by

Later, Marco accompanied the surviving members of the three teams in an attempt to reach the before it left the planet. However, they missed the ship by minutes. In the end, the team decided to try and make it to the only remaining ship left in the vicinity, the UNSC Frigate Bright New Day, which had picked them up from Harpa earlier that year. With four Spartans staying behind to hold off the Covenant,Marco and the others made their way to the frigate, where they met Whiskey-04, who had also been heading for the abandoned Frigate. As they began to leave the planet, the survivors from the battle, Alex-A121 and Jax-007 arrived in banshees and boarded the Frigate.

The Bright New Day left Reach and managed to narrowly evade the Covenant fleet, which was pursuing the. They plotted several jumps to randomised locations in accordance with the Cole Protocol, and to lose the Covenant pursuers.

Loss of Hope
After making two Slipspace jumps, the UNSC Bright New Day received a distress signal emanating from the colony world Hope. MCPO Kane-099, as the senior-ranked person on the ship, ordered the crew to investigate the planet. Upon arrival, they discovered that the planet was under attack, and after managing to cripple a Covenant ship, were forced to land due to plasma torpedo damage rendering their FTL drive inert. They were lucky not to have been killed.

Leaving Whiskey-04 in command of the ship, the three SPARTAN-II's and three SPARTAN-III's of Spartan Team Sigma set out for the nearest city, Port Neandra, in search of a slipspace drive or friendly UNSC forces. Upon entering the city and finding it not only deserted, but with all electronics fried as a large EMP had detonated in the area. While Jax-007 attempted to activate a data terminal, the team ambushed a large Covenant patrol, taking down several Wraiths and Phantoms along with a Brute Chieftain.

Jax was able to find a city map, which led them to a large underground facility in the city, where three partially dismantled UNSC Frigates sat. As they approached, one of the frigates was destroyed by brutes, and the Spartans were forced into an engagement with several more Covenant squads who had been lying in wait. Kane-099 set up a defensive position covering the others with his Sniper rifle while Marco led Louie-A199 and Martin-A136 in a counterattack, opening a large roof access hatch for extraction, while Alex-A121 and Jax-007 went in search of a working FTL Drive.

After eliminating their Covenant attackers, the six Spartans secured the undamaged FTL drive and waited for Pelican evac supplied by Sergeant Major Richard Mack Jr.. When his pelican arrived, the FTL drive was attached to the dropship as it took off from the city as tremors began to shake the ground. The Pelican was pursued by over a dozen enemy banshees and several dropships as it fled the city, FTL drive attatched. As they neared the UNSC Bright New Day, Marco leapt from the Pelican bay, and hijacked an enemy banshee, using it to take down several enemy vehicles and allow the Pelican to get to the Frigate's hangar with the drive intact.

The newly acquired Slipspace drive was installed as the Frigate began to leave the system, but Kane-099 ordered the ship to stay, as there was something happening to Hope, as several earthquakes and tremors began to happen as they were fleeing.

Return to Earth/Battle for Moscow
"This is Sigma, looks like you guys need some support"

- Kane-099, announcing Sigma's return to the fight.

On November 1st, 2552, after a long journey, the Frigate arrived in the Sol system to find it under attack. After making contact with UNSC forces, they piloted the Frigate towards Earth, and fleet. As they drew closer, Kane ordered all of the Spartans and ODST's to the ship's, and plotted the Frigate on a collision course with a nearby Covenant Cruiser in he Earth's atmosphere. Mere minutes before the Frigate collided, Sigma and Whiskey launched their pods, heading straight for Earth. The team landed near Moscow, Russia. The soldiers had become separated in the drop, losing the ODST's Dekker and Samson in the process. Marco found Sergeant Major Mack, along with Jax-007 and Privates Raikov and Peterson. Two miles east, on the outskirts of Moscow, was Kane-099, Martin-A136 and Corporal Bell. The two teams contacted eachother and agreed to meet up at a nearby schoolhouse. However, not long after the teams touched down, two Covenant corvettes began dropping covenant soldiers into the city. They were soon met with a UNSC counterattack.

Marco's team made it into the city, and after speaking to several local police forces (translated by the Russian ODST Raikov)about the situation, they began to press forwards, clearing out several city blocks of Covenant until they met up with Louie-A199 and Alex-A121, who had dropped directly into the city. Just as it seemed they would drive off the Covenant, over a dozen  were dropped in by Covenant forces, overwhelming the already weakened UNSC defence forces. The Spartans, along with the ODST's and marines, were forced to pull back into a Plaza, hopping to trap the Wraith's in the Narrow Streets surrounding it. Kane-099 and his team then arrived to provide support from a church tower, Kane and Martin-A136 acting as Snipers. Marco, Jax and Whiskey Team set up a defensive position inside a ruined building.Alex and Louie acted as spotters, waiting for the Column of wraiths to arrive.

Eventually, the attack came. Louie-A199 and Alex-A121 unleashed several rockets on the first wraiths, destroying them, and then fell back towards the main building. As they ran, several banshees bombed the area, sending the Spartans flying and Severing Alex's right arm. Heavily wounded, he was hauled into the building while Marco and Jax provided covering fire from the advancing covenant infantry with mounted machine guns. Meanwhile, Sergeant Major Mack, followed by Private Raikov and Corporal Bell, moved around the buildings to flank the Covenant Infantry, killing several squads. As the ODST's pushed forward, Corporal Bell was shot in the Head with a Beam rifle, killing him instantly. Radioing for assistance, Mack and Raikov began to fall back towards the Fortified building under heavy fire. They had almost arrived back when Raikov was hit from behind with a Gravity hammer by a Brute Chieftan. The Brute then smashed Mack's assault rifle as he began shooting at it and knocked him to the ground. Mack would have been killed had it not been for Louie-A199, who after shooting the Brute several times with a pistol and threw his combat knife into the Brute's skull, killing it.

The two made their way back to the building, where things were going badly. Brutes had breached the lower level, killing Private Peterson, who had gone down in a hail of Plasma and Spiker fire. Up in the tower, Kane-099 had expended his last sniper bullet on a Brute's skull, and, Along with Martin-A136, jumped from the tower, landing on two of the Wraith's, which were quickly destroyed by the Spartans. Marco, who had spent most of the battle operating a machine gun, was forced into a hasty retreat along with the surviving UNSC forces. They had bought the local marines all the time they needed.

Several Evac pelicans met them half a mile north, and extracted them from the combat zone. As they left, the marine NCO detonated a HAVOK nuclear bomb, destroying all covenant forces in the area and crippling the nearby Covenant corvette and completely wiping out the local ground forces, along with about a third of Moscow. The Spartans returned to the UNSC Pillar Base, situated under Mount Everest. Alex-A121 received a Robotic prosthetic replacement for his severed limb, and Sergeant Mack Received a new squad to command. The Spartans has their injuries and armour checked, and prepared for their next assignment.

On November 17th, 2552, Sigma was once again deployed, this time without the Spartan-III's. They were sent to an area east of Pawa, on the Afganistan/Pakistan Border. Their mission was to calculate the crash site of Sierra 117 before he landed. For this mission, they were given a laser designator for the operation. However, after coming under heavy fire from Brutes, they were forced to hide the designator while they held off the approaching Covenant forces. Knowing that they would not make it in time, Kane-099 radioed for. When the pair arrived, Kane ordered Bravo-21 and Bravo-22 to take the designator to the destination while the Spartans held off enemy forces. Sigma was able to temporarily drive back the Brutes and make their way towards Team Two's location. By the time Sigma arrived at the rendezvous point in a nearby bunker, team two had completed their mission, at the cost of Bravo-21 and various other marines.

The soldiers made their way through the long tunnels in the bunker before emerging at the extraction point the following morning. Sigma and the marines were extracted and taken back to Pillar Base.

Battle for Voi
Sigma team and Marco played a relatively small role in the battle, simply providing support for UNSC Marines and destroying several targets of Opportunity. When the flood-controlled ship arrived, Sigma fought bravely, acting as a rearguard to a platoon of marines as they fell back to a pelican. They were able to escape to a safe distance before Covenant Separatist ships began glassing the area.

War's End
"It's Over... it's finally over..."

-Marco, at the

With the Human-Covenant War finally over, Sigma, being some of the few remaining Spartan-II's, was disbanded, with only three of it's original members left. The Three Spartans visited the Hillside memorial in East Africa on March 3rd, 2553, shortly before the ceremony by Lord Hood. The Spartans paid their respects and, as they turned to leave, Marco carved the numbers 'One-One-Seven' onto the memorial, a tribute to a fellow Spartan who, though they had never met, had saved Marco, Sigma and all of Humanity from annihilation.

In the years following the Human-Covenant War, Marco found himself promoted several times, gaining the Rank of Lieutenant, Junior Grade by 2568. He later found out that his slow advancement through the ranks was due to Dr. Roe, who had made sure most of his promotion's were denied out of pure spite. With Roe's death by Marco's hands on Reach, Marco was finally being rewarded for over twenty years of Bravery, Valour, and Skill in service to the UNSC.

The surviving Spartans were then assigned to the ONI SPARTAN unit.

Family
Several months after the end of the war, while Marco was undergoing a simple health checkup and blood test, the Doctor discovered that his DNA was remarkably similar to that of a marine NCO, Sergeant Michael Wade. Wade was called up to the UNSC Brighton, where Marco had the test. When questioned by Marco, whom Michael simply believed to be a superior Officer calling him up for a mission. After Michael revealed that he had a brother, three years older than him, Marco, who died suddenly when they were kids, Marco removed his helmet, revealing himself as Michael's brother.

He explained to Michael that, from what he could garner, after he and the other Spartan candidates were kidnapped, they were replaced with Flash clones, that quickly died. Although Wade did not first believe the Spartan claiming to be his brother, but after much conversation and evidence, Michael finally accepted his true brother, whom he had not seen for thirty-six years.

Michael invited Marco to stay at his house, where he was home on leave, with his wife, ,and his two-year-old daughter, Kate. Marco accepted, and stayed there until Michael had to return to the UNSC.

ONI SPARTAN Unit
Although the war was over, some Covenant forces still survived. Marco, and the former surviving members of Sigma were assigned to the SPARTAN Unit.

For several months after, the Spartans were tasked with hunting down any Covenant remnants that had survived the end of the war. The survivors were vigorously hunted by both the UNSC and the Sangehili.

Further Insurrection
By 2568, Insurrection had already began to rise up in the rebuilding colonies. A large group, known as the 'Freedom Front', had staged a bloody Coup against the UNSC Administration on the colony world of New Hope. First to be sent in were a contingent of marines, but the Rebel's forces and Firepower were greater than anticipated, leaving the initial forces scattered after their dropships were decimated by hostile AA fire. Marco, along with Kane-099 and Jax-007, were dropped in to the Capital city alongside a contingent of ODST's. Several minutes after the drop, Marco came across a captured Marine platoon, who were, one by one, being executed by the rebels. Spotting them through a sniper scope, Marco recognised one of them: His niece, Kate, who had joined the Corps the same year.

Rather than use his sniper rifle, Marco sprang from cover, and jumped from the roof he was on, landing on one of the rebels. He then proceeded to kill several in close quarters combat, until one of them pointed a gun at Kate. He froze, for a single second, and as he did, Kate kicked the man, causing him to stagger. Taking his chance, Marco grabbed the man by his throat and slammed his skull into a wall, killing him instantly. He then picked up Kate, who recognised her uncle by his armour. The captured platoon then joined the Spartan and his ODST team as they made their way towards the rendezvous point. There they met Kane-099 and Jax-007, who had taken down several large AA guns after they landed.

The Spartans then called in for air support to assist them as they moved on the Main Goverment building. Several pelicans were able to make it into the city, delivering fresh troops for battle against the Insurrectionists. aboard one of them was Alex-A121 and Louie-A199, who had been tasked with delivering an for destroying the Rebel's central command. As the UNSC Forces advanced towards their goal, the fighting became more fierce. Marco, who was constantly looking out for Kate, saw her wounded by an enemy sniper. He ran out onto open ground, and after picking her up, began to fall back to a nearby medic. However, as he ran, a sniper round hit his visor, causing him to drop Kate and fall to the ground.



An hour later, Marco regained consciousness. The battle had been won, and the rebels either captured or killed. His helmet's visor was shattered, and the Sniper round had gone through his right eye and cheekbone. Marco was rushed to a field hospital for facial and bone reconstruction in the damaged area. Marco then found out that Kate's injuries had been patched up by medics. Kate was taken to an orbiting UNSC ship and Marco, after receiving a new helmet, travelled with the other Spartans to their next mission.

The Raid on District-03
Barely two weeks after the battle, Marco was once again deployed into battle against the Insurrectionists. A large group of them had seized control of a large industrial area in the New Hope Spaceport, and had taken several dozen civilians hostage. However, given Marco's 'history' of destroying rather than securing objects/VIP's, he was placed in as a support role for the mission, with the now Lieutenant Commander Kane-099 also providing sniper cover. Jax-007 and Louie-A199 would infiltrate the building with a team of ODST's, and surprise them by coming up through the sewers below the warehouse they had fortified and holed up in.

As the operation began, the first few rebels were quickly killed off by the Spartan and the Battle hardened ODST's, but they too realised that something was wrong. There were a few hostages in the warehouse, but not as many as first anticipated. The rebels, fleeing from the warehouse, detonated it, killing several ODST's and wounding Jax, who had been pursuing them. Marco saw this as an opportunity to attack, and chased after the Insurrectionists, who had fled into the city sewers, alone. After a while, he stopped, having had the feeling that he was being led into a trap, attempted to radio command, but was unable to, being several hundred feet underground. So, Marco decided to continue on through the sewer tunnels, and meet whatever trap the rebels had placed for him. Eventually, he ended up in a wide open area in the sewers, where he found the rebel camp. The perimeter guards opened fire, but were no match for the Spartan. armed with a Grenade launcher and an Assault rifle, Marco began to lay waste to their camp, destroying several shacks and tents, and killing any who opposed him. However, he could not beat the feeling of unease, and Déjà vu. He was reminded of his first mission, the slaughter of the Insurrectionists on Gallis, Forty-Two years ago.

As he got through to the control room, he was able to make contact with Command, who began sending in forces to mop up the remainder of the rebels. As Marco looked around, the rebel leader attempted to kill him with a pistol. Marco grabbed him, crushing the pistol and his hand. The rebel leader surrendered immediately. Tossing his aside to nurse his wound, Marco tried searching the Rebel computer files. As he tried to access the first one, he heard a mad, high pitched laugh behind him. A face flickered on the computer monitors for a few seconds, then they exploded. Marco was saved by the blast by his armour, but the Insurrectionist leader was not.

With the UNSC forces securing the area, the situation on New Hope was finally under control. Marco and the other Spartans were taken back to Earth for the time being. Marco still felt strange, Jax commenting that he looked like he had seen a ghost.

The Spartan-IV Program
In 2569, the UNSC launched the Spartan-IV Program as an attempt to create new supersoldiers to combat the rising tide of Insurrection. Along with his former squadmates Kane-099 and Jax-007, Marco was brought in to command one of the three planned Spartan Companies. Marco was given command of X-Ray, or 'X' Company, comprised of five hundred candidates, with Alex-A121 as his second in command. He was angered, however, when he found out that Kate Wade, his niece, had been accepted into X Company and was to begin training. However, he made no move to remove her from the company, in fact he treated her as he did any other Spartan-IV.

In early 2571, when X Company finished their training, he allowed Kate, now Kate-X500, to become part of Wulf Team, a specialist team of Spartans that participated in off-the-book missions. He did however, keep an eye of Wulf Team, showing that deep down he truly cared for Kate.

The First Galactic War
In April 2571, three UNSC Cruisers, both filled with colonists, landed on the human-controlled planet of Minerva. Minerva had been settled in 2553, shortly after the Human-Covenant War. The ships had been sent with new settlers for the planet, the effort being lead by Captain Roger Maxon. However, upon arriving to the planet, Maxon saw that the settlers were unhappy with how they were being treated by the local UNSC Government, and in a protest against he corrupt governor, Drew Balker, the protesters were fired on by his police force.

Seeing the Corruption brought in by the UNSC, and nothing being done, Maxon, using the Elite ODST Platoon that had accompanied him to Minerva, staged a coup d'état against Balker, arming the locals and storming the governmental building. Balker was executed by Maxon personally. Deciding that he could not go back to the UNSC, Maxon decided to break off, forming his own Goverment on Minerva. He asked the Captain's of the other two ships if they agreed. When one disagreed, he shot him. The other, Captain Owyn Lyons, agreed to join Maxon.

For several years, Maxon's forces struck at UNSC ships and planets, gaining the support of thousands of people along the way. 'Whiskey-04' no longer existed, becoming 'The Legion'. By 2580, The Legion had swelled it's ranks to roughly a million soldiers, and Maxon, through careful searching, had found former Covenant Species sympathetic to his cause. The Legion allied itself with an army of Jiralhanae, known as the Covenant Remnants, and an army of Kig-Yar, called the Sons of Eayn, forming 'The Splinter Aliiance'.

Marco, who had finished training the Spartan-IV X Company in 2571, had been called back to active duty by ONI to find out the cause of the Insurrectionist attacks, this was codenamed Operation: SCALPEL. Marco was deployed alone for seven years, until the training of Y Company was completed in late 2578, whereupon he was joined by his former commander and team mate, Kane-099.

Marco did not directly participate in large battles as he had done so in the, instead going mainly on solo missions or directing X-Ray Company from UNSC Helios Station in orbit over Mars. Marco did play a small role in the Battle of Rell in 2579, helping to evacuate Wulf Team and Yankee Company before an airstrike decimated Legion forces.

In 2594, ONI was able to pinpoint the position of the Legion Leader, Roger Maxon. Operation: LIONS DEN was initiated, and Marathon team, under the command of Ulrik-Y732, was sent in to kill him as his armies fought with UNSC troops nearby. Marathon Team's mission was successful, however, the entire team was killed in the process. In 2598, Maxon's eldest son, Joseph Maxon, was killed in Operation: SCIMITAR by the combined efforts of seven X-Company Headhunter Teams. Marco and Jax were called in to assist the Headhunters when the teams were compromised. However, upon arrival to the planet along with three platoons of Spartans, they only found one Survivor: Stuart-X352, who had killed Maxon personally after his partner, Guy-X340, was slain. The only Spartan body not accounted for was Artyom-X043, the Headhunter Commanding Officer. Artyom was never believed to be dead by future generations of Headhunters.



Marco felt that the massacre of Operation: SCIMITAR was his fault, and that he should have gone along with the Headhunters. In 2599, after the failed attack on Sangehilios, the UNSC and Elite forces were able to pinpoint the base of the Splinter Alliance, and needed to act quickly. nine UNSC Colonies had been obliterated by unknown attackers, and it was suspected that the Alliance had access to some form of super weapon. So, a large fleet was sent to the planet Minerva, where they would strike the decisive blow against the Alliance.

The Battle for Minerva
"Spartans, we are all that remains, all that stands between Order, and Chaos. Down there, lies the last bastion of the Splinter Alliance. It is here, that we shall make history, it is here, that we Spartans live up to our name! I have seen over seventy years of bloodshed, and I will not rest, not slow down, until our last enemy is vanquished! Prepare yourselves, ladies and gentlemen, and fear not, for as we all know, Spartans never die. Go!"

- Marco's final speech to X-Ray Company, seconds before their orbital drop into Minerva to finish the fight.

A joint UNSC-Sangehili fleet entered the Minerva system in December 2599. The plan was simple: The majority of the combined fleets would keep the Alliance forces at bay, while several Human ships would attempt to land and secure the Capital City and Main Spaceport. Marco, being one of the senior Spartans present, would direct X-Ray Company's assault on the spaceport from the UNSC Flagship, 'Melbourne'. The Sangehili Supercarrier, Vengeance, made short work of most of the Legion defences, forcing their ships to retreat. Meanwhile, the remaining S.O.E Kig-Yar ships attempted to leave the system and flee in face of overwhelming odds, but were suddenly destroyed by an unknown presence. Shortly afterwards, a large energy beam hit the Vengeance, crippling it. On the other side of Minerva, a massive ship loomed. This was what had been destroying the colonies. A transmission was sent out over an open frequency to the UNSC.

"We are death. we are pain. We are loneliness personified. We have watched and waited, probed and pushed. Now, we shall be alone no more. We walk where you lesser beings fear to tread. Our eldest watched your life wither and die in the fall. Now are gone. This is our time. You will fall, crumbling, only those we take as slaves will remain. We are death. we are pain. Our time has come, and the stars themselves shall kneel before us"

- The message from the unknown ship

Upon the end of this message the ship fired at the remaining ships, destroying some and crippling many others. Hundreds of escape pods and lifeboats were send planetwards. The Melbourne was undamaged, having been away from the main battle at the time. The ship contained the three SPARTAN-IV companies, and their commanders. On the order of Fleet Admiral John Hawkins, every Spartan on board was to be sent to the planet, with the exception of Jax-007, who would join a Sangehili Specops team in boarding the deadly new enemy ship.

Marco remained on the Melbourne to coordinate the SPARTANS below, along with Kane-099. X-Ray Company would drop straight into Minerva city, along with half of Yankee Company. The other half would engage Alliance forces in the Governmental Palace on the city outskirts. The entirety of Z Company would land in the spaceport, and secure it as a vital asset. Watching from the Bridge, Marco saw that 99.2% of the Spartans had made it down safely, and were engaging the enemy. Wulf Team, led by Maynard-X112, had dropped in a residential area, where the fighting was thickest. Many other UNSC forces had been able to land within 20 minutes of the Spartan landfall.

Meanwhile, Jax-007, along with Arbiter Felo 'Ranak and a team of 30 Sangehili Special Operations troopers would penetrate the enemy ship Via drop pod, after a single area had been damaged by combined plasma and MAC fire. The enemy ship, classified as 'Ragnarok' did not destroy the attacking forces; it needed to recharge it's main cannons. The strike team made it in almost unharmed. Moments after landing, the team came under attack my dozens of robotic drones.

Marco, watching the Situation of the ground, saw that his Spartans were heavily outnumbered and were taking casualties. Zulu Company had taken the spaceport with minimal casualties, and were heading into the main city. Yankee Company had taken the palace, but with heavy losses and X-Ray Company, his Spartans, were surrounded and heavily outnumbered. Marco agreed with Kane that if they wanted to win this battle, they would have to personally lend a hand.

Clearing it with Fleet Admiral Hawkins, the two SPARTAN-II's set off in their own drop pods. Landing several miles apart, the two decided it would be best if they assisted their own Company's. Marco fought through the city, until he found several of his Spartans taking cover from enemy fire. Upon seeing their Commander arrive, the SPARTAN-IV's fought with increased vigour. Marco led them into a collapsed building, where they took cover, and set up a firing position. Although happy to see his Spartans alive, Marco was truly searching for one: Kate-X500.

Stuart-X352, Nathaniel-X476 and Isabelle-X021 had been part of Violet Team. Their team leader, Gerald-X347, had been killed by Legion Commandos, and the team had lost contact with Carmine Team, who had come under heavy fire from Snipers and was pinned down, and Ochre Team, who had been engaging enemy drones on a roof, before being pressed back. When asked about the status of Wulf Team, they said that they had not been in contact since the drop.

Marco led Violet Team north, where they met up with Sarah-X348 and Duncan-X022, the only survivors of Carmine Team, who had been trapped by Legion Snipers; they had only just broken through. The Spartans contacted Kane-099, who had taken up a sniping position in the palace along with several platoons of Yankee Company.

Marco's plans to regroup and push the Splinter Alliance from the city were shattered when 3 Brute-Captained Carriers came into view over Minerva city, and after dropping off fresh troops, began to glass the UNSC-Occupied Areas. Hailing Kane on the comms, he arranged for a rendezvous point in a fallout bunker several miles east of their position. Meanwhile, Wulf Team, who had been working their way through the city, had received Marco's broadcast, and began to make their way there. However, as they did, they came under attack by Legion snipers and several Brute patrols. In the ensuing battle, Ross-X090, Mateo-X234 And Devin-X432 were killed. Maynard-X112 and Kate-X500 were almost killed, had it not been for Alex-A121, who saved them. As they drew closer to the bunker, the Brute High Chieftan, Kartus, and his bodyguards attacked. Alex killed Kartus, along with several dozen enemies, sacrificing himself as he did so. The surviving Spartans fell back inside the bunker.

Contact was cut off from the UNSC for several days as heavy bombing hit the city. With the death of their Chieftan, the Jiralhanae forces fell into disarray, and made easy targets for what was left of the UNSC fleet. When the bombing ceased, the Spartans emerged to find the city in ruins. Yankee Company had held the palace, with heavy casualties, while Zulu Company, who had retreated from the spaceport when the bombing began, had fought a bloody battle on the fields outside Minerva city, again taking heavy casualties. Aside from the unidentified enemy ship, upon which fighting was still occurring, the Splinter Alliance forces had been all but crushed. The only man the UNSC now needed was Arthur Maxon, who had taken command from his brother, Joseph, the year before. Marco, along with barely a dozen SPARTAN-IV's, Martin-A136 and Louie-A199, set out for the Legion's Command-and-Control Centre, Steel Mountain.

The Battle for Steel Mountain
"They held on to that place with every last breath in their body, and we burned and blasted and shot our way up in there. We had to fight for every inch, 'til we had 'em with their backs to the wall. They still held on, even with cold, dead hands..."

- Marco talking about the battle afterwards

Cut off from any reinforcements, Marco decided to lead whoever he had left to attack Steel Mountain, the Legion HQ. Leaving Christine-X096 and Raymond-X199, who were badly wounded, in the care of Isabelle-X021 and Duncan-X022. The Spartan Team came into contact with Kane-099 and Lysander-Y050, who were also looking for survivors. It was discovered that although X-Ray and Yankee Companies had taken serious casualties, many had survived by using the bunker located beneath the Palace, while Zulu company had become entrenched and were still fighting in the marshland outside the city.

The Spartans commandeered several warthogs and proceeded towards Steel Mountain. As they got closer, they joined up with the 38th Armoured Division, numbering over 100 Scorpion tanks. All of the surviving Legion forces had clustered in the vast defence network around Steel Mountain, and fighting had already begun by the time the Spartans had arrived.

Marco led the Spartans as they punched through the last bastions of Legion defence. Leaving the tanks to combat the bulk of Legion forces, they entered the Steel Mountain Complex through a sentry post. Their main objective was to capture or kill Arthur Maxon, the youngest son of the deceased Roger Maxon. Marco had the team split up. Maynard-X112 would take Lysander-Y050, Sarah-X348, Henvid-Y979 and Travis-Y197, sneaking through the ventilation system and striking at the Command Centre, while Marco, Kane-099, Martin-A136, Louie-A199 and Kate-X500 would serve as a main attacking force to distract the bulk of enemy forces while Maynard's team slipped past.

The Plan would have gone according to plan, however, if it were not for the fact that Maynard's team had set off in the wrong direction, only realising this as the second team breached the Command Room. The Spartans of Marco's team had rushed into the room, hoping to capture the Legion Commander, to be met with two platoons of heavily armed Legion Commandos.

The Spartans were caught under heavy fire, Louie being badly wounded by a grenade. Despite this, they were able to break through, wiping out most of the Legion Commanders who refused to surrender. Across the planet, holdouts were beginning to waver, as their main command centre fell to the Spartan assault.

Maynard's team, having realised that they were heading in the wrong direction, moved in through the ventilation system, bursting out and attacking the bodyguards from behind. The Supreme Commander of the Legion, Arthur Maxon, fired a missile at the Spartans, almost killing Kate-X500. Seeing Kate wounded, Marco sprang towards Maxon and picked him up by the throat, choking him. In his last breath, Maxon fired the remaining missile at the floor in an attempt to kill them both.

Marco was heavily injured by the missile, needing to receive heavy surgery and medical attention. He was nearly blinded in his remaining eye. He opted for cybernetic enhancements and surgery, replacing one of his eyes and repairing the other. These augmentations also turned his eyes a bright blue colour.

Recovery
"Ever considered retiring? We're not exactly young any more, and I think you of all people deserve a rest"

"No"

-Brigadier General Richard Mack Jr. speaking to Marco aboard the in 2601.

Following the end of the 29 war, which had left the UNSC devastated, Marco and many other surviving Spartans were transported to the UNSC Hopeful, which had arrived at Minerva shortly after the battle. Of the 2500 SPARTAN-IV's that had been deployed years earlier, there were barely three hundred survivors. X-Ray Company had taken the worst losses, being reduced to just under fifty members. Most of Wulf Team had been killed, and though the unidentified ship had been confirmed destroyed (It had attempted to make a slipspace jump, though half of it was left behind), there was no sign of the SPARTAN-II, Jax-007, the Arbiter, Felo 'Ranak, and their team. They were presumed dead.

Marco spent several months on the Hopeful, undergoing further rconstructive surgery and having several augmentations made. Despite being ninety years old, the SPARTAN-II was still in peak physical condition, injuries notwithstanding. However, as plans were made for a SPARTAN-V Program in the aftermath of the War, as the SPARTAN-IV ranks had been decimated, and there were only a handful of II's and III's still alive at this point, the elderly Spartans were given the option of retiring.

However, Marco, along with his fellows, refused, and decided to stay on working for the UNSC. The SPARTAN-III's were taken back to Earth, where plans were made for the fifth generation of SPARTAN's, while Marco, Kane-099 and Elena-071 were placed in a team, set to track down the remainder of Legion forces in the outer colonies.

Personality and Appearance
Marco had, throughout training, always had a rebellious attitude towards his superiors, more specifically Dr. Calvin Roe. In combat, he was known for his brutality, which made him hard to field against Insurrectionists. He was also aggravated quite easily by non-Spartans, and almost got into a fight with a group of ODST's had it not been for Jax-007 and Resk-063. Despite coming from a Hispanic background, as his parents had been refugees from Madrigal, he adopted a 'London Accent', from the place of his upbringing. Marco never discussed his family with anyone he knew, teammates included.

Marco was also very vocal with his opinions on Insurrectionists and the Covenant. He believed that Insurrectionists were cowardly traitors who had turned their back on their own species, and that the covenant were simply Aliens that needed to be destroyed. Even after the conclusion of the Human-Covenant War, he remained very wary of allied Sangeheili forces, expecting a betrayal at any moment.

After finding out about his family in 2553, Marco became very protective of them, especially his niece, Kate, who later became a Spartan-IV. He risked his life for her in the Battle for New Hope in 2568, even losing his right eye to a sniper round.

Marco was easily identified from the other Spartans, when in and out of armour. He was described as 'twitchy' by his superiors, and always seemed ready for a fight. During the war, he kept his hair short until after the final Battle of Earth. After the war, he grew a small beard. His hair was a dark brown colour, though in his later years it began to go grey. By 2599,all of his hair was a grey colour.Marco's green eyes were said to have a 'haunted' look about them, and when he was training the Spartan-IV's a single glare would do more to make them listen than any words ever did. After losing his eye in 2578, he wore a black eyepatch over it. In 2600, after sustaining heavy wounds following the Battle of Minerva, Marco opted for 'augmentations' to further improve his eyesight, which was not as good as it used to be. Marco received a Cybernetic right eye, and the augmentations turned his left eye bright blue, matching his cybernetic one.

Physically, he was roughly the same as his fellow Spartans, if a shade stronger than his teammates. In and out of armour, he was extremely skilled in close quarters combat, managing to kill over eighteen Insurrectionists using his armoured hands. However, outside of combat, he was reasonably friendly, or at least attempted to be so. Compared to the rest of Sigma, he made very little effort to socialise with non-SPARTAN personnel, with few exceptions.

Marco was, for the most part, one of the quieter members of Sigma. He followed orders diligently and to the letter, though his methods were considered unorthodox by his superiors at times. Marco had very few close friends, even within Sigma, and throughout his entire life, there were few he ever confided in. During training, Marco became good friends with Jack-085 and Elena-071, also befriending Nef-015 and Wulf-041. The three of them going on to be some of the best in the program, though Elena possessed the best leadership skills. However, following his augmentations in 2525, Jack and Ahmad-126 escaped from the facility and went rogue, Jack dissapearing and Ahmad being found dead. Elena, along with eight others, were put into separate teams, Sigma-Beta, Sigma-Gamma and Sigma-Delta respectively.

In addition to the small amount of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), that was almost expected in many Spartans, he also suffered from Survivor's Guilt, after the deaths of his teammates in the later years of the Human-Covenant War, even when he could do nothing to save his fellow Spartans, Wulf-041 in particular, which led to him leading the Spartans of Sigma, Tau and Upsilon in pursuit of Doctor Calvin Roe, who had essentially killed Wulf and several others. This was one of the few times that he truly showed emotion.

In his spare time, Marco studied the history of the Roman Republic extensively, using several tactics he had learned from various key figures in his later life. It was this interest that got him partnered with the Fifteenth Generation 'Smart' AI, Cicero, whom had based himself on the real life figure. Marco got on very well with the AI, who he took with him when he disappeared in 2609. Cicero continued to serve Marco faithfully, as a friend and an advisor.

Skills
During his training as a SPARTAN-II, Marco was noted for being the most tactically flexible of everyone in the Sigma Program, being able to adapt much easier than his teammates could. However, as the Human-Covenant War went on, Marco began to exhibit some 'Lone Wolf' characteristics, preferring to spend much of his time alone.

Marco was, however, the most proficient in hand-to-hand combat of all the Sigma Spartans; being able to outfight even Covenant Elites within seconds, and on several occasions even kill Hunters using only his armoured hands. Marco also attempted to repurpose Covenant weapons, though his only notable success was customising a captured Brute Shot to fire human fragmentation grenades. The weapon was confiscated and most likely destroyed upon Sigma Team's arrival to Reach in 2552.



When it came to plans, Marco was never the brilliant Tactician that Fenn-145 was. His favoured strategy seemed to be 'sprinting it'- charging through enemy lines to secure an objective and/or escape. This tactic, though crude and seemingly suicidal at times, was used to great effect, particularly during the, the Loss of Hope and the Battle for Minerva.

Another skill that Marco used often was his strength, which even for a Spartan, was massive. He would usually overpower his opponents, flip entire tanks or even punch through concrete walls in battle, although the latter would often end in damaged fingers.

As with all SPARTAN-II's, Marco was trained to some degree in first aid, though he rarely had time to give it on the battlefield. Marco, who spent most of his free time studying or training, was well-versed in the arts of Guerilla Warfare, Urban Combat and Total War, becoming fond of the Commentaries on the Gallic War by Julius Caesar. Marco put all he had learned to good use during the Second Battle of Reach in 2615, where he was able to direct his rebel troops through the streets of New Manassas, inflicting heavy casualties on the better armed and equipped SPARTAN IV Zulu Company.

Promotions

 * Petty Officer, Third Class (2525-2545)
 * Petty Officer, Second Class (2545-2552)
 * Chief Petty Officer (2552-2559)
 * Senior Chief Petty Officer (2559-2565)
 * Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (2565-2568)
 * Lieutenant, Junior Grade (2568-2579)
 * Lieutenant (2579-2599)
 * Lieutenant Commander (2599-2609)
 * General. (Unofficial Rebel Rank) (2609-2615)

Quotes and Conversations
"I admit it, you scare me. I'll expecting C-12 in my cereal from now on..."

- Marco speaking to Amy-133 in 2545, after she turned a child's stuffed toy into an anti-tank mine

"Damn rebels, turning their back on their own species. Those covvie-lovers deserve to die, every last one of 'em..."

- Marco condemning Insurrection in 2550

"No one will ever remember me, I've seen what it is like, you can die in an instant. Jacob and Amy didn't die like heroes. they were gone in a second. I don't want to die, and if I do, I want to be remembered"

- Marco, in a rare display of emotion to Kane-099

"I AM your Demon"

- Marco to a group of Sangehili Zealots during the Invasion of Reach

"Jack was always a little crazy, I think even as kids we were all a little scared of him, of what he might end up doing"

- Marco speaking about his former friend, whom he fought against in the Battle for the Hephaestus Array.

"Hello. I am Lieutenant Junior Grade Marco-025. I am a trained killer, a Spartan, and according to the spooks who wrote my file, slightly unstable. Believe me, I will make the next year of your lives a living hell unlike anything any of you have experienced before. When, and if you maggots make it onto a real battlefield, remember this: Nothing you find out there, will scare you as much as me!"

- Marco's first words to the trainees of the SPARTAN-IV X-Ray Company in 2568

"We're the only ones left now, relics of the last war. Whether we live or die, we will see eachother again, brothers."

- Marco Speaking to Jax-007 and Kane-099 before the battle of Minerva in 2599.

"I killed by first man at the age of 15, and I've killed thousands since then. You are looking at a mass murderer, a man who has stared into the gates of hell. I don't want that life for you, please stay safe."

- When Speaking to his Niece, Kate-X500, a Spartan-IV soldier in 2599, just before the decisive battle against the Splinter Alliance.

"Spartans never die? Tell that to those that fought at Minerva..."

- When being questioned by a reporter in 2600.

"The Die is cast. I am sorry"

- Marco's last words to his protégé, Maynard-X112, before the Battle of the Divide in 2615, which led to the mysterious disappearance.

"Victory Cannot be achieved without Sacrifice. We know this better than anyone"'"

- Marco, speaking to Maynard-X112 in 2599.

"The Problem with being a so-called Legend is that you have to endure the damn rumours. If half were true, i'd be a 20 foot tall robotic giant with laser eyes!"

- Marco discussing the Spartan-II's Status in the media

Trivia

 * As with the rest of Sigma Team, Marco was originally created for a Machinima project, in which he would be a Spartan Sergeant Major heavy weapon specialist. All of the pictures of him taken in Halo 3 were originally from the cancelled project.


 * This character's Alignment is Neutral good, with some tendencies toward Chaotic Good, depending on the Situation.


 * Marco's partnership with the AI Cicero is due to the fact that the Author had spent the a year studying the man, and the interest in Roman military history is another thing that the Author had been studying.


 * This is the Author's second ever page, and First character.


 * His second quote at the top of the page is taken from Viktor Reznov, from Call of Duty: Black Ops, with some small changes.


 * Marco is a main character in Halo: Last of the Brave.


 * This character scored a 20 on the Universal Gary-Stu Test, and so is not a Gary-Stu.


 * As of July 25th, 2011, this article is the 55th longest on this wiki.


 * Marco has a number of tropes relating to him:
 * Child Soldier -being a SPARTAN-II.
 * Rebellious Rebel -during his training days.
 * Screw the Rules, i'm doing what's right -Something he has done several times.
 * Bruiser with a Soft Center -Based on his personality.
 * DeTerminator -Marco was never known to give up easily.
 * Heroic Sacrifice -Possibly.
 * Was it Really Worth it? -His killing of Arthur Maxon.
 * Deadpan Snarker -Yep.
 * No One Could Survive That -Marco and the SPARTAN-IV'S surviving a 3-day bombardment in 2599.
 * Old Soldier -Fighting at the age of 104.
 * Rebel Leader -From 2609-2615
 * I Will Fight Some More Forever -Second Battle of Reach, 2615.
 * See you in Hell-During the Battle of the Divide.