Vinh-030

"Don’t you realize that lost causes are the only ones worth fighting for?"

- Vinh-030 to Parthius, before parting ways

SPARTAN-030, Vinh, was a commando serving  through the Human-Covenant War and the Post-war Era. Born the daughter of Vietnamese-American colonists on, she was selected for the SPARTAN-II Program by Dr. in 2517. Her father, who'd been a career marine and long practitioner of kenjutsu, instilled in her a strong sense of discipline that would become invaluable through her career, and began teaching her to wield a blade before she was abducted for the program.

Quickly proving herself to be a capable soldier, Vinh excelled early on, but became overshadowed as the other trainees came into their own. Eventually, she found her own talent as a mechanic and combat engineer, while continuing to learn to wield a sword more as a hobby than actual combat method. While willing to risk her life for any SPARTAN, Vinh and Isaac-039 had a particularly close relationship that became romantic during the Human-Covenant War, and Vinh bore a son named Daniel who was placed in foster care under the watch of ONI agent Erin Coney.

In the last year of the war, Isaac was killed in front of Vinh after the, and Vinh was captured to await execution. Only surviving because of an alliance with Parthius during the, Vinh returned to Earth to fight in the Battle of Tokyo, and discovered that her son had survived, being absent from Reach because of his entrance into the. Vinh met her son on the battlefield, but didn't tell him of their relation. After the end of the war, Vinh requested a non-combat position on the exploration and recolonization survey ship UNSC Themistocles, where she could watch over her son and his team.

Early Life and Conscription
"Weapons are enemies, even to their owners."

- Vinh’s father

Vinh was the only child of a colonial family on Jericho VII. Her father was a retired Marine and firm pacifist after serving his tour quelling riots and fighting militants of the. He was determined to prevent his daughter from having anything to do with war, and while proud that Vinh excelled academically and athletically, he was often frustrated with Vinh's interest in history, particularly military history. Vinh was fascinated by things so different from what she knew, but eventually learned not to discuss her interest with her father. And so it came as a shock to her to one day discover his military keepsakes, including his ceremonial NCO's sword.

Though angry that she'd found them, her persistence eventually made him relent and agree to teach her some self-defense techniques he'd learned, and by age six had allowed her to train with a small bokken knife. Around this time, Dr. Catherine Halsey identified her as a potential candidate for the SPARTAN-II Program, and officers of the were dispatched to observe and interview her, sending recordings of the child to Halsey. Although impressed Vinh was already learning martial skill, Halsey found she lacked the aggressive will to be the best that would make a leader, and approved Vinh before moving on in her search. With ONI's agents having remained on standby, Vinh was abducted quickly and replaced with a on her seventh birthday. Vinh's only connection to her past would be a dagger with red silk-wrapped handle her father had given her as a gift.

SPARTAN Training
On the first day, Vinh was matched up with fellow trainees and Isaac-039. She quickly took a dislike to Isaac’s laid back attitude, believing him to be lazy. Their team finished in the lower half, but thanks to John-117’s abandonment of his teammates, were not last. Outmatched by the larger Sam, Jorge, and Fred in combat, Vinh found other ways of succeeding. This fell well into the inventive strategies of Green Team when the trainees were divided for exercises, where she learned to tinker with small electronics and pieces of machinery thanks to Sergeant Moses Wheatley. Recognizing a talent, Mendez allowed her access to more and more complex objects.

In, the trainees were matched up against the marines of for an exercise. The SPARTANs struck an early victory by destroying the Marines' fleet of Warthogs, only sparing a few they stole for their own use. Vinh's ability to maintain and drive the vehicles would lead to victory after victory against the hardened leathernecks. Eventually, their CO resorted to dirty tactics to gain the upper hand. While transporting several trainees in a stolen troop transport ‘hog, a landmine explosion suddenly flipped them over and off the road. She and resisted and were captured by the marines, but bought the other passengers enough time to escape into the woods. They were taken to Tango’s one-story jail and beaten for causing them so much trouble. The torture might have gone on for some time, but Isaac had tailed them with two other trainees, and freed their teammates. After this, Vinh changed her mind about Isaac.

In the weeks after the pair began to grow close to one another, and it led to trouble. Red Team, Jerome-092, Alice-130, and Douglas-042, had attacked other trainees once for such a relationship, and that event made Vinh and Isaac careful not to be discovered. Unfortunately, Grace let it slip to Alice about them, and she confronted Vinh alone, making violent threats. Though Vinh wanted to remain silent about it, Isaac coerced what had happened from her, and during the next training exercise asked if he could take one other and scout ahead. He chose 130, who didn’t suspect that as soon as they were out of earshot, she would be attacked by her own teammate. After a struggle, he left Alice bound and unconscious for the others of Red Team to find.

Human-Covenant War
Only three months after led the SPARTAN-IIs'  in the, the SPARTANs were brought aboard the  and briefed on  with the. Taken to, the frigate was engaged by a Covenant vessel and both ships were heavily damaged. Both ships fell back to attempt minor repairs, and in the lull in battle, Dr. Halsey took the SPARTANs by Pelican to the, where they were introduced to the , which would become their most valuable piece of equipment through the course of the war. Vinh played a minor role in the, having missed her target along with most of the other SPARTANs, and only afterward learned of 's death. While their greatest loss to that point, it only foreshadowed what lay in the years ahead of them.

The First Red Team (2526-2531)
While the early years of the war were fought across the Outer Colonies, the world of became a symbolic and strategic center of conflict. As a result, ordered a SPARTAN-II unit be present for the duration of the campaign:. In addition to taking on commando roles, the SPARTANs of Red Team would be tasked with aiding in front line combat. Thus, the nine selected for the usual roster were ordnance experts like and, combat engineers such as Vinh and , and heavy weapons experts like. What hadn't been taken into account was their personal histories, but any bitter feelings were kept strictly off the battlefield.

While the SPARTAN-II Program was still classified at this time, keeping Red Team completely a secret proved difficult, and word of their actions quickly spread through the ranks of soldiers on Harvest, but the morale boost became appreciated as the Harvest Campaign dragged on into "five years of hell". While the legends about them usually imagined the team as a permanent set of characters, nearly every SPARTAN was rotated in and out of Red Team through the campaign. During those years, it was led at different times by John-117,, and , but most often and most famously by. They also experienced their first casualties, but the presence of has diluted records. Rumors and unconfirmed firsthand accounts say that there were at least two, one named, but this individual's very existence is widely doubted.

After the planet's final liberation in 2531, Red Team was finally to be reintegrated with the rest of the SPARTANs and began carrying out refresher courses in some particular fields on. As if the war had followed them, two Covenant battleships arrived in-system, landing ground troops after a skirmish with the handful of Navy ships in orbit. Jerome's team immediately abandoned the training run and came to the aid of local Army units under sudden attack by alien ground forces.

As the Covenant closed in around, Red Team split into two; Splinter Group Alpha, made up of Jerome, Douglas, and Alice, would fall back to defend from within the city, while Splinter Group Omega, including Vinh and Isaac, would try to stall the main Covenant army while evacuation efforts began. The two teams reunited after Pirth City fell, and with the support of units from the, destroyed the foundations of a Covenant fortress. While the one remaining Covenant ship enigmatically fled the system, with Red-Alpha giving chase aboard the Spirit of Fire, the members of Red-Omega were left to depart Arcadia aboard the damaged.

Battle of Jericho VII (February 10-12, 2535)
"Welcome mat is laid out, Chief. Ready when you are."

- Vinh to.

When the Covenant discovered and invaded her homeworld, Vinh considered the battle personal, despite that she could remember little of home. John almost skipped over her in favor of Grace on demolitions, but Vinh confronted him in private to explain, and she was assigned to as Blue-Four temporarily. Supporting front line Marine units through commando operations, Vinh was responsible for laying hundreds of kilograms of explosives throughout the course of the battle, including and  IEDs. While operating near Jericho VII's population centers, Vinh tried to recognize parts of her surroundings, but was distraught by the lack of anything familiar.

Because of the efforts of SPARTAN Teams Blue, Red, and Green, UNSC forces were able to hold off the Covenant with only minor casualties, but of the  were overrun by Grunts under the leadership of an  and violently executed, recordings of which were sent as part of a message to demoralize the humans. In retaliation, Blue Team was dispatched to wipe out the Covenant legions responsible, while the other teams would use the distraction to their advantage. Despite their success, the Covenant's naval superiority would force the UNSC to abandon Jericho VII, withdrawing the SPARTANs aboard the. After the debriefing, Vinh watched alone from an observation deck as her homeworld was glassed.

Battle of Kholo (March, 2539)
Using information gained from interrogating rebel leaders that had fled four years earlier, ONI began a series of counter-insurgent operations and requested two SPARTAN operators to carry them out. Vinh and Isaac were chosen, and aboard the UNSC Nightshade were introduced to their overseer, Lieutenant Erin Coney. Beginning their first mission in Dorado, Kholo, the SPARTANs were suddenly cut off from Erin and any extraction when the entered the system and launched an assault on the colony. The fleet's flagship began glassing the planet immediately, carving a glyph in the planet's surface and catching Dorado in the middle of it. Amid the chaos, Vinh and Isaac sought shelter in the colony's gold mines, coming so close that they had to jump down a mine shaft to escape the fallout.

Regaining their senses after the drop, Vinh had to be helped out of her broken armor, but was able to use it to broadcast the in hopes of being rescued. Unfortunately, the Covenant picked up on it, and Field Master Vract 'Aeramee personally accompanied a he tasked with digging them out. Believing themselves to be in their final moments, the long-time teammates and friends had relations which led to the conception of their son, Daniel. However, their signal had indeed reached Erin, still lingering in orbit, and the ONI agent requisitioned a strike team from Echo 11/6 to assist her in a rescue. Erin led the ODSTs in hijacking the Scarab, personally dealing with the Field Master before making contact with the two SPARTANs and carefully had the tunnels mapped and excavated by the captured mining rig to extract them, afterwards making a random slipspace jump out of the system.

During the weeks-long series of jumps, Vinh began experiencing sharp pains in her midsection, and after reporting them was examined by a medic from the ODST contingent, Otis Len. He privately revealed to Erin and Isaac that Vinh was pregnant, and after Isaac explained, Vinh swore them to secrecy after refusing to abort the child. Erin agreed to help, and had her discreetly transferred to a hospital on Reach under the name Vinh Clarke, using Isaac's true surname. She stayed there for the duration, and while she had almost no contact with the other SPARTANs, Isaac was often there to keep her company, and in time they became friends with Erin beyond simply working together. Giving birth to a boy, whom she named Daniel, Vinh remained with the child another month before it became necessary for her to return with Isaac, leaving him in an orphanage under Erin's watchful eye. Against the odds, Dyne lived through infancy without any complications as a ‘SPARTAN 2.1’, though he never learned of his parents' origins.

Fall of Reach (Aug. 30th – Sept. 7th, 2552)
When the Covenant arrived in, all available assets were recalled to defend Reach. Vinh found herself back in Red Team under leadership of to hold the generators for Reach's orbital MAC platforms. Descending to the planet's surface aboard, they were attacked by two Seraph squadrons, and though their escort broke off in a suicidal attempt to draw them away, the dropship was hit and its pilot killed. Joshua-029 managed to stabilize the vessel, but the SPARTANs were still forced to jump before the ship crashed. Vinh survived, but sustained a torn deltoid muscle, three broken fingers, and a herniated disk from the impact.

Splitting up, Fred assigned the six wounded SPARTANs and remaining Marines of to, led by , to secure a fallback position at. Encountering Covenant patrols, Will, Isaac, and Vinh were separated from the rest of their team, and while they reached their destination, never reestablished contact. Fred and eventually rejoined them, bringing news that the rest of the SPARTANs were either dead or out of range, and the five of them were let inside CASTLE Base by Dr. Catherine Halsey.

Halsey ordered them to the medical wing, assessing each of the surviving SPARTANs' injuries, but before tending to them instructed Vinh and Isaac to assess their perimeter defenses. Already, however, the Covenant were approaching the base in force, and to escape them Dr. Halsey enacted, destroying CASTLE Base while she and the SPARTANs fled into the tunnels below. For several days, they remained trapped underground while the Covenant began trying to dig them out, putting all of the SPARTANs on edge. Vinh and Isaac spent some of this time alone together, feeling much as they had under Kholo, and while the others noticed it, none suspected them of anything. One way they passed time was by installing Halsey's experimental upgrades to their MJOLNIR armor, which for Vinh was a new linear accelerator that doubled her shield strength.

After more than a week navigating the emptied titanium mines and following symbols, they found a chamber containing a  that seemed to be the source of a spatial distortion surrounding it. When Dr. Halsey touched the crystal, it emitted a massive neutrino radiation spike which allowed the Covenant to triangulate their position. A Covenant ship used its weaponry to blast into the cavern from above, and as the SPARTANs retreated to a nearby tunnel, Vinh and Isaac attempted to cover their retreat with satchel charges. However, a bolt from a plasma pistol struck one of the charges, detonating several and causing a cave-in that buried Vinh, Isaac, and half the first of the Covenant shock troops. Fred attempted to reach them on COMs, but received no response.

Pinned under tons of rubble, both SPARTANs remained alive, though barely conscious. Just as Vinh was reawakening and claustrophobia began to set in, Unggoy under the command of Ultra Veral T’ramee dug her out, along with Isaac. Veral inspected the two of them, and decided to bring one to for execution. Vinh, however, he would kill for personal honor. Just as he was about to slay her with an energy sword, Isaac grabbed T’ramee’s leg and uttered a challenging word. Veral did not hesitate, killing Isaac by running him through. Vinh was taken to a cell aboard T’ramee’s ship, the Devout Believer.

Imprisonment on the Devout Believer (Sept. 7th – Nov. 6th, 2552)
Vinh was placed alone in a cell, the same prison block housing a handful of insane Kig-Yar and the marine Privates Shields and Clark, the latter of whom died from severe wounds. Due to the Covenant’s continued excavation of Reach and ongoing war with the UNSC, they did not return to High Charity immediately, and Vinh would live a while longer. Vinh’s only distractions for her two months of confinement were exercising to keep strong, and talking with a Jiralhanae, Parthius, learning a great deal about their history, art, and culture from him.

She finally was able to get free, the very day the Covenant's began. T’ramee entered the cell block and engaged Parthius in a duel, which the prisoners could only watch while speculating on their fate. Veral’s wild attacks damaged a control console, shorting out the containment walls without his noticing. Just as the Elite would have killed Parthius, Vinh tackled T'ramee to the ground and used his own sharp-edged helmet to decapitate him.

Private Shields had been killed fighting the insane Kig-Yar, and after she retrieved his tags, Vinh and Parthius formed a temporary alliance and spent three harrowing days fighting the remaining Elites onboard. The Jiralhanae made use of his energy spear, while the SPARTAN adopted a pair of Covenant energy swords. Though she at first found them unwieldy, Vinh quickly adapted and observed how sword-wielding Elites attacked. With every duel she became more deadly.

The guerilla strikes culminated in a battle on the cruiser’s bridge, where the Shipmaster was slain. Parthius allowed Vinh to escape in a single slipspace-capable ship, and she was able to return to Earth. Despite that she and Parthius had fought together against superior odds and won, she made sure to follow the Cole Protocol, still aware he was a Covenant soldier. After being recovered by an ONI prowler on the edge of the, she earned the SPARTAN-IIs the only major military award it had yet to receive, the.

Battle of Earth (November 2552)
As the ONI ship returned to Earth to deploy her, Vinh attempted to contact Erin Coney for news of her son's fate on Reach. She soon discovered that Coney had been demoted to Lieutenant and dismissed from ONI, and was currently with at Ryu Base in Tokyo. While unable to connect to Ryu Base directly, Vinh found in the prowler's files that Dyne was among the units Coney was overseeing, assigned to. Highly concerned for his safety, Vinh tracked his team to Kanazawa and forcibly requested a Pelican from the prowler's commander.

Landing away from the ongoing battle, Vinh set out to find Ion Team by asking local units whom they had aided. While skirting a fallen marine outpost, she was seen by chance by a Brute pack, which quickly gave chase. Unprepared to deal with so many enemies, Vinh was saved by the arrival of Ion Team aboard two light vehicles. Overhearing her son’s name, and was shocked to find that he had become a SPARTAN-III. Vinh spoke briefly with the team's leader, Kodiak, but had no chance to reveal their connection before the remaining Brutes charged them. In the ensuing firefight, a grenade explosion taxed their shields and Vinh was wounded protecting Dyne and Sepia. Vinh was evacuated aboard Bravo 029 once Ion had cleared up the area. Vinh’s last thought before meds knocked her out was that she was proud of her son.

Post-War
Resilient as any Spartan, Vinh recovered quickly from her injuries. With the Human-Covenant War effectively over, in the few days of celebration before the UNSC turned to rebuilding, Vinh sought out old friends like and Moses Wheatley, grieving and reminiscing with them. But soon, the UNSC called upon her to take part in reconstruction. For Vinh, it began with a summit between humanity, represented by Fleet Admiral Lord, and the , represented primarily by. The UNSC ambassadors were quickly frustrated, not understanding the Huragok's lack of want for their own sovereignty. Though little result came from the talks, Vinh understood their nature as puzzle-solvers, and befriended an Engineer named Floats Too Far.

For the remaining years of her service, she would work with Huragok engineers in relative silence, forming bonds with them stronger than words could explain. Vinh’s natural abilities refined and tutored by the aliens quickly made her the Themistocles' chief engineer, her skill becoming legend among Navy crews. She did participate in a handful of ground operations, but they were few and far between.

The Themistocles (2553-25XX)
Upon request, Vinh was assigned to the crew of the UNSC Themistocles, a light carrier that would carry surveying expeditions to planets with to find new colonies for the UNSC to rebuild on. Far from the Remnant front, she had asked for it specifically because Ion Team was part of its ground complement. From a distance, she was able to watch over her son.

To learn from the Engineers, she volunteered to be the on-duty technician during slipspace jumps. She discovered that Ion’s team leader, Kodiak, had a dislike to cryogenic freezing and avoided it as much as possible. Observing him in a combat simulation, Vinh lent her engineering skill to help him build an answer to the Sangheili wrist blade. After a time, she offered teach him the use of a sword, which the young Spartan eagerly accepted. Building first from meditation and stretching exercises, Kodiak was instructed in the use of both the human Longsword and Sangheili Energy Sword.

Battle of Doisac
"Mad! Traitor! DEMON!"

- Roran 'Konaree, just before attacking Vinh

After a heavy fight between capital ships, the UNSC and Sangheili were able to land ground forces for their invasion. Vinh was tasked with leading a Marine infantry battalion to take one of the settlements. Out of respect for their kind, she gave them an ultimatum first offering them safety if they laid down their arms. The answer she received was to have their leaders confront each other. Should Vinh emerge the victor, the Jiralhanae would lay down their arms; if the Brute killed her, the humans would leave the region untouched.

Only when they arrived at the agreed location did she realize it was Parthius. He pleaded with her to kill him, to win the duel, as he knew that should he win the UNSC would not honor the agreement between them, and if he lost his death would prevent further bloodshed. She would not, and when the Sangheili General, 'Konaree, stepped forward with a blade, she deflected it and stood between them. Enraged, the Elite attacked her and in the fight, made a shallow slash through her visor and cut her eyes. Parthius leapt to her defense, and the fighting ended when the Sangheili agreed his forces would not attack Parthius’ home, ending it honorably for all. Vinh, however, would be blind for the remainder of her life after refusing THERMOPYLAE-Grade Prosthetics. She retired to Doisac, helping build relations between the Jiralhanae nations and the UNSC.

Personality and Traits
"What does it mean to be a Spartan? I asked Mendez that once, and I don’t remember what he said. But every time I’ve asked myself, I come up with a different answer."

- Vinh-030

From youth, Vinh was observant and overtly curious, though she learned strict self-discipline from her father which kept it in check. It gave her an edge adapting to the SPARTAN-IIs’ training early on, but in some respects kept her apart from the other trainees. At odds with the laid-back Isaac, Vinh was content with her own drive to improve rather than try to lead trainees like him, but eventually learned to appreciate his humor. Her inquisitiveness resurfaced during training, experimenting with mechanical systems to make them be more efficient or work even when damaged. The ability to quickly fabricate makeshift repairs and get derelict transports running served the SPARTANs well in many instances. Vinh at first had problems operating with MJOLNIR, affected by bouts of acute claustrophobia in the powered armor, but overcame it as she learned more about the suit's components and how they worked, and eventually began modifying MJOLNIR technology herself.

In the field, Vinh adapted easily to new situations and could make use of any weapon, human or alien. She trusted her teammates completely, but was always analyzing and double-checking plans to ensure they went smoothly. Committed to the war, Vinh seldom focused on anything other than the next mission, unless provoked by Isaac. After his death, Vinh was shaken by losing the one person with whom she’d formed a strong attachment, and was determined to leave more of a legacy for both of them than as human weapons. Her greatest success in that regard was through the SPARTAN-IIIs aboard the UNSC Themistocles, including Dyne.

Weapons and Armor

 * Issued to all members of the SPARTAN-II Program in 2525 during the Battle of Chi Ceti, the first iteration of the armor to be used by SPARTANs in the field lacked energy shielding, instead offering protection against Covenant plasma weapons by a refractive coating over an armored alloy shell. Completely vacuum-sealed and nearly immune to EMP and radiation, the suit could allow its wearer to survive and function in extreme environments, including EVA. Vinh used a Mark IV suit through almost the entire Human-Covenant War, succeeded by the Mark V twenty-six years later in 2551.
 * Designed using data gathered from the SPARTAN-IIs' use of the Mark IV, at a quarter ton the Mark V weighed half as much as its predecessor and was capable of housing a to further boost reaction time and intelligence gathering capabilities. However, its most significant improvement was the incorporation of a self-recharging energy shield to protect the user against all forms of attack. Vinh's personal suit was upgraded in 2552 with a new linear accelerator which doubled the armor's shielding output, nicknamed an overshield.
 * Damascus Testing Facility designed the EOD variant alongside the standard MJOLNIR for users handling explosive ordnance up close. Both the Mark IV and V versions which Vinh used defended against the force of detonations by channeling pressure waves around and away from the wearer, increasing their likelihood of survival. As a combat engineer, Vinh made use of the EOD variant on many occasions.
 * Possessing a high rate of fire and accurate at long range, the BR55 made for an excellent rifle. Vinh first used the prototype XBR55 against infantry during the Harvest Campaign until the standardized version entered service in 2531. The weapon gradually replaced all other marksmans' rifles except the Army's M392 DMR, until in 2548 the Heavy Barrel version made it a universal choice in the UNSC military.
 * Developed as part of ONI's Project: GUNGNIR, the M6 is one of few UNSC directed energy weapons. The weapon emits a narrow, powerful beam of red laser light supplied by a built-in battery cell, effective against infantry, vehicles, and aircraft even at long ranges. Vinh was an expert on the expensive weapons and often carried one in battle, and was likely one of the only SPARTANs rated to take apart and replace their charge packs in the field.

Notes & References

 * The name Vinh means 'glory' in Vietnamese.
 * This author, for one, did not like SPARTANs being killed as redshirts. So, creates article.