Ashley Peterson

Ashley Peterson was a member of the UNSC Marine Corps (UNSCMC), Special Forces Detachment (SOCOM), Special Aviation Attack and Reconnaissance Unit (SAARU) sub-division, and later a platoon commander in Albion Company, part of the 117th Special Operations Regiment, also known as the Special Proficiency, Assault, Reconnaissance, Tactical Augmented Nonconventional-force, Fourth Generation (SPARTAN-IV) Program. She was unique among the other commanders in Albion Company in that she had never seen actual combat before being assigned to the 117th.

Appearance
"I saw in her file that she's continually refused to cut her hair as short as requested by UNSC regulations. I guess that would've made her a perfect match for me - she's got the looks too, after all. Hadn't she been too young. Or so obsessed with books."

- Laszlo-108 about Ashley's appearance.

Ashley had long, brown hair that she refused to cut, despite the heated arguments it caused between her and the superior officers, including an incident where she gave the drill sergeant a black eye after the latter had grabbed her by the hair and threatened to rip it off (she won the subsequent case in a UNSC court as she was able to prove that the man had attacked her first). Along with the brown hair, she had brown eyes and white skin.

Mental Report
"I'm not stubborn! I just stand for my beliefs, that's all!"

- Ashley about herself.

"I'm not a coward. I just believe that I need to be well-educated and trained before I go into battle rather than just complete boot camp and then rush into battle with a rifle in hand without ability to use it."

- Ashley trying to explain why it took her so long before she saw actual combat.

Early Life and Training
Ashley was born in 16th February, 2589 on the Outer Colony New London. Her parents both worked as teachers at the local high school. Thus, she was taught in various subjects at an early stage, including reading (her favorite subject) and mathematics. As she grew, it was made evident that she was very intelligent, in her teenage years bypassing her parents in some subjects, including mechanics and robotics. However, she eventually became bored of the too-familiar surroundings on New London and enlisted in the UNSC Marine Corps in late 2607.

She completed boot camp with top colors, although instead of joining the other marines on the front, she applied for the UNSC Flight Cadet School on Mars, deciding to be as educated as possible before going into actual combat. Upon graduation, her scores were higher than any of the other applicants in her class. Despite new urges from the UNSC command staff to have her assigned to the front, she applied for the UNSC Marksman School on Earth. This proved to be the first true challenge of her abilities, although she ended up passing it with decent grades.

Upon completing the marksman school, she attempted to get into the OCS academy on Luna, but was denied on the grounds of never having any actual field experience. However, she was told that she would perhaps be accepted if she completed one more special training program. As a result, she joined the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program. It was during her time in this program that a DI with anger management issues attacked her when she refused to cut her hair, leading to a fight and a case brought to a UNSC court. Ashley won the case and graduated from the program shortly after.

With this, she was accepted into the OCS academy, going through a year's officer training. By mid-2608, she graduated the academy, reaching the rank of Second Lieutenant and prepared to be sent to the front. However, before she could do so, she was offered a place in the Special Aviation Attack and Reconnaissance Unit (SAARU) because of her impressive performance at the FCS. She accepted, as always eager to learn more. She completed the SAARU training regime in 2610. By then she was widely considered one of the most educated marines in the UNSC Defense Force. This earned recognition from the SPARTAN-IV Program commanders, who had her reassigned as a platoon commander in Albion Company under Lieutenant Laszlo Katona.

Trivia

 * The image is of Emma Watson, who acted Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter movies. In addition, the character has some similar traits to Hermione, such as her obsession with books.
 * The character's service number signature is 'AP', an obvious reference to Armor-Piercing rounds.