User:Minuteman 2492/Sandbox

Short Story
"Halt, patrol ahead!", hissed Sam-G019 to the rest of Ion Team. Ahead of them were two rebel soldiers, silhouetted against the night sky, an MA3A cradled in each of their arms. "Kodiak, Dyne, take them out.", continued the SPARTAN. The two other IIIs nodded, and moved up. Kodiak quickly jabbed one with his knife, and he dropped. Dyne, however, struggled to try and subdue the other man, who quickly fired his rifle. All of a sudden, the low drone of a siren wailed across the base, and the entire base was teeming with rebels. "Shit.", said Dyne.

"Sir, sir, please wake up!". Ryan Lee awoke to the sound of a pounding on the door to his quarters, and his aide's muffled voice begging him to wake up. Opening the door, his aide immediately began to babble at him. Holding up a hand to stop him from ranting on any more, he studied the man for a second. Something was wrong. His aide was wearing combat gear, equipment reserved for a UNSC attack. "What's going on?", he asked. "Sir, the SPARTANs are here, we have to get you out of here now!"

"Calm down. I have to get something.", Lee responded. Unlocking a compartment in his desk, Lee pulled out a bound pile of papers, and gave them to his aide. "Give one of each to the couriers, tell them to make haste to their assignments." Despite the fact the young man was obviously shaken by the attack, he immediately ran for the motorpool with little hesitation. Sighing, Lee sat down at his desk. He knew he couldn't escape, and he was at peace with that fact, as he looked out his window, heard the gunfire, and began to finish the constitution he had been writing for the settlement.

"Keep 'em back!" yelled the rebel in charge of Second Squad, as he raised his own MA3A, and fired a forty millimeter grenade from the underslung launcher on his weapon. The explosion threw up a massive amount of dirt and debris in front of his targets. Looking through the cloud that had been conjured up, his heart sank as he spotted the armored figures continuing towards their position.

"Let 'er rip! Unload your ammunition!", he screamed, terrified, at Second Squad, as their position erupted in a cacophony of gunfire. The noise of Confetti Makers, MA series rifles, hunting rifles, and all manner of firearms filled the air as they attempted to stop the inevitable.

Before anyone knew it, Kodiak was in their midst, illuminated by the light of their muzzle flashes, tearing through their ranks with a knife, spilling crimson across their fortifications. Attaching a bayonet to his rifle, Second Squad's CO charged at him, hoping to run him through with the weapon. Before he knew it, a knife had extended from within the SPARTAN's armor, and he himself had been run through.

"Forward!", ordered Sam to the rest of Ion Team after the first fortifications had been overrun. "Sepia, go in the commander's residence, and take him out. We'll deal with the rest of these Innies."

"Yes sir.", responded Sepia, cold as ever. Within her mind, she knew the rebel commander was more than just another name, another Innie. He had been a friend, a comrade, and now here she was, sent to kill him. Moving through the settlement, she began looking for the commander's residence, skulking through the darkness, and looking in the windows of each residence, trying to see which was the commander's.

Eventually, she found it. The home looked the same as most of the other domiciles, but it had a two guards outside, one of which, a young man, no older than eighteen, had arrived only seconds after Sepia did. Raising her silenced M6, she fired twice, and the guards dropped. Turning over one of their bodies, looking for the key to the home, Sepia was greeted with the sight of the younger one's face, his eyes locked straight ahead in fear, something she was unable to forget.

Opening the door, Sepia began checking room to room, trying to find her friend, no, target. Hearing the scratch of a pen against paper behind one door, she slowly opened it to see a man with a head of sitting hunched over at a wooden desk. At the sound of his door opening, he set down his pen and straightened up. He had no weapons. "No. No. No.", went Sepia's conscience as she walked behind Lee, and pressed the pistol to the back of his head. "I'm sorry.", she whispered, before pulling the trigger. The shot echoed in her mind, and the image of Lee's destroyed head imprinted itself in her mind. She had just killed a friend, for the UNSC. A friend, for a faceless organization that wanted to use her as nothing more than a human weapon. On the desk, there was a manuscript, what Lee had been working on. Out of curiosity, she picked it up, and placed it in one of her armor's storage compartments. Contacting Sam, she said, "Mission accomplished, Ryan...the target has been neutralized."

About Three Days Later

"Riots continue on the planet of Tyrene as rebel leaders continue to incite the populace against the UNSC. Many have attributed these riots to the recent death of infamous rebel figure Ryan Lee. So far, multiple firefights have broken out, and rioters have set fire to multiple UNSC government buildings with improvised explosives, and engaged in fights with police. Fatalities are not known at this time however.", the news correspondent said, as Sepia listened to the latest news on the newest insurrection on Tyrene. The UNSC's actions had come back to haunt it, and they were blaming it on the Insurrection. As she looked at the document that had been on Lee's desk, she pondered what this all meant. But she didn't know. Maybe she would in time.

James Moore
James Moore, also known as Codename: LANCER, was an leader on the planet of New Suffolk. Born on the colony of, he enlisted in the. During his deployment on Mamore, Moore came into contact with then First Lieutenant Jonathan Ulan, who at the time was starting to go over to the side of the Insurrection.

Engaging in a series of debates with the Lieutenant, Moore was eventually persuaded by him to defect to the Insurrection as well. Three years later, in 2537, with the end of many of the rebel cells on the planet due to an assault by Alpha Company, Moore was given a period of leave. Going to the frontier colony of New Suffolk, Moore defected to the rebels there.

As a former UNSC serviceman, Moore was treated with initial suspicion by the rebels when he explained he was a UNSC defector, but eventually the Insurrectionists' need for troops quickly replaced their suspicion.. As he continued serving the rebels, Moore was disgusted by the rebels' leader, who did no more than waste precious resources. A year later, Moore arranged a conspiracy with a group of other rebel fighters, and had the man killed. Although many other rebels suspected Moore to be the culprit, he was the only leader left, and took control of the group.

For the next few decades, Moore directed the group in a series of hit and run attacks, even going so far as to built a bunker underground in one of New Suffolk's many forests. When the 2550s arrived, he took advantage of the new influx of Covenant weaponry on the black market, and began arming the rebels under his command with plasma weaponry, making them even deadlier in their increasingly frequent guerilla raids. However, in 2567, Moore met his end when Cyclops Team raided his base of operations, killed him, and demolished the bunker.

Early Life
Born on in 2514 to two vehemently anti  parents, throughout his life, even at a very young age, Moore was exposed to strong feelings of pro colonial autonomy, which, although it never took hold as strongly as his parents had hoped, would influence him later in life. In 2531, when he turned seventeen, Moore joined the UNSC Air Force on the planet, feeling he had more of a duty to serve humanity against the genocidal, rather than killing other human beings.

Enlistment
After he enlisted in the UNSC Air Force, Moore's parents became enraged at him, and refused to talk to their son, developing a separation that would last for the rest of Moore's life. Throughout Basic Military Training, Moore was extremely distressed at the loss of contact between he and his parents, whom he had had a close bond with while he was growing up.

Despite his wrecked emotional status, Moore graduated in the top five of his BMT class. After training, he was sent to Security Forces training. In that as well, he excelled, showing potential as a leader during exercises, leading him to have a promotion to Airman First Class soon after graduation.

Deployment
With the end of his training, Moore was deployed to Spaatz Air Force Base on the planet. While on his first tour of duty there, he met First Lieutenant Jonathan Ulan, who at the time was also on his first tour of duty. Despite looking up to the officer, who seemed to be the epitome of achievement to Moore for several years, he eventually became suspicious of the Lieutenant having pro sympathies.

When he confronted Ulan about this, Moore unwittingly began his own defection, as the Lieutenant told him what he had seen and been told by the citizens of the planet, and how the UNSC was responsible for it all. Although Moore was skeptical at first, his estranged parents' teachings came back to him, and he began to believe Ulan, thinking that his parents' anti UNSC teachings were real, and that the organization was in the wrong with regards to the colonies.

Defection
In 2537, Moore defected to the Insurrection. With the majority of rebel groups on Mamore having disappeared almost overnight, he was given a period of leave, and he, along with Ulan, defected on their leave, almost simultaneously. Going to New Suffolk, Moore stripped his uniform of its patches and nametapes, and went AWOL.

About a week after his defection, Moore found a rebel camp hidden in the deep forests of New Suffolk, and, after being detained by rebel patrols, explained his plight, and that he wanted to join them. After two more days of detainment, Moore was finally allowed to join, with the rank of Private.

Moore's defection also had an effect on the former friends he had at Spaatz AFB on Mamore. Originally seen as a exemplary airman of the UNSC Air Force, his name, as well as Ulan's, became associated with betrayal and treason, due to their actions against the UNSC.

People's Republic of Venezia Army
The People's Republic of Venezia Army (PRVA) was the main atmospheric combat force for the People's Republic of Venezia. Formed in 2526 soon after the secession of Venezia, the PRVA continually expanded and improved itself in preparation for the government's planned invasion of Earth.

However, this plan never came to fruition, as the UNSC attacked first, and the PRVA took part in a two year war against the invading UNSC forces, until the government was forced to surrender. However, many former soldiers of the PRVA continued to work as miltia members or Insurrectionist commanders, continuing to fight the UNSC even after the official cessation of hostilities.

Formation
The People's Republic of Venezia Army was formed in the aftermath of the Insurrectionist coup that occurred on Venezia in 2525 from the many militia groups that had aided in the overtaking of the planet. When an official government was formed, the People's Republic of Venezia divided the many militia groups into sectors of responsibility.

These sectors of responsibility were for in and around the three major cities on the planets, and many more dividing up the mostly unexplored frontier.

Anti Guerilla Operations
By 2530, UNSC loyal guerilla activity had begun to spike on the planet, and the PRVA was being put through a baptism of fire. Despite some victories against the guerillas, the PRVA was losing many men for a little gain, much like the UNSC had during the Insurrection, due to the fact many of the militias were not extremely invested in fighting the guerillas, and many groups simply disbanded when faced with the threat.

With the problems of the PRVA in its original form becoming apparent, the rebel government decided that a standing army would be needed to continue fighting the UNSC guerillas, rather than a loose collection of militias that were assigned to certain areas. To get recruits for this new army, and get the populace onboard, the government flooded the cities and countryside with propaganda urging people to get onboard with the idea of a professional army.

To an extent, the propaganda worked, culling recruits from all over the planet to be trained and become soldiers. However, even with the influx of new recruits into the professional army, the majority of the PRVA was still part of its "Irregular Warfare Section", which dealt with militia groups and other irregular military units.

This strategy worked however, and, with the presence of a standing army ready to put down UNSC loyal revolts, guerilla activity dropped dramatically, especially after the Frontier Revolt, during which UNSC guerillas launched a massive revolt in Venezia's countryside in 2535. To counter this massive revolt, the PRVA was sent in to put it down, and did so with overwhelming force, violently putting down the guerillas after they refused to surrender. However, some atrocities and uses of unnecessary violence were reported during the operation, but, to preserve their public image, the People's Republic covered them up.

Preparation
With the threat of UNSC guerillas mostly neutralized, the government moved on to preparation for the attack on Earth. As they prepared, the PRVA high command held a month and a half long council on war strategy, both for an attack on Earth and a war on Venezia. By the end of the meeting, they had developed strategies for both fronts, and what they would need. New recruits were at the top of the list. To accomplish this first objective, the rebels created new patriotic propaganda, especially centered around avenging Far Isle, and flooded the planet with it, aiming to gain more and more recruits for the army. Their strategy of using the rebellion as a tool worked, and multitudes of Venezians flooded the army with new troops over the next few decades.

Next on the list was arming this military for a protracted war. Despite the UNSC convoy raids being conducted and black market deals being arranged, with the center being, it was insufficient to equip the quickly growing PRVA. To solve this, the government looked to the black market, but not for just weaponry. They wanted industrial equipment to build their army. After nearly a year of bartering and dealing with criminals and smuggling groups, the planet received its first shipment of black market industrial equipment, first for building MA3A assault rifles. As the decades went on, the PRV eventually acquired equipment for building vehicles such as the, M805 Light Tank, and, in 2554, equipment to build the A-168A "Skyhawk", which was the original version of the used during the Human-Covenant War. Even with this, the majority of the PRVA was based on land, with a very limited part of it dealing with air combat, known as the People's Republic of Venezia Army Air Corps.

Also during their preparation and building up of the army, the PRVA acquired limited numbers of Covenant equipment, especially during the 2550s, from smugglers and arms dealers, and three, from the black market. The PRVA, at least during the mid-late 2540s, also began to set up a leadership structure for their army, with the majority of the army being composed of "Enlisted", which held certain positions, which dictated the title in front of their name i.e. Squad Leader. The rest of the army was composed of "Officers", who used the same ranking system as the Enlisted, and "Generals", who made up the PRVA high command.

Fall of Venezia
In 2557, as the Venezians were making their final preparations to attack, the UNSC assaulted the planet, with the intent of reclaiming it from the rebels. After a quick space battle, the UNSC began landing troops on the planet.

Early Stages
Despite the UNSC's element of surprise, most of the PRVA had been mobilized already in preparation for the attack on Earth, and the initial UNSC assaults were repulsed by the PRVA, who proceeded to take back what land they had lost, as well as acquiring more UNSC equipment. However, their early victories became null and void as the UNSC landed tens of thousands of troops on the planet to take it back. Despite inflicting heavy casualties on the UNSC, the PRVA were forced to retreat to their strongholds.

Stalemate and Final Offensive
With the rebels heavily dug in, the two sides were now stuck in a war of attrition, with the tug back and forth that was the war. As both sides fought to try and win, neither was able to until about a year and a half after the war had started, and tens of thousands of casualties on both sides. When the UNSC finally made their breakthrough, the rebels halted their advance three times by detonating the HAVOK nukes Ralph had acquired for them.

Despite these losses on both sides, the UNSC and PRVA fought rabidly for every inch of ground, and, while it was no longer a stalemate, the war for control of Venezia was becoming a costly fight for every single town, fort, and city that the rebels were willing to defend.

End of Hostilities and Aftermath
However, in November of 2559, the UNSC entered the capital city of New Messina, and, after a street to street battle, finally forced the PRV to surrender. With the dissolution of the PRV, the PRVA was disbanded, officially at least, and many of its members were taken as POWs, or escaped capture, forming their own militia groups, one of which took on the name of the People's Army of Venezia, claiming themselves to be the continuation of the PRVA.

It's a Long Way To Victory
Verse 1:

Up to mighty New Tyne

Came a young recruit one day

As the streets were packed with troops,

And everyone was gay,

Singing songs of Eridani, The Rubble, and Sigma IV

Then Johnny got excited and he shouted to them there:

Chorus:

It's a Long Way To Victory,

It's a long way to go

It's a long way to Victory

To the sweetest maid I know,

Goodbye, Eridani

Farewell Sigma IV

It's a long, long way to Victory,

But my mind's right there!

Verse 2:

Johnny sent a message

To his girl in New Cassino

Saying "Should you not receive this, reply and let me know"

"If I make mistakes in spelling, my dear", said he

"Remember its the pad that's bad, don't lay the blame on me!"

Tyler Sharpe
"I do not follow any government, or movement, or what have you. I only follow those who are braves that hold honor and right above all else. Do I always love to work for the UNSC?  No, no I don't, but right now they're our best hope against a genocidal evil.  When this war is over, we'll see who I believe stays right, and whoever does, I shall follow."

- Tyler Sharpe

Lieutenant Tyler Sharpe was a member of Project FREELANCER during the Human-Covenant War. Born in 2528 on New Vermont in a rebel enclave known as Camp Patriot on the planet of New Vermont, Sharpe joined the enclave's militia in 2546. After a period of time fighting for the rebels, he went AWOL after he was ordered to take part in an attack on the civilian populace of the planet by Jonathan Ulan, who at the time was acting as an advisor to the rebels.

Believing the Covenant to be the greater threat, Sharpe left the rebels and became a civilian on the planet, and about a month after his desertion, joined New Vermont's Colonial Militia unit. Less than two years later, a Covenant scouting force came to the planet, and Sharpe showed extraordinary valor during a skirmish between his scout unit and the aliens.

After this display of skill, the Office of Naval Intelligence began considering to place him in Project: FREELANCER due to his actions and qualifications. Despite his Insurrectionist past, ONI kept it hidden from the Director's prying, and he was allowed into the program.

To Hell...and Not Back
"Think they can see us man?"

"Doubt it. The truck's cargo is protected from surveillance, remember?"

"Oh, right."

"Just stay cool, we'll be ok."

Looking over the dash of his civilian truck, Jonathan Ulan looked around for any of the local constabulary. Chewing on his lower lip, he looked around one more time before turning off the main road onto a dirt path that led below the New Richmond Centennial Bridge. Halting next to one of the bridge's support struts, Ulan hopped out, walked over to the truck's engine, and began looking over it.

"Try it now!"

"Still won't start man, the engine's busted!"

"Damn. Where's our mechanics?"

"Eh, they're on their way, might be seven more minutes according to them."

"I see. Check on our cargo, make sure it hasn't spoiled."

"Alright.", said Ulan's partner as he hopped out of the cab, and walked nonchalantly to the rear of the truck. Opening up the door, he studied the Archer Missile warheads inside for a moment, before closing it and saying to Ulan, "Don't worry, our cargo hasn't spoiled."

"Good. Now let's wait for the mechanics."

Leaning up against the cab, Ulan produced a Sweet William Cigar, and lit it up. Inhaling the fragrant smoke, he looked around, watching for any more constables. Although there were none to be found, he did spot another truck pull off the road and pull up next to him.

"Looks like our mechanics are here", Ulan said as he strode over to the truck's cargo bay, his head swiveling back and forth. As he opened the door, a group of rebel plainclothes fighters jumped out. One of them, who had a distinctive scar above his right eye, came over to Ulan, and said, "Your mechanics are here sir."

"Good.", Ulan responded.

"Has the cargo spoiled?"

"Nope, it's still good". Leaning in closer, Ulan whispered, "Were you followed?".

"I don't know. I don't think so, but I'd stay cautious."

"Alright. Come with me, we have to get the cargo ready."

"Atkinson, status report?"

"All good here Ulan, no intruders detected."

"Excellent, keep a watch out."

"Will do, out"

Returning his radio to its position on his web belt, Major Ulan scratched his stubble as he looked around the dull gray walls of his quarters in his destroyer, Revolutionary Fervor. Pulling out one of the drawers on his polished wood bureau, Ulan pulled out his M6C/SOCOM, and stuck it in its holster. Tapping in a code, Ulan opened the thick door leading to his quarters, and stepped out into the hallway, which were the same gun metal gray as the walls of his room. As a team of engineers rounded the corner, Ulan pulled one aside, and asked, "What are you doing? Has there been a breach?"

"Nothing major sir, just another problem with the outer hull. One of our bolted on Titanium-A plates fell off in Section 9, most likely due to stresses."

"I see. Get a security team to come with you though", Ulan responded. At this, the engineer nodded, and began to move out.

Although these things had happened before, Ulan was cautious. The UNSC would more than love to neutralize him after his recent string of successes, including the theft of the Fervor, and there had already been multiple attempts on his life by ONI agents in the past years. Being cautious had kept him alive, and he wasn't about to let up now.

Continuing through the hallways, Ulan began his trek to the bridge, which he had changed the position of to the middle of the ship, with the former bridge turned into an observation center. As he passed through the mess hall, Ulan grabbed an MRE breakfast bar, which he consumed on his way to the bridge. Entering it, the entire bridge, which wasn't very busy as compared to other days, snapped to attention, or at least a loose approximation of it at their stations.

"At ease.", Ulan said with a quick wave of his hand. Pacing past the United Rebel Front flag that adorned one of the bridge's bulkheads, Ulan approached the surveillance officer, Lieutenant Harrington, he asked, "How're the repairs going?", he asked, "Any incursions?", Ulan continued.

"No sir, nothing that I can see. However, would you like me to contact the security team?"

"Yes Lieutenant, I would."

Nodding, Harrington brought his microphone up to his mouth, and said, "Security Team Four-Tango, what is the situation?"

Silence followed, and again, Harrington repeated his statement, to no response.

"They might be having some trouble with their radios. Ask one of the teams nearby.", Ulan said, clenching his fists.

Nodding, Harrington spoke into the radio once again. "Security Team Ten-Yankee, any activity in your area?"

Once again, there was nothing, only silence. Ulan was now convinced that this was no simple accident. Getting on his own radio, he stated, "To all security teams of this ship, we are on high alert. All teams, begin sweeping the ship, with focus on Section 9, over".

Checking his M6/SOCOM, the Major flipped off the safety. Turning to the rest of the bridge crew, he ordered, "Lock the entrances to the bridge". Nodding, the systems operator, Captain Burke, turned to his station, and four distinct thumps sounded through the room.

Wiping the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief, Ulan began to pace back and forth across the room, his footfalls distinctive amongst the silence that had enveloped the bridge. Although the UNSC had made attempts on his life before, none of them had ever breached the Revolutionary Fervor.

Turning back to Harrington, he asked, "Can you show me what's going on out there?"

Nodding, the Lieutenant swallowed hard, then responded, "Yes sir, I can. Do you really want to?"

"Yes, I would."

"Understood", said Harrington as he pulled up the security feed.

Ulan's mouth turned dry, and he felt queasy. On the screen, in the mess hall, one of his sergeants pointed out a target from behind a flipped over table that was acting as a makeshift piece of cover for he and his squad, but before he was even able to get a shot off, he fell to the ground. The rest of the unit was in complete chaos, some holding their ground, others begging and praying, hoping to survive. But it did not matter, it all fell silent as each man died.

Taking a deep breath, Ulan saw his hands shaking uncontrollably. As he continued to force himself to watch the massacre on the fuzzy screens, he felt a tiny wet drop run down his cheek. As the battle neared his position, Ulan began to hear the muffled crackle of gunfire through the hull as each security team was taken down one by one. All of a sudden, Ulan felt extremely queasy, as though he had a terrible flu.

After what seemed like an eternity, there was a thumping outside the bridge door. Unholstering his pistol, Ulan took up a position next to the bulkhead, waiting.

After two more minutes of thumping, an explosion threw both riveted gun metal gray doors off their hinges, and two black armored personnel, Ulan could only assume they were ONI, breached the room. Any bridge officers who were quick enough to draw a weapon were quickly neutralized by the ONI agents, splattering blood and gray matter across the consoles.

Ulan had decided already he wasn't going to die in some UNSC prison. Lashing out with a sidekick at one of the agents' midsections, he heard a series of snaps as the agent tensed. Taking advantage of his sudden lapse in concentration, Ulan put the man in a headlock, and stared at the man's female partner, a scowl of anger on his face.

"Make another move, and your friend gets it!", the Major screamed, spittle flying from his lips. He had no qualms whatsoever about killing the agent, but he was worth more as a bargaining chip to stall for time for now.

As the seconds ticked by, the standoff continued, until Ulan released his grip on the agent, and kicked him towards his partner. Charging forward, his head down, Ulan aimed for the other agent's midsection. However, she deftly sidestepped him, and her partner took the hit, his head slamming into the bulkhead with a thud, before falling down, limp.

Turning around, Ulan raised both of his fists, and watched for the agent to make a move. Twitching, and adrenaline running through his veins, Ulan threw a quick left hook at her midsection, which made a series of snaps, but despite these noises, the agent's face stayed stoic, as if nothing had happened.

Despite the damage already done, Ulan was in no mood to be merciful to her. Yelling a war cry, he threw a roundhouse kick, aiming to hit her in the ribcage again. But she quickly caught his kick, and, using it as leverage to force him to the ground, she stood over him, threw one last punch, and he was enveloped in darkness.

Awakening, Ulan was all but certain he was now on a UNSC prison ship. But, opening his eyes, he saw three of the Fervor's security personnel and a medic, standing above him. "Steady there.", said one of the troops, who he recognized as Jack Carlson, as he helped the Major to sit up.

"What happened?", Ulan asked groggily. "Where am I?"

"You're still on the Fervor sir. You're alright, you just got coldcocked."

"What happened to the other agent?"

"I don't know sir. We saw 'er hauling ass off the bridge as soon as we and a couple other squads rounded the corner, but I don't know where she went.  Probably escaped aboard one of our Pelicans."

"Shit. Casualty report?"

"Almost all security teams sent to intercept the agents were killed."

At this news, Ulan did a double take. "What?", he asked. "Did you say that everyone, who intercepted them is dead?"

"Yes sir. Us, and a few other squads are the only survivors."

At Carlson's confirmation, Ulan knew that almost all of his friends were now dead. Although his outward appearance was completely calm, his only thought was: "I'm going to kill that agent, and destroy the UNSC. They've taken everything that matters from me now, and for that, I won't just make them suffer, I'll torment and attack them until they beg me to stop, and then annihilate them!  Complete annihilation of the UNSC, that agent, or death are now my options."

"Are you ok sir?", Carlson asked, concern evident in his voice.

"What? Yes, I'm alright, I just need a moment to myself", Ulan responded as he staggered off the bridge. Stumbling through the bloodstained hallways, Ulan came face to face with a dead Sergeant Danson, a comrade he had known for his entire time in the Insurrection. Rushing into the nearest latrine, Ulan began retching heavily.

Sitting with his head against the wall of one of the stalls, Ulan yelled, "Goddamnit! I'll kill them all!  I'll fucking make them all suffer and die!  UNSC, ONI, I don't give a damn!  They're all fair goddamn game!" =Damien Foster=

Damien Foster was a commando of the New Ural Partisans. Born in a corporate sponsored mining town, Foster's family, although having a fairly comfortable life at first, eventually went deeper into debt as the corporation raised prices and rent, but not their wages.

In 2526, when Foster was eighteen, the workers had had enough, and a popular uprising occurred in the mining town, which was supplied by the Insurrectionist New Ural Partisans. Sick of his own life of poverty, Foster aided the rebels, who took over the mining town quickly, and declared it independent.

After the town was recaptured a week later by the UNSC, Foster and the surviving rebels left, and formed a roving commando unit, operating out of the harsh and unhospitable conditions of New Ural's mountain ranges against the UNSC.

Continuing this operation for decades, Foster and the unit continued to harass the UNSC, and spark isolated rebellions in mountain settlements. However, after a disastrous operation that left many of the unit dead, Foster, now in command, ordered them to disband and blend in with the civilian populace until they would be able to build up their strength.

Although the rest of the unit was never able to engage in combat against the UNSC again, Foster left the planet, and took on the pseudonym of "Commander 31", forming and controlling multiple covert units throughout the colonies. In 2565, after he launched a small raid on Earth, a manhunt ensued for Foster, which lasted for almost a decade before he was finally found and neutralized.

Early Life
Damien Pawlowicz Foster was born in a mining town on the planet of New Ural owned by the Midas Mining Corporation. Raised by his mother, as his father was almost always in the mines, Foster had a fairly comfortable life, with his family living within their means. However, as the Insurrection went on, the UNSC made more and more Credits to pay off their increasing debts, inflation increased, but the workers, including Foster's family, saw no increase in pay to correspond with this.

Due to this, his father was forced to work harder and longer to keep up with the inflation. When Foster himself turned fifteen, the minimum working age, he joined his father in the mines to add another source of income to the family. However, despite this, the Foster family went deeper and deeper into debt, with no way out.

2526 New Ural Uprising
In 2526, when Damien was eighteen, a popular uprising occurred in the town against the corporation by many families like the Fosters. Damien, working underground at the time, had no idea what was happening until it was over, and another worker who had participated in it informed him of what had happened. Soon after, a unit of the rebel New Ural Partisans arrived in the town, and made a speech asking for all able bodied males to join them.

Foster, feeling they were in the right trying to help the struggling workers, was one of the first to volunteer. Issued a new set of clothing, including a heavy camouflage parka, gloves, pants, and combat boots, as well as a MA3A ICWS, he began to patrol the town, waiting for a UNSC counterstrike. After a week of rebel control, the UNSC returned in force, assaulting the rebels from the air via ODSTs fast roping from.

Holding his ground in one of the town's apartment buildings, Foster gunned down three ODSTs during the battle, before the Partisans gave the order to retreat from the town.

Retreat
After the retreat, the remaining rebels regrouped in the nearby mountain ranges. In the inhospitable conditions, seven rebel soldiers died of the freezing temperatures within the first three days. Although he desired to save others, Foster recognized that he had to put his survival in the frozen hell first, even stripping dead bodies for any needed equipment or provisions.

As they continued their trek, Foster discovered his father and mother, as well as his brother, were killed during the UNSC counterattack by collateral damage. At this new knowledge, he collapsed into a deep fit of depression, before emerging from it hell-bent on making the UNSC pay, vengeance that would have to wait. After three weeks of trekking across the mountains, the Partisans finally reached a rebel settlement. When they recounted their numbers, they found that three fourth's of those who had escaped had died of the extreme conditions.

For two more weeks, the survivors of the march recovered in the settlement's facilities from the toll taken on their bodies. Foster himself had to have two of his toes amputated due to frostbite, and had lost over half of his body weight due to the conditions.

Mountaineers
After their half month convalescence, the remaining rebels who still wanted to fight were told they were now members of a newly formed special operations unit known as the "Mountaineers".