Special Observations and Intelligence

"Latet anguis in herba."

- Unit motto (Latin: a snake lies in the grass)

United Nations Space Command Special Operations and Intelligence (SOI), better known as the Stalkers, is an elite, tier zero, special operations task force overseen by Naval Special Warfare and its senior advisory body, UNSC-SOCOM.

SOI is a company sized unit that was formed in 2507 with the goal of gathering and training a group of ultra-proficient, stealth infantrymen. Unlike the UNSC's, Special Operations and intelligence selects candidates from a pool of qualified soldiers already serving in one of the various branches of the UNSC Defense Force. By 2558, of the 243 active SOI operators, seventy-eight percent previously served with either Shock Operations or the Rangers, while only eight percent were affiliated with one of the UNSC Defense Force's four standard branches; the remaining portion was selected from an unknown number of undisclosed special operations groups.