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This fanfiction article, Javier Rivas, was written by Delta Pistol. Please do not edit this fiction without the writer's permission. |
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- "Sacrifice is just a part of life. It's supposed to be. It's not something to regret. It's something we should aspire to."
- ― Javier Rivas
Javier E. Rivas (SN:24998-45226-JR) was a Human special warfare serviceman that served under the United Nations Space Command (UNSC), and he was also a biochemically augmented supersoldier inside the ORION Project, which was the UNSC's first supersoldier initiative. Rivas would then go on to become a elite specialized warfare operative for the Office of Naval Intelligence's Asymmetrical Action Group (AAG).
Upon enlistment in the UNSC Marine Corps, Rivas would become a combat engineer for the 1st Combat Engineer Battalion. During his brief period within the ORION Project, Rivas was a part of a fireteam of ORION supersoldiers that specialized in direct action tactics, and specialized deep reconnaissance missions. Rivas would go on to join the elite ranks of Orbital Drop Shock Troopers (ODST). After a brief retirement, Rivas returned to service in the Marine Corps, to later join the covert Asymmetrical Action Group.
Rivas is known as a hard-nosed, brutish soldier that is willing to do whatever it takes to achieve his objectives. Rivas views his service as an opportunity to answer a higher calling. Rivas had the skillset and knowledge to handle heavy weaponry and explosives, and he could be relied upon for support when morale was low. Javier was widely respected by his peers for his combat skills, his selfless and caring nature, and his infectious "Gung Ho" attitude in battle. Rivas would serve during the Colonial Insurrection Conflicts and in the Human-Covenant War.
Career Service Vitae (CSV)[]
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Biography[]
Early Life[]
On the rich, industrial colony of Camber, Javier Espinoza Rivas was born on June 1, 2472. Javier was raised and cared for by humble and hard-working parents that immigrated from the Outer Colonies. Growing up, Javier was a gentle child that always enjoyed the company of his parents. Javier loved animals, and he grew to care for two puppies that his family purchased. He also enjoyed helping his mother to cook, and loved seeing his father work on cars as a local mechanic.
Rivas was your typical street kid, as he grew up knowing the streets, the gangs, the slang, and generally what's going on in the "lower life" aspects of the colony. Rivas was a big, burly teen and criminal juveniles sought out his services, which Javier refused as elected to keep his nose clean. Rivas was a poor student growing up, and eventually dropped out of secondary education to work with his father at the garage. Rivas ended up meeting a young, fellow mechanic, Karla Vega, and they ended up together. The two dreamed of leaving Camber and starting a new life together, which Javier resolved to find whatever means to provide for Karla and his family.
Rivas would enlist in the United Nations Space Command (UNSC). It was a decision that wasn't popular with his friends and family, but Javier knew that it was something as military service came with significant financial gains for him. After his 18th birthday, Rivas talked with the local Marine Corps recruiter in his city, and he was set on a course to be a part of the UNSC Marine Corps of Engineers. Prior to leaving on a spaceport for basic training, Rivas promised his family and Neera that he would return to them soon enough.
Initial Operational History in the UNSC Armed Forces[]
In 2490, after completing Marine Corps basic training course at the Unified Combined Military Boot Camp and undergoing Advanced Engineering Training on Reach, Rivas would become a combat engineer for the 1st Combat Engineer Battalion. Rivas and the Battalion were on deployment in the Outer colonies, to provide mobility, counter mobility, survivability, and limited general engineering support for Marine Infantry forces in combat operations. Rivas was hoping to see limited action during this period, and to get home safely. For a while, it seemed Rivas was going to get his wish. Rivas and his unit were usually given simple, mundane tasks, such as fixing local water pumps and electrical stations, repairing damaged bridges and civilian infrastructure, and fortifying UNSC outposts. However, this "peace" would not last much longer.

Private Javier Rivas and Marine Combat Engineers under fire on Eridanus II, circa 2492.
Sometime in early 2492, Rivas and his squad were tasked with repairing a broken water system in one of the rural settlements on Eridanus II. They arrive in the village and met up with the local Militiamen, and are told they were to travel to the local pump station and to fill a tanker with water to bring back to the settlement every day. However, during these days, Rivas and his unit were constantly ambushed by local Insurrectionists, and the water pump station was under constant attack. Rivas would distinguish himself during this battle, rescuing pinned down Marines and civilians, and working on the water system while a hail of bullets rained down on him.
ORION Project[]
Induction and Augmentation[]
In early 2491, the Colonial Military Administration would relaunch the ORION Project , with Section III of the Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) providing data and resources to support the program. With the success of their initial 65 test subjects in their training and augmentations, ONI sought out more volunteers for the program. Recovering from his injuries at a local field hospital, Rivas was approached with the offer. Javier was hesitant, wanting to not prolong his service. However, he was eventually convinced to join the program, went financial incentive was given.

Patch for the ORION Program Operators, circa 2498.
Javier and the other ORION volunteers were placed under the specialized training course for rigorous combat testing. Rivas underwent ORION testing in CQC and other advanced combat skills. He would also be trained in heavy weapons usage, such as the M41 Surface-to-Surface Rocket Launcher, M319 Grenade Launcher, and the XM510 Grenade Launcher. Rivas, with his muscular build and large size, excelled with ease when it came to physical testing, and showed himself to be one of ORION's more promising candidates. During training, Rivas would meet and befriend Daniel Contreras, another ORION candidate known for being unusually introverted and anxious. Rivas and Contreras would develop a brotherhood-like bond with each other during their grueling training. Rivas and Contreras related to each over their similar backgrounds as street kids and shared the belief in fulfilling a purpose in their lives. The two soldiers became near-inseparable and proved themselves to be a fierce duo that would rise through the program's ranks in the course of their training.
Rivas and Contreras would meet with Riley Franklin and Karina Liberatore, two ORION candidates who were widely considered to be among the elite in the program. These four would be placed in a fireteam together. After some adjustments to each other and overcoming some trust barriers, the team would start to work together like a well-oiled machine. Rivas acted in a "big brother" role, as he was open and considerate to his teammates, and acted as a calming voice for his team.
One of ORION's principal goals was to implant their volunteers with a series of augmentations that would make them into the UNSC's first breed of "supersoldiers". Along with his fellow volunteers, Javier would spend several months recovering from the procedures and growing accustomed to his improved strength and reflexes before being able to rejoin his fellow ORION operators. After recovery, Rivas was assigned to an ORION fireteam with his friends, as ORION was prepping and being briefed for their first combat operation.
Operation: CHARLEMAGNE[]
In June of 2494, Colonel Robert Watts, a UNSC Marine officer, had defected and joined the Secessionist Union, as he rallied the Insurrectionists on the colony of Eridanus II for a mass uprising against the planetary government. Equipped and reinforced by rebel sympathizers hidden in the Colonial Military Administrations' ranks, along with support by criminals and arms dealers, Watts conducted a methodical and thorough series of attacks involving terrorist bombings, political assassinations, and kidnappings that impacted Eridanus's shipping routes. With the assistance from defectors and smugglers, Watts and the Insurrectionists were able to gather a sizable flotilla of starships, to blockade the planet. The Eridanus Government requested essential aid from the Unified Earth Government in December of 2494. By January 2495, Colonel Watts and his militia forces had established control of the colony.

Rivas (distant right) and ORION operators in action on Eridanus II during CHARLEMAGNE, January 2496.
On January 12, 2496, Operation: CHARLEMAGNE was then launched, with the UNSC deploying a large battle group of the Naval starships to Eridanus II. The ORION task force operators were covertly deployed for the first time during CHARLEMAGNE, as they engaged Insurrectionist forces on the rural landscapes of Eridanus II, covertly and discreetly. During the operation, Rivas and his ORION fireteam were tasked with direct action on Insurrectionist strongholds and supply depots on the ground. Rivas would operate with his team as their demolitions expert, and would provide fire support when they engaged with hostile forces during the operation.
As a result of CHARLEMAGNE, the UNSC succeeded in regaining control of Eridanus II from the insurgents. However, Colonel Watts and several of his rebel soldiers were successful in escaping to Eridanus's asteroid belt, where they escaped capture and continued to operate against the UNSC. Meanwhile, the success of ORION Project, having completed both insertion and extraction during the operation without being seen by any survivors, fueled wide ranges of conspiracy theories and media speculation. As the legend of these super soldiers grew, it proved very helpful to the Office of Naval Intelligence's propaganda efforts in the following decades. For Rivas and his team, due to their exploits, the unit was converted into a combat tracker team. Javier and his unit would prove to be a valuable asset in counter-insurgency, intelligence gathering, direct action, reconnaissance, and various unconventional warfare operations.
Service with Project ORION[]
After the success of Operation: CHARLEMAGNE in 2496, ORION operatives were found to be an effective tool in combating the Insurrection. Consequently, during the remainder of that year and in the subsequent years too, ORION operatives were assigned to numerous other classified missions. Rivas's team was dispatched to such covert operations. After their defeat on Eridanus II, Insurrectionist groups had reorganized themselves into a guerrilla force, willing to conduct terror tactics (terror bombings, kidnappings, assassinations, etc.). By 2498, to subdue these new threats, several fireteams of the elite ORION operators were deployed throughout the Outer Colonies to combat and neutralize Insurrectionist activity, with the support of Marine and Naval task forces.
For several years, Javier Rivas and his fireteam would conduct numerous covert, special warfare operations within the Outer colonies, against the Secessionist Union and other Insurrectionist factions. These ops included direct action, reconnaissance, HVT ops, counter-terrorism, intel-gathering, and other clandestine operations on various colonies. Rivas and his fireteam were proven to be just as effective, if not more so, as the typical UNSC Special Forces, such as the Rangers, Raiders, and Force Recon. The unit would be engaged in several successful combat missions in various colonies, such as Eridanus II, Madrigal, Harvest, and even some Inner Colonies. Rivas struggled with the moral conundrums he found himself in, and was becoming homesick for his family and Karla, who awaited with worried breathe for his return.
Operation: TANGLEWOOD[]
ORION Deactivation/Reassignment[]
In the aftermath, TANGLEWOOD was considered a Pyrrhic victory by Naval Special Warfare Command, and this operation would trigger a massive evaluation of ORION's effectiveness. Some of the older ORION soldiers were beginning to develop several side effects from their augmentations, ranging from physical to mental illnesses, such as PTSD. Performance was also continuing to decline in addition to the ineffective strategies the UNSC and ORION were using in the field. Thus, the ORION project was quietly deactivated in 2506 and the 165 surviving members were reassigned to other special operations units in the field or retired/discharged.
Continued Service in the UNSC Armed Forces[]
Rivas elected to finish out that last leg his tour of duty, rejoining the combat engineers of the Marine Corps. However, Rivas was convinced to join the Orbital Drop Shock Troopers (ODST), as a way to earn a high-grade promotion before he could leave the service, improving the payout he would get when he left.
Operation: TREBUCHET[]
Discharge from Service[]
Service during the Human-Covenant War[]
Reenlistment and Redeployment[]
Harvest Liberation Campaign[]
Personality and Traits[]
Mental and Physical Overview[]
- "Death comes for us all, and, sometimes, it comes quick. So, I'm going to make the most of it before death comes knocking..."
- ― Javier Rivas
Javier Rivas is seen by his peers as a caring and compassionate person, who meets every bad situation with a wry smile, some wit, and an eagerness to solve the issues at hand. Rivas's tendency to joke about any situation he is in belies his experience and status as a veteran. Rivas is also known for having a spiritual side to him, due to his religious upbringing by his parents in his youth. Rivas is a dyed-in-the-wool optimist and he follows a code of compassion towards others. Rivas was respected for his stalwart bravery and mental durability in the direst situations and has often acted as an advisor for those under his care.
Rivas was a skilled combatant in his own right, excelling in demolitions and heavy weapons. He was also adept as a combat engineer, performing a variety of military engineering duties, such as breaching fortifications, demolition, preparing field defenses, and road and airfield construction and repair. Rivas was also trained to be an adept rifleman, and learned to handle heavy weapons during his time in ORION. Although not a CQC expert by any metric, Rivas's tall frame and freakish strength more than made up for that lack of skill in combat.
Skills and Abilities[]

Javier Rivas in his ODST BDU while serving in the Asymmetrical Action Group, circa 2540s.
- Augmented Physique: Javier had underwent ORION physical augmentations, which significantly improved his strength, speed, stamina, and endurance. These traits enhanced physical abilities would enable Rivas to overcome and endure harsh combat environments and increased the scope of his capabilities as a solder. Even with some of the mental and physical side effects that became more prominent with time, these augmentations would help maintain Rivas's durability and sustain a long military career.
- Heavy Weapons Specialist:
- Demolitions Expert:
- Combat Engineer:
- Direct Action:
Gallery[]
Notes and References[]
ORION Personnel | |
Phase 1 | Kian Bekkar • Tobias Crowley • Galo Escárcega • Colton Vieira • Frederick King • Roy Koel • Anton LaMarche • Arnold Lewis • Richard Mack • Felix Martel • Jess Morley • Thomas Pershing • Jerrold Pershing Sr. • Sieghard Schuchardt • Bartosz Sówka • Ellison Suarez • Hector Thornhill • Louise Williams • Hank Wimbleton |
Phase 2 | John Ackton • Erin Coney • Daniel Contreras • Riley Franklin • Steven Hawkins • Marion Hollister • Richard Jones • Teresa Morrison • Viktor Perrin • Harold Redford • Jamsheed Khoroushi • Rakesh Narang |
Phase 3 | Grant Anderson • Codename: DRACULA • Dean Jackson • Noah Sówka |
Phase 4 | Nolan Byrne • Ashley Coeman • Avery Johnson • Joseph Kovacs • Carmen Ocampo • Carissa Zheng • Daniel Mathis Sr. • Marcus Buchanan |
SPARTAN-1.1 | Julius Bruening III • Kane Hollister-King • Ren Ishikawa • Richard Mack Junior • Daniel Mathis Jr. • Alexander Redford • Jace Williams • Jackson Williams |