Starlance

~ Halo: Oman ~

Edward Harper

Name: Edward Harper

Gender: Male

Age: 30

Born: 4. January 2522, New Alexandria, Reach

Service Branch: 105th Marine Expeditionary Unit [SOC]/ODST, formerly Army Pathfinder

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Appearance

Attire

• ODST armor
• Headlamp (left side)
• Helmet Camera (right side)
• Shemagh (olive)

Armament & Equipment:

• BR55HB SR - 8 magazines
• M45 Shotgun - 12 breaching shells, 6 frag shells
• Range Finder
• UNSC Combat Knife
• M9 HEDP grenades - 3
• stun grenades - 3
• Admin pouch
• Chemlights (various colors)
• Breaching kit (halligan bar, bolt cutters, Fireaxe)
• rope (50m)

Squad

• SSgt. Christopher “Pops” Snipes - Squad Leader - KIA
  • The squad’s commanding officer, Snipes was the one that always managed to drag the squad out of the mud, regardless of how deep they were. His almost fatherly care for his men earned him the nickname “pops” and his men would march through fire for him. Sadly, he became isolated from his squad by an ambush and when they finally reached him, he was long dead, gutted by an energy sword.
• Sgt. Michael “Drone” O’Hare - Team Leader - KIA
  • The men under his command used to joke that to kill him, the Covenant would have to aim for his head as the man did not have a heart. Indeed, Sergeant O’hare was a blunt man, disliked by his men and liked by superiors for his ‘macho’ approach, often pushing his men over their limit and blaming everyone else for his mistakes. It was one such mistake that led to his death at the hands of several Unggoy, bludgeoned to death by the small aliens.
• Cpl. John “Tube” Sheridan - AT Rifleman
  • Sheridan is a friendly, easy going, yet serious soldier who carries a really big stick. He is noted by his peers for his seemingly unending patience and memory, as he’s memorised most known information about the Covenant vehicles he’s encountered, something that’s kept him and his squad alive on numerous occasions.
• LCpl. Adrian “Wrench” Shepard -Engineer
  • A big, man with a gruff exterior, Adrian is the squad’s go-to man when it comes to anything to do with vehicles or electronics. Although he’s usually quiet and polite, he will fly off the handle whenever he sees someone abusing their equipment, claiming that they will come to him to fix it once they break it. Adrian also has limited experience with Covenant weapons and small vehicles.
• PFC. Ian “Notso” Toogood - Marksman
  • The squad’s newest member, Ian is the type to shoot first and then decide whether or not he will bother asking questions. But despite his impulsive and bordering on childish personality, he stays remarkably calm under pressure, no matter what is flying around his head.
• Sgt. David “Hippie” Rosenfield- Team Leader - KIA
  • Sergeant Rosenfield was a caring family man. Seeing his men as extended family, he acted as counterbalance to Sgt. O’Hare’ no nonsense approach. His death at the hands of a Brute’s gravity hammer left a huge dent in the squad’s morale and a burning desire to avenge their old man.
• Cpl. Miranda “Chef” Nero - Medic - WIA, missed extraction
  • Though serious and seemingly detached from the camaraderie among the troops, Nero is nonetheless incredibly dedicated to serving her fellow soldiers. She is often seen going above and beyond her duties, forgoing sleep and putting herself into harm's way to provide the best aid possible. During an ambush, a piece of rubble fell on her and crushed her right shin. Although she can walk, the squad must carry her when they have to move fast, but refuse to leave her behind.
• LCpl. Edward “Twitch” Harper - Pointman
• PFC. Patrick “Lineman” Defort - RTO
  • Defort has no brain-to-mouth filter. No matter the situation, he always seems to have a sarcastic remark to lift the spirits of his comrades or show his frustration. Although he doesn’t show it, Patrick is quite intelligent and follows orders to the letter.

Rank: Lance Corporal

Specialisation: Pointman/Pathfinder

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Personality: In the field, Edward is as stoic as it gets, earning him his ironic nickname. Edward likes to plan ahead, get sufficient resources first and hates when things don’t go according to plan as he is terrible at adapting to unexpected consequences, making him a poor leader. As such, he prefers to be the grunt because he doesn't feel confident making decisions, especially those that can cost lives. While he has no problems following an experienced leader into the fray, he didn’t get to where he is by seeking trouble and diving in head first. Although somewhat cold, he recognises the value of teammates and will go out of his way to keep them safe if possible.

During downtime, he’s usually a friendly fellow with low tolerance for optimists. But when things take the turn for the worst, his bitter side comes to light.

Biography: Edward was born on Reach to a family he’s never met. For reasons unknown to him, he’s been put up for abortion mere hours after he was born. This has led to his bitter attitude and largely molded his pessimistic nature. At the age of three, he was adopted by Geoff Harper, a cook in the World Cuisine. But despite his upbringing by a loving, though adoptive father, the thought of being abandoned still burned within him. Looking for something meaningful to do, he joined the Army at the age of 18.

Perhaps it was his upbringing that gave rise to not only his bitterness, but also his tendency to keep others safe. The definition of a pathfinder’s job: go first and mark a path so others could pass safely. It seemed perfect.

Service Record

• (Army) Evacuation of Emerald Cove (2542)
  • Edward assisted in evacuation of Emerald Cove.
• (Army) Battle of Miridem (2544)
  • Tasked with protecting an unit of AA tanks. His platoon, aided by the AA vehicles, stood their ground against a Covenant attack, but suffered moderate casualties and lost two out of three AA tanks. Later, they were forced to abandon most of their equipment and evacuate as the planet was glassed.
• (ODST) Battle of Sargasso (2546)
  • Edward’s first ODST deployment. The squad’s task was reconnaissance and acting as artillery spotters behind Covenant lines. Near the end of the operation, the squad was discovered and retreated under fire, sustaining light casualties.
• (ODST) Battle of Skopje (2547)
  • Charged with protecting the shipyards. After several hours, Edward has suffered a gunshot wound from a Brute plasma rifle and blunt trauma to his head and was evacuated.

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Affiliations: Geoff Harper (Stepfather, New Alexandria, Reach)

Notable Traits:

• Nicknamed “Twitch” for his stoic nature.
• Edward’s beard conceals light burns on the left side of his face sustained during the Battle of Skopje.

Theme Song

~ Halo: Oman ~

Checking in.

~ Halo: Oman ~

Any particular CS format, or is that going to be covered in the first OOC post?

~ Halo: Oman ~

I'll bite.

Mass Effect: Andromeda

“A captive? Good show.” Avitus commended the mercenary over their comms. Avitus switched channels. “Jouric? Are you still alive? I lost sight of you when the shooting started. Or did you charge the enemy like a madman?” He turned around, only to see the krogan standing behind him, alive, if a little worse for wear. “Right, that answers that question. Sorry about that. Perhaps if someone cared to share this important detail with us,” Avitus gestured to where the sun should have been. Instead, there was just a ring of faint light. “We might not have been in this situation.” Taras rushed to Jouric, quickly scanning him.
“Don’t do that to me. I thought that was your blood.” he sighed, “After seventeen hours of combat? Of course they are bound to be losses. The quarian Pathfinder is gone, as is her team.” he pointed at his bloodied legs. “Ran straight into them. Chert, it’s like Torfan, all over again, but somehow worse.”
“Anyway, head to the medbay when you have time, just to be sure. Right now, we’re going to have a chat with a friend. If we can decipher their language, that is. The mercenary managed to get one alive, don’t ask me how.” He started walking, gesturing at his teammates to follow and opened a lie to Erin.
“Morano, we have a prisoner. I’d like you to be there in case he refuses to speak. I’m fairly certain your STG training covers, what do they call it, advanced interrogation techniques?”
”You’d be correct. We’ve turned the Kryik into an ambulance, heading up now.”
“Jouric, if interrogation isn’t up your alley, you can stop by the sick bay and then see where people might need help if you prefer. As for the losses, that’s going to take a while to count.”

Coming face to face with the captive soldier, Avitus took a good look at him. Or her, or whatever it was. “So that’s the alien?” he stopped. “Wait, WE are the aliens here. Has it made any verbal sounds? Any indication they communicate vocally?”

Mass Effect: Andromeda

The starshell yielded mixed results. The enemies that were wearing helmets did not react. It was likely the helmets blocked out the excess light to protect their eyes. Those that did not have their eyes protected dropped their weapons and covered their eyes, some dropping to the ground, whether due to the shock or because they tripped over something. Avitus took the chance and raised his Mattock. With his left side covered by the rubble, he swept from right to left, picking off the stunned individuals, taking them out of the action before they could recover. It barely made a dent in their numbers. As he ejected the thermal clip, he realised something. Even in the light of the dying flare, the red hot thermal clip stood out like a sore thumb. Avitus slid down to fully cover himself just as a hail of fire swept across his cover. The unmistakeable sound of an M-76 Revenant answered the attack and silenced the attacker. Taras was vigilant and very good at his job.
“Careful with the clips, looks like even night crawlers aren’t completely blind.”
“So I have noticed.” Avitus barked back, “Have you seen the krogan? I lost track of him when the shooting started.”
“He was to my right. Than someone turned off the lights and I had more important things on my mind.”
“We’d better pull back from this open field. FInd yourself a better position, I’ve got your back. Onco you’re set, I’ll come to you.”

Taras picked a slightly elevated position. Tapping Avitus’ shoulder he sprinted out of the cover and headed for it. When he reached his destination he slid to a halt, only to realized his position was occupied by two quarians, their suits torn open in several spots.Taras recognized one of the corpses as the quarian pathfinder by her suit. His own armor took on a shade of red when he landed in their remains. “Ugh, der'mo, I’m here, but be careful.” he warned Avitus and turned to provide cover.

Now that the flare has died off and the world was plunged into darkness once again, the hostile soldiers were trying to close in. Some of them seemed determined to reach the position where the flare was fired from, perhaps to see who did it and make sure they wouldn’t do it again. If that were the case, it landed Avitus in a bad spot. Unable to move because of the advancing forces, yet staying would mean death or capture. He didn’t know which would be worse.

Mass Effect: Andromeda

Avitus walked towards the woods, flanked by his squadmates, when the world turned dark. He raised his fist, signalling them to stop and stared at the black sky for a brief moment. “Spirits.” he gasped. Than the realisation hit him. “Get down, COVER!”

He himself threw himself onto the ground. He remembered a piece of metal, likely a chunk of the ark’s hull, to his left, but he couldn’t get to it. He was caught by the attack in the middle of an open area with no cover, or even concealment to speak of. As his eyes adjusted to the near pitch-black surroundings, he saw bipedal shapes, dozens upon dozens of them, moving through the woods. Right where they were headed just a minute ago. Avitus could clearly see one of the shapes raise what must have been a weapon and point it his way. He pressed himself down into the dirt and covered his face with his forearm, hoping to minimize his injuries.

A loud whine approached, followed by the sound of rubber sliding on dirt and gravel and projectiles hitting something made of metal. Looking up, he saw the Nomad parked just a meter from him, between him and where he last saw the enemy. Taras picked himself up from the ground behind the Nomad’s rear wheels and unloaded his Revenant in long bursts into the foliage. Avitus could imagine the odd smile on Taras’ face. Wasting no time, he scrambled to his feet and dashed towards the wreckage he saw earlier, closely followed by Taras. Avitus couldn’t see Jouric anywhere, but wasn’t too worried about him. He had two hearts and two separate nervous systems, after all. Now that he had cover, he opened a communication line to Ryder.

“Thanks, the Nomad saved my life. Where can I get one?”

He cycled through his helmet’s vision modes. Basic light magnification provided decent enough image. Whitehot thermal imagining yielded mixed results. Background temperature was fairly low, which made the angarans and milky way species stand out. The quarians’ thermal signatures were colder due to the suits, but still noticeable. What surprised him was the heat emitted by the hostile race, or rather the lack of it. They appeared even colder than the quarians, but that could very well have been caused by their armor. He had a sudden idea. “Taras!”
“Aye?” the russian replied.
“Do you have any flares?”
“Mhm… Da.” Taras said as he realised what Avitus had in mind.
“Everyone careful with your night vision, flare coming up on the south side.” he transmitted on an open channel before switching back to Ryder, “If they’re nocturnal, maybe they won’t like the light.” He turned back to Taras. “Go.”

The flare flew up into the air and Avitus turned to observe the unknown aliens, waiting to see their reactions. When the flare reached the top of its arc, a small chute deployed as it ignited, flooding the surrounding area with bright white light.

Mass Effect: Andromeda

“Pinning to trees is fine, just leave them intact enough for dissection. But don’t waste too much time on just one. By the looks of it, there’s quite a lot of them.” Avitus responded to Jouric, “ Also, we’re looking for a peaceful solution if possible, try to keep that in mind.”

Avitus noticed a ship fly overhead and remembered the mercenary. “This is Pathfinder Rix. Do not engage any targets south of the Keelah Si’yah. I’ve been shot at by humans before and I don’t feel like repeating that.”

As Jouric arrived, Avitus continued. “What are we looking for? Anything that tries to kill us, anywhere they could be hiding. But if we find something friendly, I won’t complain. If we do, we’ll try to make a good impression and hopefully pick up a few more friends. It worked out with the Angarans.”

“Hey, I’ve got an idea.” Taras called out to the two as he approached, “We’ve dealt with a race of murderous psychopaths before, and the genophage put an end to them. How about we skip the pleasantries and get down to business right away?” he threw away a cigarette bud and slid his helmet on his head. “Show them we’re not in the mood for their bullshit.”

Following the automatic rifleman’s arrival, Avitus sprang up to his feet and set out into the dense foliage. “Form a line, two meters in between, keep your eyes up and noise down. If we are right and the hostiles are nocturnal, their eyes will likely be adjusted to darkness.” Avitus made sure his flashlight was working. “This could work very well against them. If we start taking fire, Taras will use his biotics to shield us while we find a half decent position and return fire. If there are no questions, off we go.”

Mass Effect: Andromeda

“Very well, coordinate loading the wounded with my engineer, Erin. She’s at the Kryik, pale skin, perpetually annoyed, you’ll know her when you see her. In the meantime, I’ll take a small squad and take a closer look in that direction.” he gestured towards the woods. “From the air, the foliage there seemed thicker. Contact me if I am needed for anything. If the Kryik is needed, Erin Morano is in charge in my absence.” he finished, turning away from the group and opened a line to Taras and Jouric.

“Jouric, Borodin. Meet me at the south side of the perimeter, we’re going to take a more thorough look through the forest on that side. If I was a mysterious night critter that just pissed off several thousand aliens, I’d probably be hiding there. No flamethrowers or incendiary devices, we’re not here to burn down the entire planet. Not yet, anyway, who knows what the next week might bring. Just remember we’re first and foremost trying to get our bearings straight, but I wouldn’t rule out combat.” He finished and leaned against a rock formation, waiting for his team to show up.

Mass Effect: Andromeda

@Burning Kitty Alright, changed that.