UNSC MARINE CORPS

Protectors of Mankind and the true heroes in the Covenants genocidal war against the human race, the UNSC MARINE CORPS stands where other have fled - giving what precious little life is left to stem the alien tide and offer a glimmer of hope in a darkening universe.

Following the 21st Century, humanity continued to expand into the dark realm of space. Within a span of 500 years, the domain of human kind had grown from a planet of 6 billion to a space faring civilization over a trillion, from 1 world to over 800. During this time, mankind would find itself unchallenged in military supremacy in both space and on its many worlds with its growing influence and sphere of control mankind was unaware of the dangers

surrounding it and of the trials to come. The genocidal war with the Covenant is stressing the resources of the UNSC(United Nations Space Command) forced to fight a war of attrition against an enemy with both greater number and extremely advanced technology. In almost every sphere the Covenant would prove to be the better of man, an interstellar empire of unknown size striking from the void. Destroying planet after planet

and seizing victory after victory with humanity knowing full well that each victory gained is at only the highest cost. The war caught humanity within a time of increasing political instability, caught in a war with the

insurrectionist forces that sought to split humanity apart. Perhaps because of fate or dumb luck this turn of events would prove to aid humanity in its eventual war for survival.

PERPETUAL WAR

While humanity is faced with the horrors of an alien empire, fighting a desperate war against a superior enemy, they are nowhere near defenseless. Years of constant insurgency by rogue elements, and pirates had given humanity a chance at survival (if slim). The constant conflict forging a mighty military and birthing the greatest shield for battles to come. For this reason the Covenant were engaging a species tempered in conflict and unwilling to go quietly into the night as darkness slowly closes around them. The armies of man have changed much from those of 21st century. From the reliable MA5C of the UNSC Marine Corps to the colossal Marathon class cruisers of the UNSC Navy, the weapons of humanity stand ready to fight and defend the remaining human colonies. While in no respect is a human the

equal of a Sangheili warrior they are not to be scoffed at. For it is not the close combat prowess that makes the average marine a deadly enemy but the pride in his heart and the family he is leaving behind. Every warrior knows that every covenant step closer to home is that much closer to the deaths of their family and there future. The tactics of the Marine Corp is one of shock and awe, rapid air insertions and ground assaults supported by the warthog and pelican transport vehicles, followed closely by the pinpoint accuracy of Scorpion main battle tanks and deadly rocket barrages from airborne Hornets. The average Marine with his MA5C and supported by heavy weapons and elite ODSTs can quickly overwhelm an objective and disappear as fast as they came. Speed and firepower is the essence of success, lacking numbers the military of humanity must rely upon strategy and tactics if it is to survive. The war with the covenant has forced humanity into a deadly game of cat and mouse. Forcing the UNSC to resort to guerilla tactics and avoiding major engagements. While exceedingly rare to deploy, the full might of a Marine Corp division has led to substantial victories planet side, stemming the tide of alien invaders and buying time for a hope of victory.

UNSC HISTORY

Origins

The UN Marine Corps (predecessor of the UNSC Marine Corps) was one of the primary combat groups fielded by the UN in the Interplanetary War, and were the first military organization deployed offworld in 2163. After the United Nations claimed victory in 2164, it reorganized into the UNSC, thereby changing the UN Marine Corps to the UNSC Marine Corps. Later, the UNSC Marine Corps would be responsible for dealing with Insurrectionist uprisings among UNSC colonies star systems. Human-Covenant War During the course of the HumanCovenant War, the Marines played a central role in maintaining a defensive stand as well as assaulting several Covenant base of operations. The battles of Harvest, Arcadia, Sigma Octanus

IV, and Earth saw fierce fighting between Marines and the Covenant Army. First Encounter First Battle of Harvest The UNSC Marine Corps' first encounter with the Covenant was at the First Battle of Harvest in 2525. At the event, only three Marine officers were present, training the planet's Colonial Militia. During the battle, Captain Ponder became the Corps' first casualty of the war. Outer Colonies Main articles: Third Battle of Harvest and First Battle of Arcadia Five years after the First Battle of Harvest, the Corps' experienced their first major encounter with the Covenant at the Third Battle of

Harvest in 2531. During the event, the Marines quickly established a base of operations in Harvest's arctic region. A reconnaissance force led by Sergeant John Forge was deployed to survey the area. However, during the patrol, Covenant forces under the command of a Covenant Arbiter overran and nearly destroyed those base of operations. Forge rallied scattered marines, who quickly retook the base from the aliens. After receiving reinforcements and repairing the base, the Marines fought through a sizeable Covenant garrison force in an attempt to secure a mysterious Forerunner structure in the region. The First Battle of Arcadia saw the UNSC Marine Corps holding the defensive line around major population centers to allow

evacuation for the civilian population with the assistance of the SPARTAN-II Red Team. Successful keeping Covenant forces from occupying the population centers, the Corps' began launching multiple assaults on the Covenant's base of operations to reclaim the planet. Battle of Sigma Octanus IV The Corps' experienced another encounter with the Covenant on the colony world of Sigma Octanus IV. Upon landing, the Marines' hardware and equipments were rendered useless due to the planet's harsh environment. In the first stage of the battle, during a naval engagement, a Covenant Carrier was able to land a large contingent of troops on the northern pole of the planet. The Covenant were able to take Cte

d'Azur, a major population center. Fortunately, almost all of the civilian population was able to be evacuated beforehand, and UNSC Marine Corps General Kits launched a failed assault to retake the city. Battle of Reach Battle of Reach The UNSC Marine Corps maintained a sizable presence of Reach when the Covenant stormed the planet bypassing the defense fleet in orbit and the MAC Gun platforms thus make a landing of large numbers of soldiers on the south and north poles. During the early hours of the battle, the Covenant had overrun FLEETCOM HQ on Reach, destroying the perimeter and swarming the Marine defenders with Banshees, Wraiths, and battalions of infantry. The situation

became severe and critical where the Marines were forced to defend the Orbital Defense Generators against a massive Covenant assault, using every available armored vehicle and defensive positions from available bunkers. The Battle of Reach became one of the most devastating UNSC Marine Corps defeat in the HumanCovenant War. Battle of Installation 04 Battle of Installation 04 The surviving Marines from the Battle of Reach served an important role in the Battle of Installation 04, taking part in such engagements as securing the UNSC Pillar of Autumn crash site, launching multiple guerrilla assault on Covenant convoys and base of operations and rescuing captured

Pillar of Autumn's personnel from a Covenant Battlecruiser. Initially, the Marines were part of a special operation consisting of a sizable Orbital Drop Shock Trooper special forces detachment and a standard Marine detachment to infiltrate Covenant High Command and kidnap a Covenant Prophet. Battle of Earth Battle of Earth "Dear Humanity, we regret being alien bastards. We regret coming to Earth. And we most definitely regret that the Corps just blew up our raggedy-ass fleet!" Sergeant Johnson The UNSC Marine Corps remained in force on Earth and its geosynchronous Orbital Defense Platforms, and were mostly

prepared to repulse a relatively small Covenant invasion when fifteen Covenant capital warships, two Assault Carriers and thirteen Covenant Cruisers, entered the Sol System. They played a significant role in the the Covenant ground assault on Earth where they defended multiple major population centers from the Covenant's occupation such as those in New Mombasa and Cleveland and Havana. The Marine Corps also partook in a major UNSC assault with the UNSC Navy in Voi. As ground forces, the Marines engage in the Battle of Voi with a SPARTAN-II supersoldier by eliminating anti-air vehicles and anti-air battery structure as well as destroying temporary Covenant outposts to allow UNSC reinforcements to fortify the area.

Several Marine detachments made a major turning point during the course of the Battle of Earth where they manage to retake the cities and maintain a temporary ground control for UNSC reinforcements to arrive. Such Marine detachments were the 405th Marine Infantry Division which was able to engage against the Covenant ground forces in Mombasa, Kenya as the Covenant Assault Carrier landed Phantoms, Orbital Insertion Pods, and used its Gravity Lift to directly deploy reinforcements. Battle of Installation 00 Main article: Battle of Installation 00

Main article: Dress Uniform (UNSC Marine Corps) The Marine Corps Dress Uniforms are similar to those worn by their 20th and 21st Century predecessors in the United States Marine Corps. UNSC Marines wear what appear to be the UNSC's modified and stylized version of the United States Marine Corps emblem on their collars. Furthermore, white jackets and blue trousers are worn instead of the blue dress uniforms of the United States Marines.[1] However, in 2525, the uniform apparently consisted of a blue jacket and trousers, similar to that of the USMC.[2] Battledress

Uniform Dress Uniform

Standard Main article: UNSC Marine Corps Battle Dress Uniform

from gunfire. Marine helmets are mounted with holographic textdisplaying eyepieces and helmet recorders. As well as helmets, Marines on field operations in more humid locales sometimes choose to wear boonie covers, or those in colder environments don visored and thicker helmets. Marine NCOs are easily recognized by the cover that they wear complete with the UNSCDF insignia, although they oftentimes substitute this soft cover for a more practical protective helmet. Marines on Installation 04 sported

A Marine in the Jungles of Kenya. Marines have few bioaugmentations and usually wear passively camouflaged armored uniforms. They wear dark-colored metal-alloy armor to shield them

gray fatigues, and over that, pieces of brown armor plating covering the head, torso, shoulder, and shins. At times, they only wore their utilities and soft body armor, even forgoing helmets and body armor plating in hazardous combat

operations. At times, their helmets were also substituted for boonie covers and sometimes bandannas. However, since they had to get off the Pillar of Autumn, they probably didn't have time to grab their gear. Some Marines had small medical packs built into their back armor plating. Standard Marine battle armor appears to be woodland-pattern camouflage utilities, along with an olive drab load-bearing armored vest. The standard-issue armor is uniform than the body armor issued to the Marines on Alpha Halo, as the Marines no longer appear as a rag-tag group of survivors, but as a unified force. They no longer wear boonie covers and are never seen in combat without rigid armor. In fact, the only time Marines were seen

without any armor was during the awards ceremony aboard Cairo Station. In that particular case, they were wearing their white dress uniform. Another variation of Marine armor is an evolution from that mentioned above, with heavier and well-articulated olive-drab full body armor (armored vest, shoulder plates, elbow pads, and knee pads) over woodland camouflage utilities, allowing them to passively camouflage well in jungle terrain. Marines sometimes don small helmet communications microphones or black-phased sunglasses on their helmets, and others carry backpacks. Marines have been seen to wear black gloves, probably to protect their hands and improve their grip on their weapons. Some marines sport

orange visors which attach to the brim of their helmets. This usually signifies advanced vehicular training, as these marines can be seen operating vehicles more frequently, and are noticeably better at driving them. Marines operating in cold environments wear environmentally-tailored armor, with insulated snow camouflage utilities and full body armor and well as insulated and visored helmets with something analogous to a balaclava.[3] Special Forces

ships during turbulent atmospheric entry. They also wear fully-visored black helmets that cover the entirety of the head. This armor provides ODSTs with more protection then standard marine armor. Their armor could also take several head shots. [edit] Armament The standard issue weapon for UNSC Marines Corps is the MA5 series of assault rifles. Most Marines were issued the MA5B variant until its replacement in late 2552 by the BR55HB SR and MA5C. Suppressive fire was provided by the M247 GPMG during the Battle of Earth, presumably replaced by

Orbital Drop Shock Troopers sport heavy and articulated black battle armor, which are also believed to double as an armored g-suit that allows for safe transport in small

the AIE-486H Heavy Machine Gun by the time of the Battle of Voi. Special forces and vehicle crews are issued M7 and M7S Submachine Gun variants, with

personal sidearms such as the M6 Series. Snipers operate the SRS 99C-S2 AM and SRS 99D-S2 AM sniper rifle variants for anti-materiel and antipersonnel operations, with the M99 Special Application Scoped Rifle used as a dedicated anti-materiel weapon. Standard UNSC sniper team consists of two operators; a spotter and a sniper. Anti-armor fire is provided by the M19 and M41 rocket or missile launchers and the W/AV M6 G/GNR Spartan Laser directed-energyweapon. Anti-air fire is provided by the M19-B SAM Missile Launcher, capable of destroying Banshees and damaging Seraph fighters. [edit] Ground Vehicles The UNSC Marines Corps' standard vehicle is the M12 Warthog LRV,

used for armored patrols and personnel mobility. The M12G1 Warthog LAAV is used as an antiarmor vehicle, mounted with an M68 Gauss Cannon, as well as the M12A1 Warthog LAAV mounted with a 102mm SC-HE Rocket Turret, firing 102mm shapedcharge high-explosive rockets. For heavy engagements, the Marine Corps operates the M808B Scorpion Main battle Tank, and uses the Wolverine in an anti-air role. [edit] Aircraft The Corps' most common aircraft is the Pelican dropship, either the D77-TC or, in late 2552, the D77HTCI variants, as multirole aerodynes which is capable of carrying a mixture of Scorpion antitank rockets and Anvil II air-tosurface missiles, and equipped with

either chin-mounted 7.62mm Machine-Guns or 70mm AutoCannons. The UNSC Marine Corps also operates the Longsword as it's primary fighter for tactical bombardment, the Hawk as an close air support gunship, the Shortsword as a short-range bomber, the Hornet aerial support

vehicle, and the SkyHawk VTOL strike fighter. Marine air units are intended usually to support ground forces or to drop off vital equipment for the Marines, either in close-air-support or air interdiction roles, with the UNSC Navy or UNSC Air Force taking on the dedicated air force role.[4]

WARTHOG
The M12 LRV Warthog is the UNSC Light Reconnaissance Vehicle, used for its scouting capacity, or as an integral part of a mechanized infantry unit; the M12 has been a part of the UNSC's armored vehicle fleet for fifty years, and is the most recognizable vehicle in their arsenal. The M12 is a four wheel all-terrain vehicle capable of going over any obstacle without difficulty; under the hood the M12's power is generated by a forward-housed low-profile liquid-cooled hydrogeninjected ICE I/C plant, coupled with an automatic infinitely variable transmission (IVT). The hydrogen fuel is burned at very high temperature with a synthetic carbon/silicon catalyst to achieve even better fuel consumption. This hydrogen engine is the standard among all UNSC ground based vehicles, replacing fossil fuel-based engines some 400 years ago. The M12 features a Graf/Hauptman solar/saline actuator, and will convert up to twelve liters of fresh, brackish or salt water into hydrogen on the fly, this allows the Warthog to travel 790 kilometers or 490 miles before it needs to be refueled. Detritus is compacted on board. The M12 is a huge, unwieldy, difficult to steer vehicle until a user learns how to drive it properly. With proper application of

the hand, or "e-brake" the M12 can actually turn on a dime. Massive disc brakes and its automatic braking systems, allow the vehicle to come to a near immediate, but controlled stop should the driver be ejected, or choose to leave the vehicle. The Warthog's tires, have moved away from previous inertgas pocket inflation, with equally burst-proof single unit nanotube skeletons. They provide the buoyancy and ride of gas-pocket tires, but are almost indestructible. The relatively massive tires are a joint project between MichelinVance and AMG. The M12's design places it into the jeep family of vehicles; it has no doors and has a total seating of three. The M12, although deemed a reconnaissance vehicle, is at best an understatement; the M12 is fully

capable of both offensive and defensive capabilities. The M12 can also serve as a support vehicle, or a transport vehicle. The M12 can be armed with a wide variety of equipment, however, its main armament is the M41 Light AntiAircraft Gun, and the mounted weapon includes a battery for short term operation separated from the vehicle, but normally operates on the vehicles power supply. A M68 Gauss Cannon can be mounted on the back of the M12, making it capable of taking on light armor

SCORPION MBT
The M808 Scorpion is an armored attack vehicle that has been in service for more than thirty years, and serves as the UNSC's main anti-vehicle platform. The M808B is considered "light" by standard definitions but has served as the UNSC's main battle tank well before the Human-Covenant War. Its separate four nacelles track tread design allows it to traverse any terrain with little to no difficulty, and prevents the vehicle from being easily disabled. The central chassis is simple in design containing the main armament at the stern of the hull, and the crew compartment forward of it; and the machine gun at the bow on certain variants. The chassis is covered with heavy titanium-ceramic armor plating, making it incredibly resilient to small-arms fire; however, it's still possible for

infantry-portable anti-armor weapons to inflict catastrophic damage. The M808B only requires a crew of one, with complete weapons control allocated to the driver, provided the driver is equipped with a neural interface. Otherwise, it requires one driver and one gunner on a coaxial mounted machine gun.[5] As time has progressed, the Scorpion has been modified into more than a half-dozen different versions, however, despite the modifications the Scorpion's psychological aspect and versatility remain unchanged.
[5]

with a three-to-four-second delay between each round. The secondary weapon system is the M247T 7.62mm AP-T Medium Machine Gun, used for engaging infantry. The 90mm cannon, although the standard weapon on the M808, could be considered "light", compared to the 105mm cannon that can be mounted for greater offensive power. Along with its weapons system the Scorpion is equipped with anti-mine detecting software and electronics to help increase safety while in use.

The Scorpion is equipped with two weapon systems. The 90mm High Velocity Cannon - the M808B's main weapon - fires 90mm Tungsten Armor Piercing Ballistic Capped Rounds at a high velocity,

MONGOOSE
The M274 Mongoose ULATV is one of the fastest and most maneuverable ground vehicles in the arsenal of the UNSC Marine Corps. It is a highly effective vehicle for reconnaissance, rapid transportation, swift tactical versatility, and for shooting between positions. A smaller cousin to the ubiquitous M831 Troop Transport, the Mongoose is a small ATV capable of carrying a driver in

the middle of the vehicle, and features a rear platform that can be used to carry one additional passenger. Because it carries no armament of its own, having a passenger is usually essential if engaging in a combat zone. Due to its smaller size, the Mongoose is a difficult target for both slow and fast moving enemy weaponry, as opposed to the Warthog, whose size is somewhat substantial. However, one should note: It's a common misconception that this ULATV is faster than any other ground vehicle in Halo 3, when the M12 LRV Warthog is actually faster (this is due to the different camera angle between the two, as well as the Mongoose's better acceleration). The Mongoose's high speed, light mass, and practically non-existent

armor make it unwieldy and difficult to control at high speeds and/or over unstable terrain, making the ULATV vulnerable to destabilization, crashes, and flips. To make matters worse, the design of the vehicle and it's lack of armor leave both the driver and passenger completely exposed. Furthermore, the Mongoose does not incorporate any offensive or defensive capabilities, making the Mongoose's only practical defenses an armed passenger and its speed. Thus, the standard UNSC Marine Corps operating protocol in engagements against Covenant forces is to place a M41 Rocket Launcher-armed Marine in the passenger position to fire rockets against slow-moving hostile vehicles, while the driver uses the Mongoose's superior speed to

evade enemy return fire. In a last resort situation, the Mongoose can be used to run over nearby enemies. Yet, attempting a splatter is usually an ineffective plan: The low width and height of the vehicle, combined with the aforementioned instabilities when driving, make it very difficult to successfully score an impact on an opponent. For quick and practical deployment, the Mongoose can be transported by the Pelican troopship or the Behemoth-class Troop Transport (Elephant). Additionally, the AV-14 Attack VTOL appears to have a winch capable of transporting the ULATV, but it is not seen used during game play. Finally, this vehicle is considered to be analogous to the Covenant Type-32 "Ghost" Rapid Assault

Vehicle, despite the offensive, defensive, and performance differences.

PELICAN

The D77H-TCI is a fleet wide upgrade to the UNSC's squadrons of Pelican troopships that have been in service for over 50 years. First seen deployed in November, 2552 the Pelican is the primary tactical support aircraft of the UNSC. The Pelican serves a multirole purpose, it is fully capable of Atmospheric flight and can land almost anywhere without difficulty, the Pelican is also capable of limited spaceflight, making it the prime troop transport of the UNSC. The D77H-TCI makes several drastic design changes to both the interior, and exterior, although the exteriors changes are not as noticeable as the interior is. The first significant change is in the

cockpit area of the D77H which instead of having the pilot and copilot sitting next to each other, the copilot is now seated behind and above the pilot, the controls and instrument panels have been rearranged and upgraded for the D77H. A small holo-tank is installed in the cockpit, allowing an artificial intelligence to project its holographic form to the craft's pilots. Payload Capacity

A bottom-profile of the D77H-TCI Pelican Troopship. The pressurized payload area has also seen a design change; the D77H-TCI variant of the Pelican carries the same number of passengers as its predecessor. However, its troop-bay is more flexible, able to carry up to two Mongoose ULATV's internally, in addition to ten passengers, also it has a hermetic door on its rear section for ship-to-shore orbital insertions. Its tail-mounted magnetic clamps are capable of carrying a M12 Warthog LRV, M12G1 Warthog LAAG or M831 TT Warthog, an M808B Scorpion MBT, or four Type C Resupply Capsules rather than six of the older Type B Resupply Capsules, to the battlefield, able to detach its payload without landing decreasing

the chance of an attack while it unloads. Armament The D77H-TCI Pelican, like its predecessor, is compatible with the Rotary-cannons in both 40mm and 70mm types. The Pelican is also able to mount an AIE-486H Heavy Machine Gun in its troop-bay compartment for supporting ground teams and covering the departure of its passengers, an improvement from the previous M247 GPMG, although this prevents it from carrying a vehicle internally. The D77H can also be equipped with ANVIL-II ASM Pods; the design of the pods has changed, and now seamlessly blends with the Pelican. The new ANVIL pods can fire up to 12 missiles at once, six from each pod. A Gunship version of the D77H is in

service as well, this heavily armed version, is equipped with more chain guns, missiles, and a large cannon, mounted at the ventralfore of the troopship. Propulsion The main engines are mounted in pairs in four nacelles, one situated on each wing and two at the rear and posterior. The nacelles can articulate independently, thus altering the direction of thrust, referred to as vectoring in aviation; this improves the Pelican's low altitude maneuverability. Four ventral thrusters are identified by markings and a rendered thrust effect, one on each wing nacelle and one on each aft nacelle, allow the drop ship to land and take off vertically. These engines are capable of both space and atmospheric operation. It has 8 jet

intakes, 3 on each side and 2 on top. The wings mounted on a Pelican seem extremely small, too small to support the weight of drop ship and payload alone. It is speculated that it utilizes at least some Lifting Body principles, using its own hull create most of the lift necessary for flight. It may also be that the Pelican partially relies upon thrust vectoring, referred to as jet-borne flight as opposed to wing-borne flight which can be further reinforced with the fact that downward aiming jets can be seen on the bottom of the thruster mountings. It should be noted that small wings are very efficient for high-speed flight, as demonstrated by the F-104 Star fighter. It is also a benefit for operations in the upper atmosphere, especially re-

entry, as was the case with the X15. The D77H-TCI, like the D77, although fully capable of orbital insertion, is too small to be

equipped with a Shaw-Fujikawa Tran slight Engine, and thus is incapable of slip space travel.

SUMMARY

TROOP TYPES
_____________WS BS S T W I A LD SV PAGE MARINE 5+ MARINE SERG. 5+ ODST 4+ ODST SERG. 4+ 3 3 4 4 3 3 3 1 3 1 7 3 3 3 1 3 2 8 4 4 33 1 3 1 8 33 1 3 2 9

MONGOOSE 4+ MONG(ODST) 4+

3 3

3 3 3(4) 2 3 2 3 3 3(4) 2 3 2

7 7

VEHICAL TYPES
__________________________BS PAGE ELEPHANT (tank, ponderous) 14 12 HORNET (skimmer fast) 10 10 F 4 4 S R 14 11

PELICAN (skimmer fast) 12 12 10 SCORPION MBT (tank) 13 10

4 4 14 11

TRANSPORT WARTHOG (tank fast) 4 11 10 WARTHOG (tank fast) 11 11 10 4