Editing James Cutter

{{Status|Canon}}{{Status|Featured}}

|birth=[[2478|June 12, 2478]]<ref name="OSG">'''[[Halo Wars: Official Strategy Guide]]''', Factions, UNSC Leaders, ''pages 20-21''</ref><ref name="EVG">'''Halo: The Essential Visual Guide''', ''page 43''</ref>

'''James "Jim" Gregory Cutter''' ([[service number]] '''01730-58392-JC'''){{Ref/Reuse|HWCutter}} is a [[Captain (Navy)|senior officer]] in the [[UNSC Navy]] who served during the [[Insurrection]] and the early years of the [[Human-Covenant War]].<ref name="Card">'''[[Halo Wars: Limited Edition]]''', ''Cutter leader card''</ref> He captains the {{UNSCShip|Spirit of Fire}}, a refitted [[Phoenix-class colony ship|''Phoenix''-class support vessel]] that was attached to [[Vice Admiral]] [[Preston Cole]]'s [[Third Fleet]] in [[2531]].{{Ref/Reuse|EVG}}<ref name="SoF">[http://www.halowars.com/GameInfo/SpiritOfFire.aspx ''Official Halo Wars Community Site'': Spirit of Fire] (defunct, [[Archive:Halowars.com/Spirit of Fire|Archive]])</ref> Cutter had a wife, [[Mary Cutter|Mary]], with whom he had a [[Cutter's daughter|daughter]] on [[Reach]];<ref name = "Sacrifices">[http://www.gamedaily.com/articles/galleries/halo-wars-character-profiles-captain-cutter-and-the-brute-chieftain/?page=7 '''Game Daily''' - ''Everyone makes sacrifices to fight the Covenant'' (defunct link)]</ref> he also had a mistress on [[Tribute]], with whom he had a son, [[Daniel Clayton]].<ref name="HE5">'''[[Halo: Escalation]]''', ''[[Halo: Escalation Issue 5|Issue #5]]''</ref> Cutter and the ''Spirit of Fire'' went missing in 2531 due to [[Battle of the Trove|circumstances]] that required the sacrifice of the ship's [[Shaw-Fujikawa translight engine]] in order to deny a fleet of [[Forerunner]] {{Class|Sojourner|dreadnought}}s to the Covenant. Cutter and the rest of the crew entered [[cryostasis]] and slept for 28 years, awakening in [[2559]] only after being mysteriously pulled through a [[portal]] to the extragalactic [[Installation 00]]. There Cutter led the crew of the ''Spirit of Fire'' against the [[Banished]], a power-hungry mercenary faction of ex-Covenant that were occupying it.

James Gregory Cutter was born on [[Reach]] on [[2478#June|June 12, 2478]].{{Ref/Reuse|HWCutter}} In the sixth grade, he had a teacher named [[Ash (teacher)|Mrs. Ash]]. During one of her spelling tests James spelled the word "rendezvous" correctly, which led to him liking the word ever since. After Cutter finished school, his [[Cutter's father|father]] pushed him to get a university degree and was furious when James became an [[ensign]] at the [[UN Colony Logistics Office]] and became even more angered when his son enrolled in flight school. He even went so far as to tell him he was "nothing more than a trucker".{{Ref/Reuse|OSG}} James enrolled in the [[UNSC School of the North Star]] on [[2500|September 15, 2500]], where he graduated magna cum laude with an emphasis in [[astronavigation]] and political science. He was admitted to [[Officer Candidate School]] on [[2504|June 19, 2504]], where he received additional training with emphases in command and astronavigation.  

On [[2507|November 16, 2507]] he entered naval service as a [[lieutenant]] and junior navigation officer aboard the ''[[Stick]]'', a diplomatic attaché vessel assigned to the {{UNSCShip|Brilliant Shores}}. He was transferred to the {{UNSCShip|Final Summit}} on [[2514|January 9, 2514]], whereupon he was appointed to the post of chief navigation officer. During [[Operation: TREBUCHET]], a twelve-year offensive against the [[Insurrection]] in the [[Outer Colonies]], Cutter earned a campaign ribbon during service with the [[Logistics Corps]]. Prior to this receipt, he also was awarded with two other ribbons for his service during the classified mission, [[Operation: WHISPER AMONG STARS]], and [[Operation: BREADCRUMB]].<ref name="Genesis">''Halo Wars: Genesis''</ref> He piloted multiple colony vessels prior to 2519. Cutter achieved the rank of [[Commander (UNSC)|commander]] upon his transfer to the {{UNSCShip|Glasgow}}, a colony freighter vessel, on [[2519|August 8, 2519]]. On [[2524|May 22, 2524]], he received a [[Bronze Star]] for his actions against [[Insurrection|insurgents]] in the [[Epsilon Indi system]] while serving aboard the ''Glasgow''.<ref>[https://twitter.com/Halo/status/1263817140735479808?s=19 ''Halo on Twitter'':] ''"#TodayInHalo, 2524 – As a result of actions taken against insurgents aboard the UNSC Glasgow, Commander James Cutter receives a Bronze Star."''</ref> These actions brought him to the attention of UNSC command.{{Ref/Reuse|Genesis}} Cutter also served on two other vessels during his career before finally being given the captaincy and command of his own ship.{{Ref/Reuse|OSG}} Having married at some previous point in his career, Cutter had an extramarital affair with a woman on [[Tribute]] between 2524 and [[2525]]. This liaison produced a son, [[Daniel Clayton]].{{Ref/Reuse|HE5}} Cutter's mother also passed away at some point prior to August 8, [[2525]], the date on which James relinquished his former command to become the captain of another ship, the modified [[Phoenix-class colony ship]], {{UNSCShip|Spirit of Fire}}.{{Ref/Reuse|Genesis}} Cutter had been the only person wanted for the job. Not long after he became the ''Spirit of Fire''{{'}}s captain, Cutter's father came aboard for a tour. He was impressed at what his son had accomplished and finally fully reconciled with him, telling him that he must have known what he was doing after all and that his mother would be proud.{{Ref/Reuse|OSG}} On January 30, [[2528]], Cutter was offered command of the {{Class|Marathon|heavy cruiser}}, the {{UNSCShip|Prophecy}}, but turned it down because he was content with the ''Spirit of Fire'' and being stationed near his wife and young daughter on Reach, where its sphere of influence was then centered.<ref>[[Halo Wars Timeline Events]] - 30 January 2528</ref> By at least 2528, [[Terrence Hood]] had become Cutter's [[executive officer]] and by [[2530|November of 2530]], Cutter had seen that Hood was given command of his own ship, the {{Class|Halcyon|light cruiser}}, {{UNSCShip|Roman Blue}}.{{Ref/Reuse|HE5}} During the early years of the [[Human-Covenant War]], the ''Spirit of Fire'' served as a supply boat for the [[UNSC]] fleet to which it found itself attached.  It primarily was responsible for ferrying supplies, water, fuel, and ground support to varying theaters. After his release from jail in 2530, [[Sergeant]] [[John Forge]] was reassigned to the ''Spirit of Fire'' by [[Vice Admiral]] [[Preston Cole]], who told Cutter to expect him.

[[File:HWG Servers.png|300px|thumb|left|Captain Cutter directs Serina to update the servers on the ''Spirit of Fire''.]]

[[File:HWG Pollyanna.png|300px|thumb|Captain Cutter gives the authorization code to allow the use of nuclear weapons against the Covenant.]]

Once the ''Last Gleaming'' had departed, Cutter, Anders, and Serina conversed on the bridge. The professor, having been briefed on intercepted Covenant transmissions deciphered by [[artificial intelligence]]s, let Cutter know that the aliens seemed to be particularly interested in an arctic region of the planet. Serina scanned the area and detected major gravimetric anomalies. Anders thought her readings might indicate a specific structure on the surface hereto unknown to them, and Cutter told Serina to have Sergeant [[John Forge]] investigate. Marines deployed as part of [[Alpha Team (Harvest)|Alpha]] and [[Bravo Team (Harvest)|Bravo Team]]s and soon came under fire from [[Jiralhanae]] led by the Brute known as [[Avitus]]. The information coming from the surface threw the bridge into chaos and Cutter ordered Serina to get him a direct connection to Forge. The sergeant reported that unless Alpha and Bravo could link up at his position, his own marines would be done for. Cutter ordered him to secure his location and assured him that reinforcements were inbound.{{Ref/Reuse|OSG}}

[[File:HaloWars-SOF-Holotable.jpg|thumb|300px|Cutter, Anders and Serina viewing a holographic topographical map of Harvest.]]

A short time later [[Alpha Base (Harvest)|Alpha Base]] was built near the major gravimetric anomalies leading to several skirmishes in the northern polar region of Harvest lead by Cutter. This lead to the setting up of [[Epsilon Base]], sending a tactical evaluation update on the new [[HRUNTING Mark III (B) Cyclops]] models, and taking the time to compose a message to the father of [[Helena Roman]], a marine who had given her life that day on Harvest under his command.<ref name = "Site">'''[[Halo Wars Launch Site]]''' - ''UNSC Side''</ref>

After leaving the bridge and making his way down to the observation deck, Cutter was annoyed to find it full of professor Anders' laboratory equipment. She casually asserted that she like the view it afforded her and the perspective it added to her work. Cutter reminded Anders that Forge felt it wasn't yet safe for her go down to the planet to investigate the mysterious structure just yet. Anders pushed back against his overprotectiveness and he reluctantly relented, saying that while he would approve her investigation of the site personally, at the slightest sign of danger he would pull her out. In order to make it safe for the professor's work, Cutter contacted Serina to coordinate the re-establishment of Alpha Base as a functioning forward operating base from which the Covenant at the [[Relic (location)|structure]] could be assaulted. He encouraged the buildup of a larger military presence on the ground before making any moves against the Covenant occupiers. After the infantry eventually rolled out from Alpha Base and made their way toward the objective, they incidentally stumbled upon a base the Covenant had constructed. Cutter contacted his forces to let them know that destroying it would be nice, but their primary goal was still the strange structure in the ice. After they reached the approach to the interior of it, a detonator and explosives were sighted at the entrance. Cutter ordered that the detonator be destroyed right away so that it couldn't be used to seal the entrance to this wondrous and baffling find. Having done so, Cutter congratulated the marines on the ground and told them to await further instructions. A pelican, ''[[Bravo 029 (Pelican)|Bravo-029]]'', brought Anders to the planet's surface so she could explore what seemed to be a [[Forerunner|non-Covenant alien]] relic. She, Forge, and others were ambushed by more Covenant not long after they began their exploration. Reinforcements from Alpha Base would take too long to respond to their cries for assistance, so Cutter dispatched [[M850 Grizzly]] tanks directly from the ''Spirit of Fire''. Both Forge and Anders managed to survive and exit the structure safely, where they found a pelican waiting to return them to the ship. Cutter commended the professor for her work and stated that he wanted to be briefed on what she found as soon as possible.

[[File:CutterArcadia.png|thumb|300px|Cutter surveys a display of Arcadia.]]

During the trip from Harvest to Arcadia, a memorial service was on February 7 for the crew of the {{UNSCShip|Prophecy}} in opposition to objections from ONI personnel. The ''Spirit of Fire'' arrived at the colony on [[2531#February|February 9]] to find it [[Battle for Arcadia|under attack]] by [[CCS-U624|a single]] {{Pattern|Ket|battlecruiser}} from the [[Fleet of Glorious Interdiction]].{{Ref/Reuse|Arcadia City}} Entering the bridge, Cutter asked Serina for a read of the situation. She informed him that there had been two battlecruisers, but one had recently been destroyed at the cost of the {{UNSCShip|Belfast}} and {{UNSCShip|Texas}}, not to mention damage suffered by the {{UNSCShip|Pillar of Autumn}} and {{UNSCShip|Armstrong}}.{{Ref/Reuse|Arcadia City}} The remaining Covenant ship was presently hovering over [[Pirth City]], Arcadia's capital. Serina isolated a signal from the service sent by the [[Arcadian Patrol]] that contained a desperate plea for help with defending and evacuating civilians in the city. Upon obtaining visuals, Cutter was able to see footage of [[Spartan-IIs]] fighting in the city. He ordered Serina to launch D20 Herons to the surface and to bring the ship to alert. Marines from the ''Spirit of Fire'' were able to assist with the evacuation effort. As the last [[Banta-class transport|cargo transport]] bearing evacuees was away, Cutter told Forge to pull back from the city and to regroup before his next set of orders would be given.{{Ref/Reuse|Arcadia City}}

The Marines exited the city but were pursued by Covenant ground forces. Not wishing to lose a foothold on Arcadia, Cutter ordered them to secure a defensible position and hold it until they could be reinforced with more bodies. Serina recommended an impact crater a few clicks south along a highway. Captain Cutter notified other UNSC troops retreating from Pirth City of their position and let Sergeant Forge know that he was directing them his way. The captain monitored the fighting and congratulated the marines on their ability to withstand the Covenant forces and even establish two bases in the area. With the assistance of [[Spartan]] [[Team Omega]], the sector was cleared of Covenant. As soon as the hostilities ceased, Cutter contacted Forge and ordered him to report to the bridge on the ''Spirit of Fire'' to be briefed on a new problem. The Covenant had set up a massive domed [[energy shield]] next to [[Arcadia ONI facility|an ONI base]]. The shield obscured all activity within it, which made both Cutter and Anders suspicious. Cutter suggested using the ship's magnetic accelerator against it, but the professor cautioned against potentially destroying [[Arcadia Forerunner ruins|what was beneath]] the shield without knowing what it was. Instead, she recommended a more precise approach. The nearby ''Pillar of Autumn'''s inventory showed that it was carrying some [[M145D Rhino]] prototypes, artillery tanks armed with ''Zeus'' [[XM4600 Zeus plasma munition howitzer|320mm plasma cannon]]s reverse-engineered from Covenant [[plasma weaponry]]. [[File:Anderssignal1.png|thumb|300px|left|Captain. Cutter, Sergeant Forge, and Jerome-092 are forced to quickly decide how to proceed after Anders' abduction.]]Theoretically, using superheated [[plasma]] against the shield could disable it without doing damage to what lied beneath it. Cutter thought her idea a fine one. He put Anders and Forge in charge of getting the shield down and moved to make the arrangements necessary to acquire the Rhinos. The plan worked perfectly. Once the shield was no more, Cutter had the UNSC forces moved forward to investigate what it had been hiding. They were met by a partially-built {{Pattern|R'awuw|Scarab}}, which the captain ordered them to destroy. To this end, he identified power nodes in the vicinity that were supplying it with energy and advised that they become targets in order to reduce its efficiency in defending itself. Once the threat had been eliminated, Cutter praised the efforts of the men and women on the ground.

In the aftermath of the scarab's defeat, however, Sergeant Forge and Dr. Anders were ambushed by the Arbiter, [[Ripa 'Moramee]] during a moment they were alone.{{Ref/Reuse|Anders' Signal}} Anders was easily captured by the hulking [[Sangheili]] and taken aboard a {{Pattern|Dextro Xur|Spirit}}. Forge immediately contacted Cutter to let him know what had happenned. Serina was able to track her transponder moving away from the planet toward a waiting {{Pattern|Sinaris|heavy destroyer}}, ''[[Proclamation's Tithe]]''. Five of these ships had arrived at the planet to join the fray and were engaging the remaining [[UNSC Navy]] presence surrounding the planet. Cutter demanded to know how Anders had been taken but all Forge could say was that a massive Elite had come out of nowhere. Furious, Cutter ordered him to return to the ship on the double. Once he was returned to it, he went directly for the bridge. Seeing that Forge had clearly been wounded by the encounter, Cutter questioned why he had not made for the med bay instead. At that moment, Anders' signal showed that the ship she had been taken aboard was accelerating and was already outside their effective weapon range. At the urging of Forge and [[Jerome-092]], a [[Spartan]] that was among [[Red Team|three]] picked up by the ''Spirit'' from Arcadia, Cutter ordered that Anders' captors be pursued.<ref name="Anders' Signal">'''Halo Wars''', campaign level ''[[Anders' Signal]]''</ref> As they prepared to jump to slipspace in the wake of the Covenant vessel's jump, a [[log buoy]] was released with data concerning their destination solution. The {{UNSCShip|Roman Blue}}, captained by Cutter's old XO, [[Terrence Hood]], was assigned to intercept the buoy. Hood failed to make it a priority in the midst of the ongoing battle and so the buoy was picked up by the ''[[Radiant Perception]]'', a CPV-class heavy destroyer, instead.{{Ref/Reuse|HE5}} It was February 10 when they left and Serina projected that their destination in uncharted Covenant space would take them thirteen days to reach. The ship remained on high alert for the entire transit, though non-essential crew members were briefly place in [[cryostasis]].{{Ref/Reuse|OSG}}

[[File:ETRANCutter.png|thumb|350px|Cutter looks out over the mysterious world.]]

On February 23, the ''Spirit of Fire'' emerged from slipspace hot on the trail of the Arbiter to the sight of an [[Trove|unknown planet]].{{Ref/Reuse|Anders' Signal}} Cutter prompted Serina for any information about their location, but she was of little help. She did inform him, however, that the Covenant vessel they had followed had taken cover on the planet's surface. No other Covenant activity was detected, though Serina did not that the world below them was resulting in strange readings when scanned by their instruments. Not wanting to waste any more time, the captain told her to get Forge down to the surface as soon as possible, to which she replied that he was already aboard a pelican waiting for approval. Two reconnaissance teams, [[Recon Team Echo|Echo]] and [[India Company|India]], were deployed with [[M312 Elephant]]s and instructed to set up bases at potential sites from which the Covenant could be attacked at a nearby fortified position.{{Ref/Reuse|HWTE}} Cutter confirmed that both teams were free of hostiles before they moved to their designated locations. Sergeant Forge led his own team and another elephant. Cutter let Forge know that he would need to clear a fire line ahead and get to a beacon that was waiting for him to signal the all-clear for a [[firebase]] to be dropped off. Logstics prevented the captain from landing any more troops at that time, but he assured Forge that he should have enough squads of marines with him within the elephant for the task at hand. The marines soon came into conflict with [[Jiralhanae]] and Cutter kept a close eye on the skirmish, offering advice and encouragement all the while from his perch in orbit. After the Jiralhanae were defeated, [[Recon Team Echo]] signaled that it was fully operational and that the situation had returned to normalcy before the man reporting for the team suddenly shouted that there was movement all over the place and that they needed help. All of Echo's signals went offline and Cutter told Forge to take a team to find out what had happened. When the sergeant reach Echo's elephant, he reported that he believed both it and India, all members of which had vanished from observation as well, had been compromised. Cutter questioned what he thought might have happenned, as scans registered no Covenant in the immediate area. Forge assured him it hadn't been the Covenant, but in fact was [[Flood|something]] seemingly even worse. Echo's elephant had been completely engulfed by a strange biomass and the bodies of its members were being hijacked by hideous [[Flood|infectious lifeforms]]. Forge managed to get the transport free and at this, Cutter approved his request for a firebase. He had Serina make the arrangements for D20 Herons to deliver the components. After Forge freed India's elephant from a similar predicament, Cutter had him bring it back to the new base to hold and wait for new orders.{{Ref/Reuse|Anders' Signal}}<ref>'''Halo Wars''', campaign level ''[[The Flood (level)|The Flood]]''</ref> [[File:Cuttersentinelpng.png|thumb|left|300px|Cutter and one of the mysterious drones observe one another while the ''Spirit of Fire'' passes between the planet's exterior and interior.]]The [[Spartan-II]]s of [[Red Team]] contacted Captain Cutter to let him know that they were one-hundred meters from Anders' transponder signal but were meeting with heavy resistance from this new enemy. Cutter told them to hold their position and wait for reinforcements before proceeding further. He then contacted Forge to fill him in and have him make his way to Red Team with his remaining marines, but not without advising extreme caution. Once the [[Spartan]]s and marines apparently "killed" a large [[Proto-Gravemind|monstrosity]] that had attached itself in place, Cutter asked Serina for an assessment of their situation. Anders' signal had been lost before the massive version of the alien lifeform had been encountered. However, The Serina let Cutter know that she had just discovered a new signal to the east of the UNSC's position.

===Etran Harborage===

[[File:CutterTithe.png|thumb|350px|The ''[[Spirit of Fire]]'' faces down the ''[[Proclamation's Tithe]]''.]]

The ''Spirit of Fire'' exploded through a massive tunnel of sorts to emerge within the interior of what was now fully revealed to be a fully artificial [[shield world|hollow planet]]. The entire inner surface was blanketed with topographical features that filled the place where a horizon should have been. The ship suddenly found itself on a collision course with the ''Proclamation's Tithe'' and Cutter ordered Serina to steer them hard to starboard to avoid colliding with the {{Pattern|Sinaris|heavy destroyer}}. Her efforts were not enough to completely keep the ships from hitting each other and the ''Tithe'' sheared off a significant section of ''Spirit of Fire''

's port side where D20 Herons were docked. Serina alerted the captain that the Covenant vessel was charging its weapons to engage them and Cutter shouted for everyone to assume battle stations and to bring their own weapons online. Seeing as there were still marines attached to the outer hull, he had Serina tell them that they weren't done out there yet. In the ensuing battle, the ''Spirit'''s power core took heavy damage and Cutter directed Forge to repair it with [[HRUNTING Mark III (B) Cyclops]]es all the while continuing to defend against the Covenant assault. Once the core was fixed, Cutter had Serina speed them away.<ref>'''Halo Wars''', campaign level ''[[Repairs]]''</ref>  

Marines and Sergeant Forge in particular, deployed to the inner surface of the world, chanced upon the professor, who had managed to escape her captors on her own when their guard was down. Cutter sent a pelican to retrieve her while others stayed behind to keep the area they controlled. Once aboard the ''Spirit of Fire'', Anders met the captain on the observation deck and told him everything she had learned. The Covenant at this world, led by [[Prophet of Regret|one]] of their [[hierarch]]s, was planning to take control of a massive fleet of [[Sojourner-class dreadnought|warships]] of the [[Forerunner|ancient race]] that had built this place. After receiving notification from Forge that his position was locked down, he told him to stand by for his next mission briefing.<ref>'''Halo Wars''', campaign level ''[[Beachhead (Halo Wars level)|Beachhead]]''</ref> Anders believed their best shot at denying the powerful fleet to the [[hierarch]] would be to overload their [[Shaw-Fujikawa translight engine]] and use it to cause a chain reaction in the world's [[Astroengineering|artificial sun]].<ref name="Reactor">'''Halo Wars''', campaign level ''[[Reactor (Halo Wars level)|Reactor]]''</ref> She surmised that they could turn it into a supernova, which would destroy everything around it. Cutter was hesitant to agree to the plan at first, but agreed that it was their best course of action. Though they would lose their ability to traverse slipspace, possibly stranding them in unknown space, or even die in the attempt, Cutter felt the sacrifice necessary to protect humanity. On February 25, the slipspace drive was carefully lowered to the ground, where it was taken control of by Sergeant Forge.[[File:Cutterstar.png|thumb|left|300px|Cutter hangs on as the ''Spirit of Fire'' makes its escape.]] Cutter told him to deliver it safely to a [[Apex Site|particular site]] where the Covenant was in order to use a form of elevator their to launch it into the sun. On this date, Captain Cutter made an entry in his log wherein he noted that the pelicans that had been engaged in ground operations on the outside of the planet had all failed after four or five flights thanks to dust in the atmosphere. After a pelican identified as ''[[Victor 397]]'' was shot down while carrying the slipspace drive, Cutter decided against risking something like that happening again and ordered it to be transported further with the use of elephants. Once it reached a large groundside [[teleporter]] that took the drive to the base of the elevator, Cutter let Forge know that engineers were on the way to rig its core for overload. The plan worked, but the means of exit Cutter had planned to use to escape the [[shield world|planet]] was sealed off. Cutter ordered what ground teams remained to find a way to reopen the exit soon before they all died. As Anders coordinated with the teams on the ground to achieve this goal, Forge, who was riding with the drive up the elevator to set off the detonation manually, contacted Cutter to let him know he estimated they had about thirty minutes to spare. A little less than twenty minutes later, he confirmed he had reached the sun and would detonate the core in ten minutes' time. Cutter wished the faithful sergeant the best of luck and then let him know once they had an exit again and were recalling everyone to the ship. Once everyone was safely aboard, minus Forge, Cutter ordered they escape at the best speed they could. However, the expansion of the artificial star's gravitational field was going to make that difficult. Thinking fast, Captain Cutter  had Serina plot a course around the sun that would use its mass to slingshot them around it and out their exit. She confirmed it could be done and advised Cutter to hold on to something. He took a seat and watched as they rounded the collapsing star, flew through the exit porta, and emerged on the outside of the false planet just as it began to tear itself apart.

On March 28, [[2559]], just over twenty-eight years since entering cryostasis, Captain Cutter was awakened to the voice of [[Serina]]. She had initiated her own final dispensation more than twenty-two years earlier, but she had left behind some automated protocols to awaken the crew in response to certain contingencies. She also had recorded a farewell message for Cutter in particular. In it, she stated that it had been a pleasure to serve with him and asked that he look after everyone for her. After getting dressed & collecting his thoughts, Cutter made his way to the observation deck, where he found professor Anders already present. Outside, an enormous [[Installation 00|concave superstructure]] with eight petals, covered in landmasses and oceans, stretched out before them. Cutter greeted Anders, who was flush with the excitement of discovery and already making plans for landing on the surface beneath them. The captain asked if she had any insight concerning what it was or where they were, but all Anders could confirm was that they had left the [[Milky Way galaxy]] behind for the gulf of intergalactic space. Cutter brought up a records of the ''Spirit of Fire'''s sensors, which revealed they had dropped out of slipspace less than an hour ago. Without a slipspace drive of its own, Anders concluded that something had opened some sort of [[portal|slipspace corridor]] and pulled them in from this side. Just then, word came from the bridge that a UNSC signal was transmitting from the surface. Cutter directed it to be played for him, but was told that it couldn't be decrypted with their outdated codes. Its very existence excited Cutter, however, because to him it meant that the UNSC was still in the fight or had perhaps even beat the Covenant. Something else was blocking Anders' surface scans of the huge structure's topography, but she could pinpoint the general location for the signal. Cutter decided to send the three Spartans of [[Red Team]] to investigate. He contacted Jerome-092 with orders to be ready for reconnaissance within the hour. As a pelican ferried Red Team to the ground, Cutter followed up with the professor to ascertain whether the signal's location could be named with any more precision. She had narrowed it down to a small sector where other recon teams were currently investigating. She also had found what looked like a [[Henry Lamb Research Outpost|UNSC research outpost]] and again expressed a desire to do some exploring herself. Cutter told her that without Serina, he needed her to remain on the ship, and told Jerome to make contact with whomever was signaling to them as soon as possible. As the Spartans drew nearer to the source, Cutter notified Jerome of a portal like those that existed on the artificial planet in 2531 which they could use to get closer easily. He also told him that he had ordered the other forces to hang back and cover their exit while they sought out answers.<ref name="Signal">'''Halo Wars 2''', campaign level ''[[The Signal]]''</ref>  

[[File:HW2-Isabel&Co-02.jpg|thumb|300px|Captain Cutter and Jerome-092 listen to Isabel relay the history of Atriox.]]

Intelligence gathered at the Banished base indicated that the group had made use of one of the Ark's [[Cartographer]]s for organizing and spreading its operations across the installation. Captain Cutter was determined to take this Cartographer from them in order to conduct effective strikes against their disparate locations. A team was quickly put together to push toward a giant elevator that could ferry forces to the it. Attempting to access it any other way would draw the ire of automated [[sentinel]] constructs that defended it. In order to gain control of the elevator, the UNSC forces would need to input the proper codes into Forerunner towers at three separate places. As a team made its way along to accomplish this objective, Cutter advised caution after seeing the corpses of Banished fighters killed by sentinels. He confirmed that no other teams of theirs were present when asked, meaning that a third party was indeed nearby. The captain chose a suitable location for the establishment of a base from which to advance toward the towers and asked Isabel to update Anders with anything she may need to know about the towers. Cutter helped Jerome manage the buildup of the base by offering advice and directives. An ambush by Banished {{Pattern|Zurdo|Wraith}}s prompted Cutter to call for four [[AV-14 Hornet]]s to be flown in to combat them. He watched as Jerome and the marines fought off multiple attacks on the base before sending their own contingent to take the towers. Along the way, he advised that [[Foundry (building)|Banished foundries]] that were located should be destroyed in order to cripple the group's ability to produce more Wraiths. The Banished put up a fight but eventually the ''Spirit of Fire'' troops were successful in controlling all three towers. Jerome-092 expressed to the captain that it felt good to have a win, but he was cautioned against celebrating before they knew what Atriox had really been up to on the Ark.<ref name="Ascension">'''Halo Wars 2''', campaign level ''[[Ascension (Halo Wars 2 level)|Ascension]]''</ref>  

[[File:HW2 CutterIsabel.png|thumb|250px|Cutter and Isabel struggle with what to do about the superior ship attacking them.]]

By the next day, April 2, the Halo ring, under Anders' direction, had begun its final preparations for travel to the Soell system. Multiple landing parties were sent from the {{UNSCShip|Spirit of Fire}} to the inner surface of the ring but hot on their heels was a large [[Banished]] invasion. About thirty minutes after losing contact with several of these teams, Cutter judged that in order to stem the tide of Banished troops accessing the ring, it would be necessary to focus on the [[access point]]s at the Ark's [[Foundry (location)|Foundry]] that Atriox's forces were using to teleport to the ring. Once that was dealt with, he determined that they could then wipe the remaining Banished off of the Halo. As [[Douglas-042]], [[Alice-130]], and [[UNSC Marines]] made their way toward the Foundry, they encountered heavy resistance. As they were met by an impressive array of barricades blocking their path, Cutter urged Alice and Douglas to capture a [[Barukaza Workshop Scarab]] undergoing repairs and use it to blast through the barrier. As they set out to accomplish this objective, a forward operating base called for assistance due to the onslaught of Banished assaulting it. In response, Cutter authorized [[archer missile]]s to be rained down upon the attackers. The captain urged the Spartans to hurry in taking control of the scarab. They were successful in doing so and went on to halt the flow of troops onto the Halo.

[[File:HW2-ShockedCutter.png|thumb|300px|Cutter watches as the Halo ring departs with Anders still on it.]]

Even though the Banished had been cut off the ring, those that had made it had already gained a foothold near the UNSC's [[Alpha Base (Installation 09)|Alpha Base]]. Believing the loss of the Halo ring to be unacceptable, Cutter sent all three Spartans of [[Red Team]] to it with haste and ordered them to clear all [[Jiralhanae]], [[Sangheili]], [[Mgalekgolo]], and [[Unggoy]] off the installation. Faced with the possibility of that which he had traveled to the Ark for slipping from his grasp, Atriox personally contacted the captain for the first time. He applauded Cutter's tenacity and, not knowing that the humans were without [[slipspace]] capability, said that he would not pursue them if they left the Ark then. Cutter gave the Brute no quarter, responding in defiance that he had not forgotten what happened to the researchers that had been massacred and that he would ultimately take the Ark from Atriox.<ref name="TH">'''Halo Wars 2''', campaign level ''[[The Halo]]''</ref> He directed Jerome and the other Spartans to gather everyone they could and get to the Halo's [[control room]] so professor Anders could disarm it prior to its journey. Once she was safely inside, Cutter reached out to her for an update and told Jerome and the others to defend her. With Banished troops incoming, there was no time to establish a base. Cutter advised that mobile turret defenses be protected and used effectively and wished his people good luck. As the Banished bore down on them, Cutter was able to spot [[Jiralhanae Warlord]]s on the field. He let Red Team know that eliminating them could mean disrupting the enemy's chain of command. As soon as they were ready, he also sent more marines with [[AV-14 Hornet]]s, [[HRUNTING Mark III (B) Cyclops]]s, [[EV-44 Nightingale]]s, [[M12G1 Gauss Warthog]]s, [[AC-220 Vulture]]s, and [[M808S Scorpion]]s to reinforce those on the Halo. The arrival of a fully-active Banished scarab prompted the captain to shout for a newly developed gunship, the [[D81-LRT Condor|G81-LRT Condor]], to be used at once against it. The scarab was destroyed but soon after was followed by heavy artillery in the form of [[Gydrozka Workshop Blisterback]]s. As the fight raged on, the captain repeatedly reiterated that the professor was to be protected at all costs and urged Anders to work quickly. After one of these urgings, she told him she had discovered something that might help them remove the Banished from the ring. He told her that no matter what it was, it had better work.

[[File:HW2 Cuttermap2.png|thumb|250px|Cutter surveys the Ark's topography.]]

In October, a new faction arrived on the Ark, the [[Keepers of the One Freedom]] who allied themselves with a surviving group of [[Dhas Bhasvod's Covenant]] in an effort to fire the Halo rings and begin the Great Journey. The [[Ferret]]s managed to signal one of the ''Spirit of Fire's'' reconnaissance Pelicans and enlist the ship's help in stopping the plan. Cutter would ultimately agree to [[Veta Lopis]]' plan to destroy [[Epsilon Clarion]] via orbital bombardment from the ship's MAC gun, foiling the Keepers and the loyalists and destroying the Ark's ability to fire the Halo Array. Cutter then dispatched Red Team on a search and rescue mission for the Ferrets. Ten days later, Cutter held a funeral for those who were lost stopping the Keepers and offered Lopis his sincere condolences for the loss of [[Mark-G313]], something that she greatly appreciated. Lopis and the surviving Ferrets decided to accept Cutter's offer to join the ''Spirit of Fire'' crew and help them in their continuing fight against the Banished.{{Ref/Novel|DW}}

File:Anders Cutter Watching Explosion.png|Cutter and Anders watching [[Trove]]'s star.