Editing James Cutter (section)

==Biography==
===Early career===
{{Quote|I was Cutter's XO a couple years before ''Spirit of Fire'' went missing. To say I owe the man would be the grossest of '''understatements'''.|[[Fleet Admiral]] Terrence Hood in [[2558]].{{Ref/Reuse|HE5}}}}
James Gregory Cutter was born on [[Reach]] on [[2478#June|June 12, 2478]].{{Ref/Reuse|EVG}}{{Ref/Reuse|HWCutter}}{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}} 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/Book|Id=Bridge|Halo Wars: Official Strategy Guide|Detail=[[I have a bridge to look after here.]]}} 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. 
[[File:cutteryoung.png|thumb|200px|left|James Cutter, captain of the UNSC ''Spirit of Fire'' in 2528.]]
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/Comic|Id=Genesis|HWG}} He piloted multiple [[Colony ship|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/Twitter|Halo|1263817140735479808|Halo|Quote=#TodayInHalo, 2524 – As a result of actions taken against insurgents aboard the UNSC Glasgow, Commander James Cutter receives a Bronze Star.|D=22|M=05|Y=2020}} 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 {{Class|Phoenix|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|Bridge}} On January 30, [[2528]], Cutter was offered command of a {{Class|Marathon|heavy cruiser}}, {{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/Game|HW|HW:Timeline|Timeline|Detail=[[HW:Timeline#30 January 2528|30 January 2528]]}} 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.

===Aiding the ''Prophecy''===
[[File:HWG Servers.png|250px|thumb|left|Captain Cutter directs Serina to update the servers on the ''Spirit of Fire''.]]
{{Quote|no=two|q1=So, Mr. Captain, sir, what do you think 'loaded for bear' actually means?|Serina|q2=Serina, it means that tomorrow is going to be a long day.|James Cutter|Serina and Cutter at just over thirty-two hours prior to arrival at Harvest.}}
By January 3, [[2531]], the ''Spirit of Fire'' was part of the [[Third Fleet]]'s [[Battlegroup D]], which was massed at a staging area in interstellar space. The fleet had recently come into conflict with the Covenant's [[Fleet of Glorious Interdiction]] over the [[Outer Colony]] of [[Harvest]]. For the past five years, the Third Fleet had [[Harvest campaign|fighting]] to reclaim the colony from the Covenant. On January 3 Vice Admiral Cole chose Cutter and the ''Spirit of Fire'' to provide immediate assistance to the {{UNSCShip|Prophecy}}, which had successfully repelled [[Covenant]] ships near Harvest but had been critically damaged in the process.{{Ref/Reuse|Genesis}} Cole did not believe that a combat vessel could be spared to rescue the ''Prophecy'', but a support ship like the ''Spirit of Fire'' could be. In addition, the ''Spirit'' was to also use this opportunity to investigate ongoing Covenant activity in the system. After dealing with the {{Class|Marathon|heavy cruiser}}, the plan was for the ''Spirit'' to rendezvous once more with the rest of the fleet for another strike at the Covenant remaining at Harvest. Prior to jumping to [[slipstream space]], Cutter personally visited various locations on his ship, including the Shaw-Fujikawa drive room and Drop Bay Bravo, where he surveyed the [[slipspace drive]] and assorted ordnance, respectively. Before breaking from the battlegroup, he instructed the ship's relatively new [[Smart artificial intelligence|"smart" A.I.]], [[Serina]], to update their servers so he could read a new message from his family sent all the way from [[Reach]]. ''En route'' to the [[Epsilon Indi system]], with a little over thirty-two hours before their arrival, Serina brought up the matter of Cutter's previous rejection of the offer to captain the ''Prophecy''.  Cutter stated that he was perfectly happy with the position he had, to which Serina jokingly replied that she was at least glad she didn't have to "break in" a new captain, seeing as it had already taken her long enough to get him where she wanted.{{Ref/Reuse|OSG}} Once Cutter requested an update on how the ship and crew were doing, he was informed that there had been a message from Doctor [[Ellen Anders]], a professor from [[Rishard University]] assigned to the ship by the [[Office of Naval Intelligence]] to further study of the Covenant. Anders was not yet aboard the ''Spirit of Fire'', but she was already asking for better quarters than those which had been set aside for her, as well as an audience with the captain upon her arrival. Not wishing to take even the slightest break from his activities on the bridge at that moment, Cutter assigned [[Lieutenant]] [[Blake]] to deal with her and explain that different arrangements just weren't a possibility at the moment.{{Ref/Reuse|OSG}}
[[File:HWG Pollyanna.png|300px|thumb|Captain Cutter gives the authorization code to allow the use of nuclear weapons against the Covenant.]]
After over a month of time spent in transit, the ''Spirit of Fire'' arrived at Harvest on February 4, 2531.{{Ref/Reuse|Genesis}}{{Ref/Game|HW|HW:Timeline|Timeline|Detail=[[HW:Timeline#4 February 2531|4 February 2531]]}} A looped message that had evidently been broadcast from the ''Prophecy'' since three days prior indicated that the cruiser's reactor had gone critical and begun leaking radiation, forcing its crew to evacuate to onboard solar bunkers. Cutter openly wondered how it was that ONI had known the ''Prophecy'' was in trouble so soon after it had been crippled. Serina wagered that ONI had been present when it happenned but had refused to lend any aid. Incensed at the thought, Cutter immediately ordered her to prepare for NAV database extraction and rescue operations. Just as she assented, however, four small Covenant ships exited slipspace on the other side of the cruiser, which was suddenly an impediment that blocked potential hits from the ''Spirit''{{'}}s [[Magnetic Accelerator Cannon]] from hitting any of the new arrivals. Cutter ordered that the ''Spirit'' move to flank the Covenant craft and that [[Pelican]] [[Naval boarding|boarding parties]] be scrambled. Serina subsequently relayed commands to fireteams [[Fire Team Echo|Echo]], [[India Company|India]], [[Fire Team Lima|Lima]], and [[Fire Team November|November]]. As soon they had a clean shot, the MAC was able to destroy one of the smaller Covenant ships with one slug. Cutter then gave authorization for [[HAVOK tactical nuclear weapon|HAVOK]] [[Nuclear weapon|nuclear missiles]] to be used. The [[UNSC Marine Corps]] fireteams were successful in purging the databases of the ''Prophecy'', rescuing some of the crew, and initiating a self-destruct sequence. The Covenant threat was also disposed of by the ''Spirit of Fire'', but all survivors from the ''Prophecy'' were beyond truly saving, as they had all been exposed to far too much radiation.{{Ref/Reuse|Genesis}}

===Investigation on Harvest===
{{quote|Five years, five long years. That's how long it took us to get Harvest back. At first it was going well. Then setback after setback... Loss after loss... Made what was going to be a quick and decisive win… Into five years of Hell. Of course, that's all Harvest really is today... It's Hell down there, but now it's ours again.|Captain Cutter's report.{{Ref/Reuse|RI}}}}
[[File:Harvestwindow.png|thumb|left|250px|Cutter looks out over Harvest.]]
Shortly after the destruction of the {{UNSCShip|Prophecy}} and four Covenant ships at the hands of the ''Spirit of Fire'' crew, the [[prowler]] {{UNSCShip|Last Gleaming}} arrived at Harvest, bearing professor Anders. Anders was presented to Captain Cutter on the ''Spirit''{{'}}s bridge by ''Last Gleaming''{{'}}s captain [[Orez]]. Cutter wasted no time confronting Orez with the fact that a stealth ship belonging to ONI must have been present when the ''Prophecy'' was first damaged, due to the time required to travel from Harvest. The officer defended the decision to leave the cruiser, seeing as those aboard were a lost cause. In addition, he reminded the captain that it would be in violation of protocol for any "hypothetical" prowler to reveal itself. Moving on from the matter, he introduced Cutter to his new guest and relayed that [[UNSC Fleet Command|Fleet Command]] had given her the authority to make decisions related to scientific matters during the current deployment. Following that communiqué, Anders launched into a presentation for Cutter concerning what she had already gathered concerning the Covenant's preoccupation with Harvest and the [[Sangheili]] [[Arbiter]] leading its forces there: [[Ripa 'Moramee]].{{Ref/Reuse|Genesis}} Following the presentation Cutter made a log in his captain's report about the last five years of struggling for Harvest and what it felt like to be here now, being seemingly close to beating back the Covenant for good from the colony. By this time, Cutter had developed a close working relationship with Serina but was still suspicious of Anders. He suspected that there was more to her than met the eye.{{Ref/Site|URL=http://www.gamedaily.com/articles/galleries/halo-wars-character-profiles-captain-cutter-and-the-brute-chieftain/?page=5|Site=Game Daily|Page=Every Captain needs a well-trained crew|D=02|M=02|Y=2009|NoArchive=yes}}

Once ''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/Book|Id=Attacks|Halo Wars: Official Strategy Guide|Detail=[[Attacks]]}}
[[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/Site|Id=HWLS|URL=http://halo.xbox.com/halowars/index.html?fbid=0eK_L23l9WQ|Site=halo.xbox.com|Page=Halo Wars Launch Site|Detail=(Defunct)|D=12|M=8|Year=2010|NoArchive=Yes|LocalArchive=Halo Wars Launch Site}}

A short time later, as [[D77 Pelican]]s and [[D20 Heron]]s were launched from the ''Spirit of Fire'', Cutter reestablished contact with Forge once again. He confirmed the professor had been correct regarding the Covenant's interest in the northern pole of Harvest, and Anders once again shared her suspicion that there was some kind of structure down there. Determined to find out what this was all about, Cutter directed Forge to pull back to Alpha Base and to bring it back to operational status. To this end, he also directed more backup his way. After disconnecting from the sergeant, Cutter was sarcastically asked by Serina if he envisioned their current situation as "nothing too difficult". Cutter sighed and expressed a feeling that whatever was hidden in Harvest's arctic north might be the key to the entire war. Forge contacted the captain after arriving near to Alpha Base to let him know that it had been overrun. He also advised that Cutter refrain from deploying the "backup" until Alpha Base was theirs again. Cutter monitored the operation on the ground from the bridge high above the planet and provided Forge some assistance in the form of air support from [[B-65 Shortsword]]s. After the base was recaptured, Cutter advised that Forge scout the immediate area surrounding it just to be sure they were in the clear for the time being.

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.

Alone on the observation deck with Anders and Serina, Cutter tried to extract as much as he could about what the Covenant had been after that was apparently hidden under humans' noses on Harvest for millennia.{{Ref/Reuse|Arcadia City}} Anders cautioned that she had only had around thirty seconds to examine the centerpiece of a giant room within the structure, but that interacting with it had triggered the display of a [[holography|holographic]] star chart. a specific star system was signaled out by the artifact, which happenned to be the system known to humans as the [[Procyon system]].{{Ref/Level|Id=RI|HW|HW:Relic Interior|Relic Interior}} In particular, the colony of [[Arcadia]] had been pointed to. Arcadia was Anders' homeworld, and she strongly felt that they should go there at once before the Covenant did. she figured that if they had accessed the same display she did, that it would only be natural that a Covenant fleet would be arriving there soon. The captain was hesitant, as their orders had been to investigate Harvest only. Anders was not going to give up that easy and continued to insist that everything indicated they should make for Arcadia. Cutter relented and told her he would clear their departure with Vice Admiral Cole. Sure that Cole would permit the journey, he instructed Serina to chart a course to their next destination.{{Ref/Level|Id=Arcadia City|HW|HW:Arcadia City|Arcadia City}}

===Battle for Arcadia===
{{Quote|We cannot lose our foothold on Arcadia, gentlemen. Secure a defensible position and hold it until we can reinforce you.|James Cutter to Marines on the ground.}}
[[File:CutterArcadia.png|thumb|250px|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.{{Ref/Level|HW|HW:Arcadia Outskirts|Arcadia Outskirts}} 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|250px|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.{{Ref/Level|HW|HW:Scarab|Scarab}}

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/Level|Id=Anders' Signal|HW|HW:Anders' Signal|Anders' Signal}} 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 ''Sinaris''-pattern heavy destroyer, instead.