John Smith
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White |
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Blue |
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- "It's a big, bad universe, Sergeant. Covenant aren't the worst of it. You've done what you thought was necessary. And so have I."
- — Smith before betraying Sergeant Lopez's team.[1]
Major John Smith was a human senior officer of Naval Intelligence Section Three, where he served as a scientist in the closing years of the Human-Covenant War.
Biography[edit]
The Mona Lisa[edit]
- Main article: Outbreak onboard Mona Lisa
Following the return of the survivors from the Battle of Installation 04, the Office of Naval Intelligence learned of the Flood lifeform. Smith, with the help of the AI Rebecca, hacked the classified files on the events surrounding Halo, including helmet camera footage from the Master Chief of the Flood. Having learned of High Charity from files on Operation: METEORITE, Smith saw the chance to turn Halo into a trap for the Covenant by turning the Flood into a bioweapon and unleashing it on the station when it inevitably came to view the ruins of Halo. Smith saw the Flood as the ultimate weapon that would cause the Covenant to turn on each other as the parasite spread. Smith was well aware that he would be considered a monster for his actions, but considered it to be an acceptable cost with humanity facing extinction. As such, Smith executed Operation: WHITE SAND.[2]
In October 2552, Smith and his ONI science team took control of the prison vessel Mona Lisa. During their weeks of slipspace travel, Smith and his team made modifications to the prison ship to turn it into their laboratory. The Mona Lisa arrived in the Soell system on October 18 and began searching the habitable fragments of the ring for Flood specimens and survivors, collecting any specimens they found with the cargo scoops.[2] Amongst the survivors recovered by Smith's team were fourteen-year-old Charlie Collins and Sangheili Seelior 'Andolee. When Charlie woke up on the ship, Smith greeted him and called both the boy and the Sangheili good specimens. Smith brushed off Charlie's questions and told his men that it was the pair's turn the next day and ordered that they be fed, watered and kept secure, even the teenager.[3]
Smith would then use both human and Sangheili prisoners to study the effects of the Flood. Whether ONI approved of his research is unknown; it was later noted by the ONI AI Rebecca that he had exceeded his original parameters "significantly", but this may also have been a result of Section III covering their tracks by putting the blame solely on Smith.[1] However, Rebecca was secretly working with Smith, simultaneously running Operation: RED CLOUD on the UNSC Red Horse.[4]
When the Flood eventually broke free and overran the Mona Lisa, Smith remotely launched most of the ship's escape pods to prevent the Flood from getting off the ship. According to Smith, he would also attempt to sabotage the bridge, but could not get close enough. He then retreated into the safety of a sealed panic room, remaining there until he was discovered by Sergeant Zhao Heng Lopez's squad. Smith, claiming to be the Mona Lisa's medical officer, began to insist that they should leave the ship immediately, but Lopez would ignore his pleas, as they were on a mission to clear the ship's navigation database in accordance with the Cole Protocol.[1]
Upon coming across a Flood growth, Lopez inquired Smith as to its nature. Smith claimed that the Flood was a Covenant virus that had unexpectedly jumped into human prisoners. Soon after, they were attacked by a group of Pod infectors, leading to one of the Marines being killed. Lopez, realizing that Smith had been lying, hit him and ordered Mahmoud to search him thoroughly. As he did, they discovered his ONI ID badge, revealing his true identity. However, though Smith outranked the Marines and ordered them to take him off the ship, Lopez would still refuse to leave her Marines behind. Smith then used a concealed knife to kill Mahmoud, stole his rifle and injured Lopez, successfully making his escape. He soon made it to the Marines' Pelican in the cargo bay and escaped the Mona Lisa. Smith was subsequently declared a war criminal by an angry Lopez for his experiments.[1]
As Smith approached the prowler UNSC Red Horse on the Pelican, he attracted the attention of the Covenant assault carrier present in the system. This forced the Red Horse CO, Commander Tobias Foucault, to make the decision to destroy the Mona Lisa with a Shiva-class nuclear missile in order to contain the Flood before the Covenant ship could reach them, dooming any surviving Marines aboard.[1]
After arriving at the Red Horse, Smith was taken into custody on the orders of Commander Foucault for his crimes. Rebecca stated that Smith would be court-martialed for his actions and "maybe even worse," but Foucault knew that if Smith was actually working under ONI Section Three orders instead of on his own as Smith claimed, he'd simply be used as a scapegoat.[1]
Gallery[edit]
Smith confronting Lopez's squad.
Lopez's team and Smith discover the remains of a Flood form in a recreation room.
Smith's ONI identification badge.
Lopez hits Major Smith after losing Rakesh.
Smith kills Mahmoud before making his escape.
