Miranda Keyes

You may also be looking for her father, Jacob Keyes or the level Keyes. "Ma'am, squad leaders are requesting a rally point. Where should they go?"

- Communications Technician

"To war."

- Miranda Keyes, Halo 3, "Crow's Nest"

Commander Miranda Keyes was an United Nations Space Command officer, and former commanding officer of the and. She was the daughter of the late Captain Jacob Keyes. As of 2552, she held the rank of Commander in the UNSC Navy and commanded the frigate, UNSC In Amber Clad.

Early Life
Miranda's early life remains largely a mystery, as basic details such as the identity of her mother are unknown. Born sometime between 2522 and 2532, Keyes joined the UNSC [Navy] at a relatively early age and quickly rose through the officer ranks. Throughout her career, she was forced to confront accusations of nepotism from those who ascribed her rapid rise in rank to the position and influence of her father Jacob Keyes. By the year 2552, Keyes had risen to the rank of Commander. She captained the, a part of the Home Fleet, and accepted her father's posthumous Colonial Cross on Cairo Station immediately before the First Battle of Earth.

The First Battle of Earth
At the start of the First Battle of Earth, her vessel was docked at Cairo Station. After the station was boarded, she fought her way to her ship with the help of Sergeant Major Avery Johnson and SPARTAN-117. As the Covenant invaded Earth, she took the In Amber Clad down to New Mombasa, where she dispatched Pelican dropships with Marines to join the massive battle with the Covenant in progress there.

During the battle, the In Amber Clad was the only vessel close enough to follow the High Prophet of Regret when his Assault Carrier entered Slipspace inside the city. A large majority of the city was destroyed following the Carrier's jump to Slipspace.

Delta Halo
The In Amber Clad followed the Prophet of Regret's Carrier through Slipspace and ended up at Installation 05. There, she dispatched a platoon of ODSTs to assist the Master Chief in his pursuit of the Prophet of Regret. Once she learned of the Prophet of Regret's plan to activate Halo, she ordered the Master Chief to eliminate him.

Meanwhile, Commander Keyes and Sergeant Major Johnson went to the Library of Halo, accompanied by most of the standard Marines of the ship. They attempted to retrieve the Index, and, although Keyes was successful, most of the Marines were killed or infected by the Flood. After a brief fight with the Arbiter, Keyes and Johnson were captured by Tartarus and his band of Jiralhanae. The Jiralhanae then took Keyes and Johnson to High Charity, where they met the High Prophets of Truth and Mercy. They were then taken aboard separate Phantom drop ships before the Master Chief could rescue them.

Keyes was taken to the Control Room of Installation 05 because she had been designated as a Reclaimer by 343 Guilty Spark. Tartarus used her to activate the Installation, when the Arbiter and Johnson arrived and killed Tartarus. At that moment, she retrieved the Index and stopped the Halo from firing. When she questioned 343 Guilty Spark about the Halos, 343 Guilty Spark told her about the Ark.

Defending Earth
During the Halo 3 era, Commander Keyes returned to Earth and is first seen in command of the UNSC base Crow's Nest. She, along with most other base personnel, are able to escape before it is overrun by Covenant Loyalist forces. She then took an active role as the commander of the. Once the Prophet of Truth succeeded in opening the Ark, Miranda was permitted by Fleet Admiral Hood to follow the Covenant Loyalist Forces through the slip space portal.

The Ark
Keyes, captaining Forward Unto Dawn, then traveled with Rtas 'Vadum and the Separatist fleet to Installation 00. During the events of the Battle of Installation 00, she landed numerous troops and large quantities of weaponry and armor on the Ark, largely to supplement SPARTAN-117's offensive in search of the Cartographer. When 117 located Truth at the Ark's control room, she dispatched several Pelican Dropships to deactivate the shield protecting the control room. When Sergeant Major Avery Johnson was captured by Truth's forces in the course of this battle, Keyes, attempting to free Johnson, crashed her Pelican into Truth's position. After attacking Truth and his Brutes with an M90 Shotgun, she ultimately found herself outnumbered. Johnson requested that she kill them both in order to halt Truth's plans. Keyes, unwilling to harm Johnson, hesitated. As she paused, the Prophet of Truth shot her in the back several times with a Spiker, fatally severing her spine. Her body was subsequently rescued from Flood infection by Johnson, who carried her into the Pelican which he used to escape the Ark's control room. Her face is later seen in a photograph on the Memorial to the Fallen on a hillside overlooking the Ark Portal, nearby the photograph of Johnson and the designation of Master Chief.

Gameplay
In-game, Keyes appears as a non-playable character and is invulnerable to damage. An interesting fact is when you melee her, she won't bleed. She'll only bleed when shot at or when an explosive device is activated or fired.

Trivia

 * On her left cheek is a scar in the shape of a 7.
 * In Halo 3, she is portrayed by Justis Bolding, instead of Julie Benz, because Bungie wanted someone with an accent.
 * An interesting fact is that she seems to use a black pistol instead of the silver that most other people use.
 * Miranda Keyes is the only person besides John-117 and Sangheili who dual-wield weapons. Ironically, she is able to dual-wield a pistol and a shotgun (non-dual-wieldable) yet Spartans and Elites can't. She only does so for about 5 seconds before she lowers her weapons though.