Andrew Del Rio

"I'd think you, of all people, would appreciate the benefit of living to fight another day."

- Andrew Del Rio to John-117 when the latter insists that Infinity should stay on Requiem to attack the Didact

Andrew Del Rio (service number 90302-75627-AD) is a human politician and Senator of the Unified Earth Government's senate. Formerly serving as a senior officer in the UNSC Navy, Del Rio served throughout the Human-Covenant War and into the post-war years. Del Rio served as the commanding officer of the from 2552 until July 2557. After UNSC Fleet Command relieved Del Rio from command, he began a political career and was elected into the senate.

Assignment to Infinity
Admiral Margaret Parangosky, Commander in Chief of the Office of Naval Intelligence, noted that Del Rio is more of a manager than a leader. She considers him unable to inspire those under his command. She conceded to making him captain of the UNSC Infinity only because Commander Thomas Lasky was assigned as his executive officer. A few years prior to the end of major hostilities in the Great War, Del Rio was leading the military personnel assigned to maintain, repair, and protect the Infinity; he had received this assignment for his status as a seasoned naval line officer and because he could drop off the grid with little trouble. Later, he would be given the honor of being the first commanding officer of the UNSC's largest and most advanced warship to date. Del Rio and the sailors and Marines under his command would take the Infinity out for her first space trials in mid-2553.

Rebel incursion on Infinity
In early 2553, a group of insurrectionists belonging to the "New Colonial Alliance" attempted to commandeer the UNSC Infinity. The group, led by defector Ilsa Zane, snuck aboard Infinity disguised as a construction crew and took Del Rio hostage. They immediately went to the bridge where Zane took Aine, the ship's temporary AI, offline and proceeded to take control of the ship. From the confines of the Captain's ready room, Del Rio, along with Lieutenant Ryder and the rest of the bridge crew, attempted to override the ship's lockdown. With the help of Jun-A266 and the other Spartan-IV's, Commander Lasky was able to input his half of the override codes, which gave Del Rio and the other officers access to the bridge. After Sarah Palmer and Edward Davis cleared the bridge, Del Rio brought Aine back online, who then activated the ships containment doors to send Zane and the remaining insurrectionists into space.

Trial deployment
During an inspection of the ship by Admirals Terrence Hood and Margaret Parangosky, he pointed out the ship's Huragok working after they had been transplanted from Trevelyan. Talking with Lasky, Parangosky told Del Rio to choose a top-level AI. At the request of the Admirals, Del Rio took the ship into Slipspace to aid Thel 'Vadam in the Sangheili civil war on Sanghelios. Parangosky purposefully played on his nerves as he came into space above Sanghelios, as Del Rio was running a high-profile operation with high commanders on board. Soon, the Sangheili insurgent ship Defender of Faith began attacking Vadam Keep and the UNSC Infinity. In its first real scenario weapons test, Del Rio destroyed the ship and beat back the Servants of Abiding Truth. Overall, Del Rio succeeded in saving 'Vadam and his keep from the well-organized opposition.

Requiem
"Del Rio"

- John-117

Following the disappearance of a science team on Ivanoff Station in 2557, the UNSC Infinity went to assist, and Del Rio picked up a distress call from the, sent out by John-117 and Cortana. Del Rio then found the Forerunner shield world of Requiem and began to approach the planet, sending out transmissions to try and contact John-117. Eventually Cortana was able to respond to Del Rio's transmissions, but they continued to be garbled. Not fully hearing Cortana's warnings not to approach Requiem, Del Rio guided the Infinity to the entrance portal and was pulled in the planet, crashing in the jungles of Requiem. Del Rio sent out Lasky and fourth-generation Spartan Sarah Palmer to retrieve John-117. Del Rio believed the Infinity could provide covering fire and defend itself. However it failed in both, as Covenant remnant forces led by the Didact forced their way to the bridge. Only John-117 was able to save the ship by activating the defenses using a Mantis.

Meeting with John-117 and Cortana on the bridge, Del Rio discussed the hostile Promethean response on Requiem. He sent John-117 and Gypsy Company to disable the gravity well keeping the ship on the planet as he wanted to leave immediately. Del Rio showed disrespect for the Spartan, and refused to give him optimal intel on the op, though he did provide a Mammoth. However, the op went south and Covenant forces hammered the Infinity. John-117 managed to disable the gravity well, and defeat the Covenant. Back aboard Infinity, John-117 tried to convince Del Rio not to leave Requiem, citing his encounter with the Librarian AI. Del Rio did not believe him, believing him and Cortana to be delusional. He instead ordered that the vessel retreat to Carinae Station, prompting an outburst of anger from an increasingly rampant Cortana. Del Rio ordered Lasky to immediately remove her for decommissioning per UNSC regulation. Before Lasky could comply, John-117 took Cortana himself. Furious, Del Rio demanded him to surrender Cortana, but the Spartan calmly refused. Del Rio ordered a Lieutenant to arrest the Chief, but she ignored the order and John left the bridge. Del Rio sent Lasky to stop John-117 from leaving; instead, Lasky provided the Master Chief with a means to escape, presumably telling Del Rio that the Spartan had already left.

Del Rio then returned to Earth aboard the Infinity. Some time before the Didact reached Earth, however, FLEETCOM disagreed with his decisions on Requiem, especially his abandonment of the Master Chief. Del Rio was relieved from Infinity's command and replaced with Thomas Lasky.

Senatorial career
By 2558, Del Rio had been elected as a senator of the Unified Earth Government senate. After the events on Biko, Del Rio called a press conference at the Congressional Chamber, praising the SPARTAN-IV program and calling for the decommissioning of the remaining Spartan-IIs, as well as the arrest of John-117—calling him a "false Spartan" and "broken bastardization of a soldier".

Production notes
American actor Mark Rolston, best known as the Colonial Marine smartgunner Private Mark Drake in the 1986 film Aliens, portrays Del Rio in The Commissioning and in Halo 4. In the latter, he both voices and provides motion capture for Del Rio. Whereas Rolston's eyes naturally have a bluish tint, as seen in The Commissioning, those on the captain's in-game model are light brown. Facial motion capture for Del Rio in Halo 4 was provided by American actor Allen Perada.

List of appearances

 * Halo: Glasslands
 * The Commissioning
 * Halo: The Thursday War
 * Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn
 * Halo 4
 * Halo: Initiation
 * Halo: Escalation
 * Hunt the Truth