Tarkov

Tarkov was a member of the UNSC Marine Corps who participated in the Human-Covenant War. Tarkov was an Orbital Drop Shock Trooper, assigned to the 19th Shock Troops Battalion of the 105th ODST Division.

Background
A close friend, Staff Sergeant K. Stark, who had been a member of the 19th Battalion, was killed in action. Tarkov attended Stark's burial and afterward volunteered to be an Orbital Drop Shock Trooper. He then went through a series of brutal training exercises, including live ammunition and combat crawls through mud to prepare him for combat against the Covenant Empire.

During one of his first battles, he dropped onto an unknown planet amongst other members of his battalion to engage Covenant forces. Several squads of Jiralhanae soldiers were present at the Marine's landing zone, with multiple Banshees providing cover overhead.

One Jiralhanae Major had struck Tarkov while he was moving up the line, throwing him into a puddle. As the experienced Major was approaching the helpless Marine, a severely damaged Banshee crashed nearby, killing the Jiralhanae and saving Tarkov's life. Sometime later, Tarkov, now a battle-hardened veteran with four other Orbital Drop Shock Troopers are seen burying one of their dead comrades. A plasma explosion is heard in the distance, and the ODST's put on their helmets and moved out.