Tarkov

Were you looking for Markov, an ODST from The Cole Protocol?''

Tarkov was an Orbital Drop Shock Trooper, assigned to the 19th Shock Troops Battalion of the 105th ODST Division and participated in the Human-Covenant War.

Background
An acquaintance, Staff Sergeant K. Stark, who had been a member of the 19th Battalion, was killed in action. Tarkov attended Stark's funeral 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 lances of Jiralhanae soldiers were present at the ODSTs' landing zone, with multiple Banshees providing close air support.

One Jiralhanae Major struck Tarkov while he was moving up the line, throwing him into a puddle. As the Brute was approaching the helpless Marine, a severely damaged Banshee crashed nearby, killing the Jiralhanae and saving Tarkov's life. Years later, Tarkov, now a battle-hardened veteran with four other Orbital Drop Shock Troopers, held a field burial for a dead comrade. As plasma detonated in the distance, the ODSTs put on their helmets and moved out.

Trivia
Tarkov shares a similar name to another ODST called Markov, in the novel Halo: The Cole Protocol.