John Forge

"He’s the guy you want in the foxhole next to yours...but you’d never introduce him to your sister."

- Common saying among Marines under Forge's command

Sergeant John Forge (service number: 63292-94758-JF) was a veteran non-commissioned officer and an infantryman in the UNSC Marine Corps. Although he excelled in tactics and combat, his repeated acts of insubordination caused him to receive three demotions, with infractions such as fighting with an officer, which resulted in 2.4 years in jail time, and striking a superior officer. He sported an ace of spades playing card attached to his left shoulder pauldron, and also carried a combat knife he named "Lucy".

Early career
Born on Earth on May 29, 2501, ' Forge's life revolved around the military. His family lineage had been a part of the military for generations, dating back to at least World War II. He signed up for boot camp at the minimum age of 16.

Although not physically gifted, Forge was strong for his size and weight. He displayed desire and toughness in nearly everything he did and was incredibly competitive and driven to succeed. These qualities made him a lifetime member of the Corps. His training and discipline had left him with a "unique" personality and method of getting things done. Those under his command trusted him greatly, despite the fact that he failed his last psychological exam.

Forge was a born warrior, but had difficulty coping with life outside the military. His wife was a distant shadow in his mind, but his daughter had never really given up on him, though it had been only months since they had talked. Forge has been decorated numerous times for valor and gallantry on the battlefield, but just as many counts for insubordination, conduct unbecoming, and striking a superior officer.

He spent 2.4 years in prison, an infraction that removed any chance of moving through Officer Candidate School or even progressing beyond the rank of sergeant. In 2531, Lieutenant Prosser assaulted a woman in a bar, in which Sergeant Forge stopped and confronted the lieutenant. They engaged in a fist fight, with charges brought upon the sergeant. Luckily for Forge, the woman who had been attacked proclaimed him as a hero and all charges were dropped, where he was later reassigned to the by Admiral Preston Cole personally.

Securing the Prophecy
In February 2531, the Spirit of Fire was sent to assist the crippled cruiser in the Epsilon Indi System. Captain James Cutter ordered the Prophecy's navigation database and survivors to be recovered, sending Forge and multiple fireteams on board the vessel while the Spirit of Fire engaged several Covenant ships. Forge's Pelican was hit by a Phantom and crash landed upon the Prophecy's hull. Forge and Team Lima breached and entered the Prophecy. Inside, they were attacked by Kig-yar Rangers: during this engagement, Forge's ankle was broken. With the guidance of Serina, the Spirit of Fire's "Smart" AI, he was able to find the a terminal to recover the ship's black box and wipe its navigation core, while the rest of Team Lima rescued the survivors. Serina warned Forge that the Prophecy's AI may "act peculiar" due to high radiation levels.

Upon scanning his retinae to gain access to the terminal, Forge was halted by the ship's AI, FitzGibbon, who explained he could not allow him to enter due to the latter's service record. Forge reminded the AI of the Cole Protocol, stating that he was aboard the vessel to ensure the protocol would not to be violated. FitzGibbon then allowed Forge into the terminal room and enabled radiation repair routines. Forge purged the navigation database and returned to the Pelicans as FitzGibbon activated the Prophecy's self-destruct sequence, which soon scuttled the ship. After the Marines and Forge escaped with the survivors, they were taken to the medical bay of the Spirit of Fire. When Forge asked how the survivors were doing, Serina told him that there were no survivors, that they had suffered too much radiation poisoning when aboard the Prophecy to survive: according to Serina, all the Spirit of Fire's crew could do was watch them die. Forge was angered by the AI's indifference towards the survivors and comforted them in their final moments, believing that even if they would soon be dead, they were still people and so deserved better.

Reclamation of Harvest
Forge was sent to the surface of Harvest on his first mission under to scout out Covenant activity in the northern polar region of the planet. He drove through Quadrant 4 to find a battalion of Sangheili a Hornet squadron had spotted earlier. Reporting the Covenant activity to his superiors, as to how the aliens had found a relic buried in the ice, he returned to an overrun Alpha Base, and helped organize UNSC forces along the way. Forge and his rag-tag assault force were able to retake Alpha Base. He then commanded the Marine forces responsible for the capture of a Forerunner structure from the Covenant before it could be demolished. Professor Anders was then sent to the planet's surface to investigate the relic, and Forge reluctantly escorted her inside. He was present when Anders activated the Forerunner star map, and protected her when they were ambushed by a team of Sangheili. The Spirit of Fire then evacuated most of its ground troops, including Forge, and set course for Arcadia, a UNSC colony planet to which the star map had pointed.

Arcadia
After arriving at Arcadia, Forge was one of the first UNSC troops to set foot in the besieged capital of Pirth City, where he aided the evacuation of civilians via three cargo vessels. When the civilian transports took off, Forge and his men abandoned the Covenant-infested city, and fell back to the outskirts. There, he took part in the destruction of a Covenant base, assisted by SPARTAN teams Red and Omega. He also participated in the battle to destroy a Covenant energy dome which was protecting an unfinished Scarab. While he and Anders were surveying the area, Ripa 'Moramee, an Arbiter, ambushed them. Forge was swiftly defeated and was about to be killed, until Anders stopped the Arbiter by agreeing to go with him without incident. After SPARTAN Red Team unsuccessfully tried to stop the Arbiter from escaping, they immediately retreated back to the Spirit of Fire. He was aboard the ship when it made a Slipspace jump in pursuit of 'Moramee's retreating vessel.

Shield World
After Douglas-042 recommended destroying 'Moramee's ship and killing Anders rather than let classified information fall into Covenant hands, Forge confronted the SPARTAN. The altercation resulted in a broken chair, a seal malfunction on a bulkhead and a stern interruption from Serina. From then on, Forge and Douglas always ate together in the mess hall.

Upon arriving at a mysterious planet, Forge was sent down to the planet's surface, and was subsequently one of the first human beings to encounter the Flood. It was soon discovered that the "planet" was not a planet at all, but a Forerunner Shield World. Immediately following this revelation, he was put in charge of the evacuation of the Spirit's ground troops and the scouring of Flood from the ship's hull. Through a strange stroke of luck, he came upon the recently escaped Ellen Anders in the Shield World's interior, and escorted her back to the Spirit of Fire. He was then put in charge of the strike team that would deliver the Spirit 's Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine to the Apex, to destroy the Shield World and its armada of Forerunner ships. Atop the Apex, he once again faced 'Moramee in battle, while the SPARTANs of Red Team eliminated the Arbiter's comrades. Although Forge was nearly killed, he overcame his foe at the last minute by tricking the Arbiter to look him in the eye, and then stabbing him in the neck with his prized combat knife, "Lucy". He then proceeded to pick up the Arbiter's energy sword, and drove it through the Sangheili's stomach, killing him. As Alice-130 rolled the Arbiter's corpse off the platform, Jerome-092 examined the Translight Engine, realizing that it had been damaged.

When it became clear that the damaged Translight Engine would have to be detonated manually, Forge realized that the SPARTANs would play a far greater role in the war than he ever could, and volunteered to take the FTL drive into the Shield World's sun. He gave the Spirit's crew the time they needed to escape the hollow planet and then detonated the drive, sacrificing his own life, but dealing the Covenant a massive blow in the process.

Gameplay
Sergeant Forge serves as a Hero Unit in Halo Wars. His special abilities include:

Abilities

 * "Hero Unit Ability":
 * Ram — Forge initially mounts a Gauss Warthog which has the ability to ram enemies
 * Shotgun Barrage — When Forge's Warthog is destroyed, he will be revived on foot and armed with an M90 shotgun which he can unload quickly upon a target until empty.
 * "Leader Power": Carpet Bomb — A bombing run with a long range that deals devastating damage to ground units.
 * "Unique Unit": Cyclops — A powerful exoskeleton that can punch enemy ground units, throw wreckage, and repair buildings.

Upgrades

 * "Super Upgrade": Grizzly — a superior version of the Scorpion tank which has dual cannons and an additional mounted machine gun.
 * "Economy Bonus": All Supply Pads on Forge's bases start as Heavy Supply Pads.

Trivia

 * He has nine Legendary symbols on his right breast plate. This could be a tally of enemy kills of some sort. It may also be a count of battles he has fought in or won.
 * John Forge has had five promotions, but also three demotions, including one for striking a superior officer, despite the fact that this would have made him a Lance Corporal.
 * Despite being only a Sergeant, he is given many of the responsibilities of a Gunnery Sergeant or higher being that he takes orders directly from Captain Cutter.
 * John Forge, as of February 2531, is the only human who isn't a SPARTAN ever noted to have used a Type-1 Energy Weapon/Sword, a Sangheili weapon. Additionally, he is the only known human to have ever killed an Arbiter.
 * He was voiced by Nolan North, who was known for voicing one of the AI marines in Halo 3 and Romeo in Halo 3: ODST, as well as Nathan Drake in the Uncharted series of video games and Desmond Miles in the Assassin's Creed series of video games.
 * While on foot, he will occasionally shout "Yipee-kai-yay!", in reference to the film Die Hard.
 * Even though in some cutscenes he is seen using an assault rifle, he always uses a shotgun in combat. This can be seen in the cutscene before Beachhead.
 * In the cutscene Monsters, the back of Forge's head is clearly seen, yet his neural interface is not visible. This is considered a simple oversight on part of Blur Studios, the company that animated the scene. This oversight has carried over to his action figure from McFarlane Toys.
 * Forge rides into battle on an upgraded Gauss Warthog with greater defense and attack power. If his Warthog is destroyed and he is revived, he attacks with a M90 shotgun with a special attack that causes him to quick-shuffle his shotgun until empty.

List of appearances

 * Halo Wars
 * Halo Wars: Genesis