Terrence Hood

"We will take our city back. And drive our enemy into the grave they've been so happily digging."

- Lord Terrence Hood, to UNSC Marines just before the Battle of Voi.

Fleet Admiral Lord Terrence Hood (SN: 07960-48392-TH) is the de facto leader of the UNSC, a flag officer of the UNSC Navy, the Chief of Naval Operations, and the Commanding Officer of the UNSC Home Fleet.

Before the Battle of Earth
Hood was a decorated UNSCDF combat veteran and a British noble as the Human-Covenant War neared its end. SPARTAN-IIs saved his life twice and he generally defended the program against its detractors, such as Colonel James Ackerson. Hood met John-117 prior to the fall of Reach.

He had been promoted to Fleet Admiral and taken a prominent seat on the UNSC Security Council by September 4, 2552. In the aftermath of the Fall of Reach, Hood received Lieutenant Wagner's report on the Fall of Reach in front of the Council. The admiral was interested in the fate of the and its SPARTAN-IIs, and was dismayed to find most of the supersoldiers had been expended during the battle. Hood also considered Wagner's petition to authorize a mission to search for survivors on Reach.

Battle of Earth
In October 2552, Hood presided over an awards ceremony aboard Cairo Station recognizing the participants of the Battle of Installation 04. Captain Jacob Keyes and Sergeant Major Avery Johnson were awarded the Colonial Cross; Lieutenant Commander Miranda Keyes received her father's posthumous award.

The ceremony was interrupted by the attack on Earth by the Prophet of Regret's fleet. The admiral ordered John-117 to defend Cairo from enemy boarders and assumed command of the defense from the station. as well as the following weeks.

Some time afterwards, Frederic-104 was subjected to a psychological analysis conducted by Dr. Veronica Clayton of the Office of Naval Intelligence. As the doctor began pressuring the Spartan on decisions he made during the battle for Reach, Hood, who had not authorized the evaluation, came in and had MPs escort the doctor away, ordering Fred to rejoin Blue Team and defend the planet.

On November 3, 2552, Doctor Catherine Halsey sent a request to Admiral Hood requesting Spartan support on Onyx. The admiral obliged; he authorized SPARTAN-II Blue Team, consisting of Frederic-104, Linda-058, and William-043, to assist.

Late Battle of Earth
"Master Chief, you mind telling me what you're doing on that ship?"

- Lord Hood discovers the Chief's return to Earth

"Sir... finishing this fight."

- John-117

Hood was commanding from a damaged Orbital Defense Platform when John-117 arrived in the Sol System aboard a Covenant-controlled Forerunner Dreadnought. The Spartan established communications with the admiral indicating he was aboard the alien ship.

John-117 was not the only returnee from Installation 05. Commander Keyes and Sergeant Johnson preceded him. Hood gave Johnson permission to interrogate a rebel Engineer. The Engineer had been extracted several weeks earlier from New Mombasa by Captain Dare's Helljumper squad. The UNSC was interested in what the Covenant were looking for.



The battle left the admiral with few ships. By now it was obvious the Covenant were excavating something near New Mombasa. Commander Keyes proposed a daring offensive to destroy the grounded Forerunner ship; Hood gave his approval only after John-117 was recovered. Once the Spartan and Thel 'Vadam disabled local enemy air defenses, Hood led a squadron of frigates and Longsword fighters from the  in a low altitude strike on the dreadnought. The attack failed and the Covenant left through a slipspace portal to Installation 00.

Battle of Installation 00
The departure of the Covenant was followed by a Flood attack. It was repelled with the aid of Covenant separatists, and a message from Cortana was retrieved. The AI claimed a solution to the Flood could be found on Installation 00. Hood met with Shipmaster Rtas 'Vadum aboard the separatist assault carrier Shadow of Intent. The two disagreed on strategy. The admiral was not confident of the AI's advice given its damaged state and was prepared to fight a conventional battle against the Flood. The Shipmaster saw this guaranteed suicide as foolish and opted to lead an expedition through the portal to find Cortana's solution. John-117 and Commander Keyes agreed with the shipmaster, and convinced a weary Hood to spare ships and troops to accompany the Sangheili. Hood remained on Earth as the combined task force departed.

Post-war
"For us, the storm has passed. The war is over. But let us never forget those who journeyed into the howling dark and did not return. For their decision required courage beyond measure, sacrifice, and unshakable conviction that their fight...our fight...was elsewhere. As we start to rebuild, this hillside will remain barren, a memorial to heroes fallen. They ennobled all of us...and they shall not be forgotten."

- Lord Hood's eulogy to the fallen at the Voi Memorial

After the Human-Covenant War's conclusion, Hood took part in rebuilding the colonies. In January 2553, he is heading a diplomatic mission to the remaining UEG colonies to discuss plans for reconstruction. Many colonies rebuffed his offer, feeling that the UNSC abandoned them during the war.

He believed that a formal peace with the Sangheili, particularly Arbiter Thel 'Vadam, could be made. Hood, along with Captain Serin Osman, Corporal Vasily Beloi and Dr. Evan Phillips, were the first humans to visit Sanghelios. There, he and Thel 'Vadam discussed the fragile state of both species, as well as a treaty to formalize the peace. He invited 'Vadam to a memorial service on Earth, and in return 'Vadam invited Phillips to study Sangheili history and culture on their homeworld.

In March 2553, he conducted the memorial service next to the Portal, near the city of Voi. While he could not forgive the Sangheili for their actions during the war, he thanked Thel 'Vadam for his alliance, as well as for fighting alongside John-117 to the end.

Sometime later he, along with Admiral Margaret Parangosky conducted an Admirals inspection of the. After Evan Phillips was trapped on Sanghelios due to the Sangheili civil war, Hood contacted the Arbiter and asked for permission to land their own retrieval team to get Phillips, which the Arbiter eventually granted.

Decorations
Hood earned numerous military decorations in his career. In late 2552, he wore the following decorations on his dress uniform (going down from the top left):
 * Combat Action Ribbon
 * Joint Meritorious Unit Award
 * Navy "E" Ribbon
 * Meritorious Unit Commendation
 * Navy Rifle Marksman Ribbon
 * UNSC Legion of Honor
 * Purple Heart
 * Navy and Marine Corps Medal

Trivia

 * Hood's command neural interface port is clearly visible at the back of his head.
 * Hood was voiced by Hollywood actor Ron Perlman. His appearance is closely based on Perlman's.
 * In Halo: First Strike, Hood is said to be a knight rather than a lord. This is unusual as under the British system of peerages, when one is made a peer, the title of Lord supersedes that of Knight in a formal address. This is probably an oversight.
 * Despite being a member of the British nobility, Lord Hood speaks with a distinctly North American accent. This may imply Canadian nationality, as Canada is a constitutional monarchy and a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, with the British monarch as de jure head of state. It is also possible that level of unification among the Unified Earth Government's colonies voids the distinction among many English-based accents.

List of appearances

 * Halo: First Strike
 * Halo 2
 * Halo: Ghosts of Onyx
 * Halo 3
 * Halo 3: ODST
 * Halo Legends
 * Origins
 * Halo: Glasslands
 * Halo: The Thursday War