Fireteam Zulu

"They gave it their best shot, but they didn't count on running into the biggest squad of Marine bad-asses in the Corps!"

- Unnamed Marine

''' was a United Nations Space Command Marine unit stationed aboard the ' that actively participated in the Battle of Installation 04. They are first encountered by SPARTAN-117 about a third the way through the when the Master Chief stepped out onto a bridge spanning a large valley.

Battle of Installation 04
The Pelican that transported Fire Team Zulu was attacked by Covenant Banshees on its descent to drop off the Fire Team. After deploying the troops, along with a Warthog, the drop ship flew out of view into the next valley where it was later found crashed into the valley wall. The crash was not witnessed by the Master Chief, but it is assumed that it was due to the damage sustained from the Banshee attack (seen on Heroic and Legendary difficulties). Weapons that were brought in by Fire Team Zulu include a Rocket Launcher, Sniper Rifle, and a Warthog. The Master Chief, upon meeting up with Fire Team Zulu, helped by destroying a Ghost and a couple of Shade turrets. Upon linking up with Zulu, Spartan-117, with a Marine manning the Warthog's turret, destroyed a nearby Wraith guarding the valley.

A Scorpion Tank was present near the dropship's apparent crash site in the next valley, but it does not seem likely to have been brought in by Fire Team Zulu, as a Pelican can only lift a Scorpion or a Warthog due to the Pelican's rear hitch payload capacity and the size of the vehicles. Additionally, the Fire Team Zulu Pelican can be seen carrying a Warthog from the bridge. The tank was presumably brought in earlier by another Marine unit.

Later, the Master Chief encountered Marines from a previous mission. Cortana announces their presence by saying, "I thought the Covenant had eliminated all Marine forces in the area." These Marines were probably not part of Fire Team Zulu, because the teams were nowhere near each other. They could, however, have been part of the same platoon or company.

Fire Team Zulu then assisted the Chief as he fought his way through the valleys; when the Master Chief had to ascend the final main valley in order to cross a pair of bridges overlooking the valley, they did not follow because evac had become available.

Post Installation 04
Their later fate is known. The surviving members of Fire Team Zulu were either likely consumed by the Flood or killed when Installation 04 was destroyed, though it is possible that some could have survived and left Installation 04 with Pete Stacker.

Trivia

 * In Halo: Combat Evolved, the voice of Sergeant Avery Johnson issues from the Pelican, calling for assistance. This is not possible because he was in the swamp near the Flood Containment Facility with Captain Keyes at the time. Most likely, the voice heard in-game belongs to the voice actor of Johnson, but was intended to represent the voice of another character.
 * If you look down at the valley where the Pelican first landed, you will see that there were already Marines deployed there, along with an extra Warthog. Also, some of the Marines did not leave the ship, and bailed out after the Pelican was supposedly shot down. These Marines are presumably the ones later encountered in the second valley, seen fending an approaching wave of Covenant approaching their position and Scorpion tank near the alleged dropship crash site.
 * If you look at the crashed Pelican, you will see that it reads "E419". This is just a generic marker of most dropships in Halo: Combat Evolved.

Gallery
 File:Scrn_093.jpg|Fire Team Zulu. File:Valleybattle.JPG|Fire Team Zulu fights for the valley. File:Sarge beckon.jpg|Fire Team Zulu's CO sharpshooter spots Covenant forces in the area. 

Related Links

 * Fire Team Charlie