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 (service number 07960-48392-TH) is a flag officer of the UNSC Navy and Chief of Naval Operations. In this capacity, he served as the de facto leader of humanity's war effort during the latter years of the Human-Covenant War. By 2558, he continues to serve as the Chairman of the UNSC Security Council.

Early career
A British noble, Hood served as James Cutter's executive officer onboard the until November 2530, when Hood took command of his own vessel, the.

Three months later, during the Battle of Arcadia, Hood was assigned to recover a log buoy dropped by the Spirit of Fire. However, as the colony was already deemed lost by UNSC command, Roman Blue was also ordered to withhold from engaging the enemy in combat. However, Hood, enraged by the massive losses the Covenant had already inflicted on humanity, ordered his crew to attack a. Consequently, the Spirit of Fire ' s log buoy was not recovered. Hood would subsequently view himself as responsible for the Spirit of Fire's disappearance.

Out of guilt, Hood provided financial support for both Cutter's legitimate family (his apparent widow Mary and their daughter) and his secret one, supporting Daniel Clayton's mother for years.

Human-Covenant War
Hood was a decorated combat veteran 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 the seat of Chairman of the UNSC Security Council, while serving as the UNSC's Chief of Naval Operations 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 into 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
"Lord Hood"

- John-117

Hood was commanding from a damaged Cairo 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 Huragok, which 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 Thel 'Vadam's Covenant faction, 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. The final stand he had expected never came, as the Flood-infested High Charity jumped directly toward the Ark from the vicinity of Mars.

Post-Covenant 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 at the Voi Memorial, March 2553

After the Human-Covenant War's conclusion, Hood took part in rebuilding the colonies. In January 2553, he headed a diplomatic mission to the remaining UEG colonies to discuss plans for reconstruction. Many colonies refused his offer, feeling that the UNSC abandoned them during the war. Hood was instrumental in phasing out many of the emergency powers that the UNSC had acquired during the conflict; particularly its direct control of many civilian agencies within the UEG. Though he had no particular love of the politicians and academics who vied for the post of UEG President, he blocked all efforts to slow the official transition back to civilian government in 2553.

He believed that a formal peace with the Sangheili, particularly Arbiter Thel 'Vadam and Shipmaster Rtas 'Vadum, 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 at Voi, 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.

Blooding Years
"I have given my word to the Arbiter, and while it might not be fashionable to believe that still has some meaning, I shall keep it until he no longer honors his"

- Lord Hood Sometime later, Hood and Admiral Margaret Parangosky conducted an Admirals inspection of the. Parangonsky informed him Infinity was ready to deploy, hoping to take her out on a "Thursday war" over Sanghelios, however, Hood initially declined. After Evan Phillips was trapped on Sanghelios due to the Blooding Years, Hood contacted the Arbiter and asked for permission to land their own retrieval team to get Phillips, which the Arbiter eventually granted. Later on, as the crisis on Sanghelios intensified, Parangonsky convinced Hood to deploy Infinity in order to help protect the Arbiter and quell his opponents. While orbiting Sanghelios aboard the ship, Parangosky and Hood received intel that Vadam keep was about to be breached by the Servants of the Abiding Truth. Hood contacted 'Vadam, who reluctantly agreed to accept Hood's help. Infinity turned the tide over Sanghelios as it destroyed the rebel destroyer Defender of Faith and forced the Abiding Truth to retreat from the planet. Hood later planned to invite 'Vadam onboard Infinity for a tour of the ship.

New Phoenix Incident
After UNSC Infinity arrived at Earth July 25, 2557 to aid the UNSC Home Fleet in combating the oncoming attack lead by the Didact, the UNSC Security Council learned that Captain Andrew Del Rio had abandoned John-117 on Requiem in the process. Hood and most members of the Security Council harshly judged Del Rio's actions at Requiem for leaving the Spartan behind and relieved him of command of Infinity. After John-117 managed to defeat the Didact at the loss of the population of New Phoenix, Admiral Hood and the rest of the UNSC Security Council debriefed John-117 regarding the Battle of Requiem. The Council discussed the New Phoenix Incident and how to conceal the existence of the Forerunner Didact from the public. Unsure of the finality of the Didact's defeat, the Council decided to instead present the public with the story that the attack was carried out by the Covenant. After the debrief, Hood talked privately with John and apologized for the lack of professionalism of some members of the Council. Hood suggested that with his return, John could justifiably be promoted to an officer, perhaps even as high as Admiral. The Master Chief declined the offer. Hood then informed him that one hour prior, FLEETCOM had lost contact with a science team escorted by Team Black at Installation 03, and that the attackers may have been Prometheans. On Hood's orders, John was then reunited with Blue Team and deployed immediately to Gamma Halo.

During the mission, Blue Team encountered and eventually defeated the Didact with the help of monitor 859 Static Carillon. With the Forerunner seemingly neutralized, Blue Team returned to Earth and were debriefed by Hood. Lord Hood congratulated John for finally killing the Didact, but the Spartan stated that he believed the Didact was only "contained". After years of combat, Hood ordered John and the rest of Blue Team to rest before being redeployed. However, after the debriefing, John returned to the rest of Blue Team and told them that Hood gave them the all-clear for their next mission. The four Spartans then departed for their new mission, led by John. Upon discovering the disappearance of the Spartans, Hood became panicked about their whereabouts.

Peace talks
On March 3, 2558, Admiral Hood and the rest of the UNSC Security Council debriefed Thomas Lasky and Sarah Palmer about the Requiem Campaign. He later joined Lasky and informed him that he was pulling Infinity away from the pursuit of Jul 'Mdama for it to partake in a more pressing matter. Infinity escorted Hood on a diplomatic mission to Ealen IV to aid in peace talks between the Sangheili and the Jiralhanae. On March 5, he met with Thel 'Vadam and the Jiralhanae Chieftain, Lydus. During the negotiations, a group of Covenant attacked the delegates. Lasky, Sarah Palmer, and the Spartan-IVs defended the delegation and evacuated them from the chamber. When their evac ship was destroyed, they proceeded to escort the delegates to a nearby parts depot.

Inside the repair depot, 'Vadam informed Hood that they could take refuge in a fortified redoubt. As the party escaped the depot, they were intercepted by a Covenant Lich. Palmer quickly acted and threw her helmet filled with grenades and destroyed the Lich. As Fireteam Jackknife and the delegation's bodyguards went ahead to ensure the redoubt was safe to use as shelter, Lord Hood stopped to inspect a fallen Sangheili and discovered someone within the UNSC was leaking information to the Covenant.

As the party arrived at the redoubt, they were betrayed by Spartan Vladimir Scruggs, who took Lord Hood hostage and held him at gunpoint. Palmer was able to put a stop to Scruggs by shooting Hood in the leg, giving her the opportunity to tackle Scruggs and then kill him. With Covenant ships inbound to their site, Palmer was ordered to evacuate Hood and the ambassadors on a Covenant cargo tug while Spartan Paul DeMarco and Fireteam Bailey remained behind to cover their escape with a Tyrant AA gun. Thanks to the Spartan IV's sacrifices, Hood and the ambassadors were able to escape the planet, however, the outcome of the negotiations themselves was left nebulous.

Soon after, Hood and Lasky discussed the troubling prospect that the UNSC's hierarchy had been severely breached, as only someone in the upper echelon could have leaked the location of the negotiations. Both men agreed that the UNSC mole needed to be rooted out with an undercover investigation. Hood bid Lasky good hunting, as he and Spartan Naiya Ray left Infinity to enlist the help of Petra Janecek, a journalist with whom Hood previously had history with.

Freighter ambush and Oth Lodon
Hood remained on Infinity and requested Commander Bradley to indulge him with a demonstration of the ship's Forerunner engines. Hood asked Roland to plot a random vector with multiple headings, but they were then notified by lieutenant Jespersen of a distress signal near the Artesia-702 system. Hood scrapped the exercise and the Infinity went to investigate. Arriving in the system on March 11, they found a damaged civilian freighter, the Pilgrims Pride. The freighter was tugged into one of Infinity's bays on Hood's order. An ambush was sprung when the freighter launched multiple assault crafts and set itself to self-destruct. With the help of Fireteams Majestic, Colossus, and Fenrir, the attack was repelled and the freighter was tugged back into space before it could self-destruct on Infinity. Following the skirmish, Hood was informed that the vessels used by the assailants were Vultures and Sparrowhawks, whose I.D. numbers belonged to the long-lost. Lord Hood divulged all he knew about the Spirit of Fire, and his own part in the ship's disappearance decades earlier. Partly due to his guilt over the incident, Hood ordered Infinity to scout the vessels' recorded point of origin, near the gas giant Oth Lodon deep in Jiralhanae space. However, when Infinity arrived at the coordinates, they encountered a Covenant battlestation. Daniel Clayton, Captain Cutter's illegitimate son and former UNSC captain turned defector to the New Colonial Alliance, opened a communications channel to Infinity and declared his desire for vengeance against Lord Hood and the UNSC. Having lured Infinity into a trap, Clayton opened fire on the ship with the station's energy projector.

The surprise attack devastated Infinity, punching three holes through the ship in a rapid succession. Hood was impaled through his abdomen by a piece of debris, with a significant portion of the bridge crew killed or incapacitated. Expecting to die in moments, Hood experienced an influx of guilt, blaming himself for allowing Infinity to fall into Clayton's trap. Thanks to Fireteam Majestic's timely capture of the New Colonial Alliance station and Captain Clayton, however, Hood survived. Confined to a wheelchair due to his injuries, Hood visited Clayton's cell before the former captain's oncoming transfer to Midnight Facility. Hood questioned Clayton about the New Colonial Alliance's goals; namely, why its leader, Admiral Drake, now intended to destroy Infinity despite wanting to capture the ship years earlier. Clayton only replied with ominous claims about the NCA's expanding power and reach. When Hood ordered his men to take Clayton away, the latter stated that they would meet again.

After the encounter, Hood reflected on the Spirit of Fire and hoped that he would one day be able to ask Cutter for his forgiveness.

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

Production notes

 * Hood was voiced by Hollywood actor Ron Perlman. He passingly resembles his voice actor in Halo 2 and more closely in Halo 3. However, his photorealistic depiction in Halo 2: Anniversary looks considerably different from his past incarnations, negating any resemblance to his voice actor.
 * Despite being a member of the British nobility, Lord Hood speaks with a distinctly North American accent. This may imply that he is a Canadian national, 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 more likely that exposure to the Unified Earth Government's amalgamated culture has rendered his accent indistinct. Though multiple accents and dialects of British English still exist in the 26th century, the predominant accent among English-speaking UEG civilians and UNSC personnel tends to be North American.

Trivia

 * Hood's command neural interface port is clearly visible at the back of his head.
 * In Halo: First Strike, Hood is erroneously titled "Sir Terrence Hood", despite lordship superseding knighthood in the British system of peerages. This oversight was not fixed in the 2010 Definitive Edition.

List of appearances

 * Halo: First Strike
 * Adjunct
 * Halo 2
 * Halo: Ghosts of Onyx
 * Halo 3
 * Halo 3: ODST
 * Halo Legends
 * Origins
 * Halo: Glasslands
 * Halo: The Thursday War
 * Halo: Escalation
 * Halo: Mortal Dictata
 * Halo 2: Anniversary
 * Halo: New Blood
 * Halo: Hunters in the Dark
 * Halo: Fleet Battles