Palmer (Marine)

"Chief, I believe that I can honestly say that even though you are an honest-to-Buddha one-man death squad, and that if you were to ask nicely I'd give up my lucrative career in the Corps and start pumping out your babies just as fast as you could put them in me, there is no way I am gonna run across fifty goddamn meters of open terrain covered by three Jackal snipers that I can see just to jump into an open vehicle. Throwing myself on a goddamn grenade makes more sense than that."

- Palmer to John-117

Corporal Palmer was a UNSC Marine from Third Squad, First Platoon, Kilo Company of E2-BAG/1/7. She and the squad under her command fought alongside John-117 during the Battle of Mombasa in 2552. Palmer is tall and broad-shouldered.

Battle of Mombasa
On October 20, 2552, Palmer and her squad were stationed in the Mtangwe Underpass, unloading equipment from M831 Troop Transports, when John-117 arrived. Moments afterward, a Wraith emerged, forcing the Marines to fall back into a sewer tunnel. After evading the Covenant attack, the Marines emerged near the Kilindini Park Cultural Center. With the intent of reaching the Marines' command post in Palace Hotel at Beria Plaza, the Spartan suggested that they make a run for it over an open plaza with Covenant gun emplacements to commandeer two Warthogs. At first Palmer protested but approved of the plan nonetheless.

After sprinting across the plaza, Palmer and another Marine, PFC Sullivan, joined the Spartan commandeering an M12G1 LAAV, with Palmer manning the turret and Sullivan taking the passenger seat. The other Marines followed close behind in an M831 Troop Transport. On their way to the command post, they encountered several Ghosts at the park and the Mwatate Street Transit Center. One of the Elite riders attempted to board the Warthog, stripping Sullivan of his MA5. Palmer fired the gauss cannon just above Sullivan's head, obliterating the Elite's upper body and temporarily deafening Sullivan. They eventually made it to the command post via Shimanzi Road.

Production note
Corporal Palmer's character in Palace Hotel is based on the red-haired female Marine voiced by Laura Prepon who appears in the Halo 2 level Metropolis, which the short story is a loose adaptation of. While the location where the player encounters her is echoed rather closely in Palace Hotel, her dialog and actions differ significantly; in the game, her only scripted action is her offering her shotgun to the Master Chief, which does not occur in the short story.

List of appearances

 * Halo 2
 * Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe
 * Palace Hotel