Waller

"Gunnery Sergeant Waller"

- Cortana

Gunnery Sergeant Waller was a non-commissioned officer in the UNSC Marine Corps during the Human-Covenant War. At the Battle of Installation 04 on the 20th of September, 2552, he commanded an Marine unit during a skirmish for control of Installation 04's Silent Cartographer. Waller and his squad were assigned to defend their Pelicans' initial landing zone, but were overrun and killed by Covenant reinforcements.

Biography
Waller was one of the Marines stationed on the, and was aboard when the ship made a "random" slipspace jump to flee from Covenant forces following the Fall of Reach, as per Cole Protocol. The ship arrived intact at the Soell system, nearby an unidentified Forerunner artifact: Installation 04. However, it soon came under attack and was boarded by the Fleet of Particular Justice, who had pursued the vessel from Reach. Waller was among those who survived the boarding action and escaped to safety on the surface of the alien ring-world. At some point afterwards, he was able to link up with other surviving elements of the Pillar of Autumn's crew and complement, who mounted a guerilla resistance against the Covenant.

Gunnery Sergeant Waller was present at the battle for the Silent Cartographer, an engagement fought on an island on the Halo ring's surface over control of a structure known to the Covenant as the Silent Cartographer, said to contain a room with a map of the entire installation. After the beachhead had been successfully secured, Waller was placed in charge of holding it while John-117 departed with a Warthog LRV and two Marines to locate the map room. When the Master Chief later returned with a second Warthog scavenged from Bravo 022's wreckage, the Marines had endured two Covenant assaults but still held the beach, and remained "undeterred". Two members of Waller's unit, Hosky and an unidentified corporal, boarded John's new vehicle and left, leaving the unit down two further Marines.

Later, as the Master Chief was battling his way into the structure, Foehammer warned Waller and his forces of another inbound Covenant assault. Cortana advised him that they would be able to more easily defend themselves if they retreated into the Silent Cartographer itself. Waller responded that they wouldn't be able to make it, lamenting that the Covenant were approaching too quickly, and pledged that he and his men would buy the Master Chief and Cortana as much time to find the Cartographer as they could. Grimly, Cortana acknowledged their sacrifice by encouraging them to "give 'em hell". It is presumed that he and the remaining Marine forces under his command died in the engagement.

Production notes
Waller is voiced by Pete Stacker, who also voices Captain Jacob Keyes and Gunnery Sergeant Marcus Stacker in the game. Of these characters, Stacker was only credited for playing Keyes. Confusingly, the Marine who makes the "I didn't know you made house calls, Foehammer," quip at the beginning of the level is also voiced by Stacker, but is only identified as "a Marine" by Halo: The Flood. This Marine can be killed without affecting Waller's later dialogue, indicating that he is likely not Waller. Given the combination of Pete Stacker's voice, the use of Marcus Stacker's face texture, and the sergeant's cap, it is presumed that this Marine is in fact the aforementioned Marcus Stacker.

List of appearances

 * ''Halo: Combat Evolved
 * Halo: The Flood