Edward Buck: Difference between revisions

At some point prior to [[2545]], Buck's father was killed in a traffic accident.<ref>'''Halo: New Blood''', ''page 17'' (Google Play edition)</ref><ref group="note">When entering a vehicle in ''Halo: Reach''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s Firefight mode, Buck may sometimes say, ''"Hey hey! My father had one of these! It's how he died."'' While it is obvious that his father's vehicle was not of Covenant origin, this quote may be said when Buck enters any vehicle.</ref> In 2545, after an extended period of [[Cryo chamber|cryosleep]] during a [[slipstream space]] jump between [[Mars]] and [[Hardscrabble]], Buck learned of the Covenant attack on his homeworld and the slaughter of all its citizens, including his family and relatives. He obsessively watched video footage of the [[Unggoy]] and [[Kig-Yar]] hunting down and devouring the human survivors, which fueled his hatred of the Covenant and further steeled his fighting resolve. He requested an offical transfer to the [[Orbital Drop Shock Troopers]] immediately afterwards; his request was granted three weeks later, on February 27.<ref name="nb15"/><ref>[https://twitter.com/bsangel/status/703617603453870081 '''Jessica Shea Twitter''' ''Today in Halo 2/27/2545'']</ref> His [[commanding officer]] ordered Buck to take some shore leave, claiming that his presence was "jeopardizing others". Only when she threatened to send him in for a psychiatric evaluation, did he relent. He took his shore leave at [[Castellaneta]], over [[Saturn]], where he first met Captain [[Veronica Dare]]. The two spent their week together, until Buck eventually realized that she worked for the [[Office of Naval Intelligence]].<ref name="nb26"/> Although the two parted on rough terms, at some point they reconciled and Buck even asked her to marry him, though Dare unfortunately remained silent, a decision that continued to haunt Buck throughout all of his career.<ref>'''Halo 3: ODST''' ('''Buck''': ''"The last person who looked at me like that was the Captain and I asked her to marry me, so... you know."'')</ref><ref>'''Halo 3: ODST''', campaign level ''[[Tayari Plaza (level)|Tayari Plaza]]'' ('''Dare''': ''"You don't really remember, that night? What you asked me in the morning?"'' '''Buck''': ''"I remember not getting an answer."'')</ref> The two were eventually forced to split up due to Dare's job with Section One of ONI.<ref name="plaza">'''Halo 3: ODST''', campaign level ''Tayari Plaza''</ref> Buck soon gained command of the ODST [[squad]] [[Alpha-Nine]]. Throughout the remainder of the war, Buck intentionally sabotaged and turned down numerous promotions in order to remain a squad leader.<ref name="H5GLtd"/>

{{Main|Battle of Sargasso}}

During the battle on [[Sargasso]] in [[2546]], Dare tasked Alpha-Nine—then composed of Buck, [[Gomez (ODST)|Gomez]], [[Svensdottir]], and [[Samrat]]—with retrieving [[Lethbridge Industrial]]'s research data from its laboratories in the town of [[Belisk]] before the Covenant did. Fellow ODST squad [[Gamma-Six]] was charged with unknowingly distracting the Covenant, while Alpha-Nine retrieved the data chip. Buck vocally voiced his disapproval of the mission, as he was reluctant to allow another ODST squad die on what was essentially a suicide mission.<ref>'''Halo: New Blood''', ''page 25'' (Google Play edition)</ref> Buck eventually relented and Alpha-Nine was covertly dropped off by a [[dropship]] five kilometers away from Belisk, rather than by deployed in [[Human Entry Vehicle]]s from orbit. The squad reached Lethbridge's headquarters in the town and, after eliminating scattered Covenant forces, Buck retrieved the data chip.<ref>'''Halo: New Blood''', ''pages 30-37'' (Google Play edition)</ref>

As Alpha-Nine completed their mission and prepared to leave the town of Belisk, Buck overheard [[Sarah Palmer]] of Gamma-Six questioning Command about their lack of extraction. Command informed Palmer that the amount of hostiles at her position made extraction infeasible, and ordered for her to retreat to a safer location. Buck had ignored ONI's orders and led his squad to rescue Palmer and Gamma-Six. By the time Alpha-Nine arrived, Palmer was the last remaining member of her squad. Together, the ODSTs eliminated the [[Jiralhanae]], [[Kig-Yar]], [[Unggoy]] and [[Banshees]] assaulting their position and returned back to base in a civilian truck.<ref>'''Halo: New Blood''', ''pages 38-44'' (Google Play edition)</ref> Buck was reprimanded by Dare for disobeying her direct order and he was threatened with a charge of insubordination, but he did not receive any other apparent punishment.<ref>'''Halo: New Blood''', ''page 47'' (Google Play edition)</ref>

{{Main|Fall of Reach}}

[[File:BuckInFalcon.jpg|thumb|250px|Buck piloting a [[UH-144 Falcon|Falcon]] in New Alexandria.]]

He participated in the failed defense of [[New Alexandria]] as part of [[Operation: SWORD 52]],<ref name="H5GLtd"/> during the Covenant's [[Siege of New Alexandria|assault]] on the city.<ref name="waypoint"/> On August 23rd, he requested assistance from [[SPARTAN-B312]] of [[NOBLE Team]]. After receiving assistance from the [[SPARTAN-III program|Spartan]], Buck left the center of the city.<ref>'''Halo: Reach''', campaign level ''[[New Alexandria (level)|New Alexandria]]''</ref><ref group="note">In the level ''New Alexandria'', Buck can request the player's help in one of three objectives: He may ask for assistance in rescuing some of his squad members either from a collapsed building or from a nearby [[Type-52 Troop Carrier|Phantom]]. Alternatively, he may require escort on a classified operation. In some playthroughs, Buck might not appear at all. However, both ''[[Halo: The Essential Visual Guide]]'' and ''[[Halo: New Blood]]'' confirms that Buck received some form of assistance from the Spartan.</ref> Buck and the surviving members of Alpha-Nine were later evacuated as Reach fell to the Covenant, escaping to Earth.<ref name="nb56"/> At some point just before the fall of the planet, Buck met [[Jun-A266]].<ref>'''Halo: New Blood''', ''page 49'' (Google Play edition)</ref>

{{Main|Battle of Earth|Battle of Mombasa}}

During the early stages of Battle of Earth in [[2552#October|October 2552]], [[Alpha-Nine|Buck's squad]] was part of the [[105th Shock Troops Division]] that was to be inserted onto the [[Prophet of Regret]]'s [[flagship]], ''[[Solemn Penance]]'', which was stationed over the city of [[New Mombasa]]. His mission changed when Veronica Dare, now a [[Captain (Navy)|captain]] in the [[Office of Naval Intelligence]], took control of the squad immediately before the orbital drop, in order to use them for her own classified mission. During the drop, Dare ordered the squad to adjust their [[Single Occupant Exoatmospheric Insertion Vehicle|SOEIVs]] trajectory away from the [[Covenant assault carrier|assault carrier]]. Immediately after this, the carrier jumped into [[Slipstream space|slipspace]] while above the city, generating a massive [[electromagnetic pulse]] that disabled the pods' electronic systems. As a result, the pods were scattered throughout the city.

Buck and his squad guarded Vergil in the [[ONI]]-appropriated Crimson Wing of the [[Quito Space Tether]]'s terminus for the following weeks. A month after the battle, they watched as [[Sergeant Major]] [[Avery Junior Johnson|Avery Johnson]] interrogated the Engineer. Shortly after this, Alpha-Nine was redeployed in the field and fought in the concluding battles of the war.<ref>'''Halo: New Blood''', ''page 81'' (Google Play edition)</ref> One of these operations, known as [[Operation: JOINT MONITOR]], consisted of biohazard containment in the [[Voi]] Exclusion Zone, at some point following the [[Battle of Voi]].<ref name="H5GLtd"/>

After the end of the Covenant War in [[2553]], Buck and Dare traveled to [[Sundown]] for a vacation together while on shore leave. Near the end of their vacation, on [[2553#February|February 15, 2553]],<ref>[https://twitter.com/bsangel/status/699269947944382464 '''Twitter''': ''Today in Halo 2/15/2553'']</ref> [[Jun-A266]] met with Buck and offered him the opportunity to join the first class of the new [[SPARTAN-IV program]]. To Jun's surprise, Buck declined the offer, as he felt that he might have to abandon his team and Dare. Buck was the first individual that declined Jun's offer to join the SPARTAN-IV program.<ref name="nb49">'''Halo: New Blood''', ''pages 49-55'' (Google Play edition)</ref>

[[Rudolf Schein]] was soon proved responsible for the murder and Jun, Musa, and O'Day went to confront him. However, Schein was waiting for them at the recreational room with the intent to blow up the station, and a skirmish ensued. Buck and his team heard gunshots from their room and the three raced to its place of origin. Before the Spartans reached the rec room, O'Day warned them to stay back before Schein's grenade detonated and sent the four flying backwards as the station's [[artificial gravity]] was shut off. As they attempted to escape from the breached rec room, Buck and the heavily wounded O'Day smashed into a door, killing the latter instantly. The three Spartans took shelter in an empty room until the incident was over and the gravity returned an hour later. Returning to their quarters, Buck and his team were debriefed on the events that had transpired and on Schein's defection.<ref>'''Halo: New Blood''', ''pages 137-144'' (Google Play edition)</ref> For eighteen months, largely at his request, Buck and his squad battled [[Covenant remnants]] on [[human colonies]], including [[New Caracas]], [[Gaenir Beta]], and [[Charion VI]].<ref name="nb148">'''Halo: New Blood''', ''page 148'' (Google Play edition)</ref>

{{Main|Operation: COALPEPPER}}

[[File:HM-Buck&Romeo.png|thumb|250px|Spartans Buck and Agu during Operation: COALPEPPER.]]

At some point after the events on Talitsa, Buck was reassigned to {{UNSCShip|Meriwether Lewis}} and acted as Spartan Commander for the Spartan contingent on the ship.<ref name="H5GLtd"/> In [[2558]], Buck had become a member of [[Fireteam Osiris]], led by [[Jameson Locke]] and also consisting of Spartans [[Olympia Vale]] and [[Holly Tanaka]]. Serving as a joint-forces liaison and advisor, Buck's current position on the fireteam is engineered by his superiors to groom him for a greater role within the Spartan branch.<ref name="H5GLtd"/> Fireteam Osiris was charged with carrying out a variety of complex missions for the [[UNSC Security Council]] and [[UNSC High Command|High Command]].<ref>[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/factions/fireteam-osiris '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Fireteam Osiris'']</ref>

{{Quote|no=two|q1=I figure if God can hear how scared I am, so can everyone else. Locke, you buying the first drink when we're done?|Edward Buck|q2=You ask, you buy.|Jameson Locke|Buck and Locke, before deploying to Kamchatka<ref name="osiris">'''[[Halo 5: Guardians]]''', campaign level ''[[Osiris (level)|Osiris]]''</ref>}}

After several [[human colonies]] were unexpectedly attacked by mysterious Forerunner entities, Doctor [[Catherine Halsey]] contacted UNSC ''Infinity'' with information about the attacks. In response, Tanaka and the rest of Fireteam Osiris were tasked with rescuing Dr. Halsey from the custody of [[Jul 'Mdama's Covenant faction|Covenant]] [[Supreme Commander]] [[Jul 'Mdama]] on the [[Forerunner]] world of [[Kamchatka]].<ref name="osiris"/>

As Osiris battled their way to the structure, they arrived at 'Mdama's and Halsey's position on a balcony. Once they had a clear shot, Buck killed one of 'Mdama's [[Sangheili Zealot|Zealot]] guards with a [[Z-250 lightrifle]] and Locke charged towards 'Mdama to begin engaging the Supreme Commander in close-quarters combat. While Locke assassinated 'Mdama, Buck, Vale, and Tanaka eliminated the rest of the Sangheili on the platform. With Halsey recovered, Osiris and the doctor returned to UNSC ''Infinity''.<ref name="osiris"/>

{{Quote|You know, Locke… Every other Spartan… every soldier, when they hear about this… they're gonna hate us. You know that, right?|Edward Buck<ref name="glassed">'''Halo 5: Guardians''', campaign level ''[[Glassed (level)|Glassed]]''</ref>}}

Upon their return to ''Infinity'', Fireteam Osiris learned that [[SPARTAN-II program|Spartan-IIs]] [[John-117]], [[Kelly-087]], [[Linda-058]], and [[Fred-104]] of [[Blue Team]] traveled to the [[Outer Colony]] of [[Meridian]]—absent without leave—to investigate [[smart AI]] [[Cortana]]'s location. Osiris was tasked with embarking to the recently resettled and now independent Meridian to track down Blue Team and take them back to the UNSC. Fireteam Osiris arrived at the Meridian [[space elevator]]—[[Pinnacle Station]]—via Pelican, where they descended to the [[moon]]'s surface. Osiris quickly discovered that Meridian was also under attack from Promethean constructs and the moon's settlers were desperately attempting to fend off the invaders. Osiris agreed to help defend Meridian's settlers from the Prometheans in exchange for the cooperation of the colony's ''de facto'' leader, [[Governor]] [[Sloan]]. After destroying numerous Promethean constructs that were assaulting the outpost at the base of Pinnacle Station, the Spartans traveled to [[Meridian Station]], the lead settlement on the moon which the Prometheans were attempting to invade. However, Sloan was initially unwilling to give the Osiris access to the road that led to Meridian Station, fearing that the Prometheans would follow. However, the Spartans defeated the nearby Prometheans and Sloane eventually gave them access to the road in response. While on the way to the settlement, Osiris aided the settlers under attack at a nearby service garage upon Sloan's request. In exchange for their help, Sloan had his men give the Spartans one of the [[Liang Dortmund Corporation]]'s [[M820 Scorpion]]s to use against the Prometheans.<ref name="glassed"/>

As the Spartan-IIs prepared to travel through one last [[teleporter]] to reach the Guardian, Locke ordered them to stand down. The rest of Osiris was teleported to a higher platform, but John-117 ordered his own teammates to go through the portal ahead of him. When John refused to stand down and moved to follow his team, Locke attempted to detain him, leading to a hand-to-hand combat fight between the two while the rest of Osiris watched nearby. John eventually gained the upper hand and used Locke's own [[Armor restraint|armor-locking device]] against him. As John escaped through the portal and entered the Guardian, the massive construct began to activate and the floating platforms around Osiris began falling out of place and into the lava below. Freeing Locke, the four Spartans rushed back the way Blue Team came by traveling back to each platform via teleporter. While the rest of Osiris was just able to enter the last teleporter with little difficulty, Buck's jump was misplaced and he nearly fell off the platform, though Locke managed to help him through the teleporter just as the platform plummeted into the lava below.<ref name="unconfirmed"/> The Spartans were teleported to Meridian's surface, where the colony was already well into its evacuation as settlers rushed into the moon's space tether. As Osiris raced to the elevator to escape the ensuring damages that would be caused by the Guardian's activation, the construct rose out of the surface nearby. While en route to the elevator, the Spartans and the evacuating settlers were once again attacked by Prometheans. After eliminating the Prometheans near the base of the elevator, Sloan allowed Osiris to enter. Vale managed to have Sloan reveal that he was warned of the Guardian's activation by Cortana, and that he intended to be a part of the future Cortana was creating for humans and AI. Osiris destroyed the remaining Prometheans nearby and, after activating it, the fireteam began ascending the elevator. On the way to the elevator terminal, while engaging more Prometheans, the Guardian sent out a shockwave that heavy damaged the elevator. The Spartans were forced to climb the elevator as the structure slowly began to fall. Just as Osiris arrived at the platform their Pelican was on, the Guardian continued to send out more frequent shockwaves that slowed the Spartans down and caused the platform they were on to collapse. Osiris barely managed to enter the dropship and promptly left Meridian's atmosphere, as the Guardian entered slipspace and left the moon.<ref name="evacuation">'''Halo 5: Guardians''', campaign level ''[[Evacuation]]''</ref>

[[File:H5-EnemyLines-Buck.jpg|thumb|250px|Buck engaged in combat on Sanghelios]]

{{Quote|no=two|q1=That's twice.|Jameson Locke|q2=What, we're counting now?|Edward Buck|Locke and Buck, after the latter is nearly knocked out of the Pelican<ref name="sunaion">'''Halo 5: Guardians''', campaign level ''[[Battle of Sunaion]]''</ref>}}

With the Constructor, Halsey inputted her commands into it and the construct took off to activate the Guardian. However, the Guardian was located in the [[Csurdon Sea]] next to the city of [[Sunaion]], the last bastion of the Covenant on Sanghelios. The Arbiter's forces regrouped and prepared to attack the city to eliminate the Covenant and give Osiris a chance to board the Guardian.<ref name="before the storm">'''Halo 5: Guardians''', campaign level ''[[Before the Storm]]''</ref> Traveling to Sunaion with a group of air vehicles, the Spartans, the Arbiter, and several Swords of Sanghelios forces deployed on the ground and [[Battle of Sunaion|engaged]] Covenant soldiers. While the Arbiter led his forces against the Covenant directly, Osiris eliminated [[Type-56 Shrike|anti-air emplacements]] to allow the Arbiter's [[fleet]] to move in closer to the city. Unable to receive air support for transport to the Guardian, Osiris accessed Sunaion's undercity to travel towards the construct's location. As the Constructor activated the Guardian, more Promethean forces arrived at the battle and began engaging the Arbiter and his forces. When the Guardian began rising out of the water nearby and started to activate its shockwaves, the buildings around the Spartans began to fall apart. As the Spartans moved to safety, they encountered the Arbiter engaging Promethean forces. The five battled the onslaught of Prometheans, which were soon led by the Warden Eternal, now utilizing another physical body. After a lengthy engagement, the five defeated the Warden and the nearby Prometheans just as the Guardian prepared to leave. While the Arbiter remained behind to finish eliminating Covenant and Promethean forces, Palmer and Halsey picked up Osiris in the Pelican and flew towards the Guardian. A pursuing Covenant Banshee damaged the dropship, resulting in Buck nearly falling out of the Pelican with Locke preventing him from doing so. Palmer was able to fly close enough to the Guardian's surface to drop off Osiris just as the construct entered slipspace and left Sanghelios.<ref name="sunaion"/>

[[File:Halo 5 - Tanaka and Buck.jpg|thumb|250px|Buck and Tanaka, as Cortana teleports Blue Team after Osiris and the Spartan-IIs meet]]

{{Quote|no=two|q1=Edward Buck. You're an odd one. So much more experienced than the others. And yet you play second fiddle to children. Why is that?|Cortana|q2=Is she calling me old?|Edward Buck|Cortana fails to demoralize Buck<ref name="guardians">'''Halo 5: Guardians''', campaign level ''[[Guardians (level)|Guardians]]''</ref>}}