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{{Era|HE}}
{{Status|Canon}}
{{Ratings}}
{{Outdated|[[Halo: Spartan Strike]]}}
{{References}}
{{Center|"Headhunter" and "Headhunters" redirect here. For the [[Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe|Halo: Evolutions]] story, see [[Headhunters (short story)]]. For other uses, see [[Headhunter (disambiguation)]].}}
{{Military infobox
|unit_name=Headhunters
|image=[[File:Newspartan3s.jpg|300px|A lineup of several Headhunters; Jonah and Roland are in the middle.]]
|dates=
|country=
|affiliation= [[United Nations Space Command]]
|branch=*[[UNSC Navy]] {{C|formerly}}
**[[UNSC Special Forces|Naval Special Warfare Command]]
***[[SPARTAN-III program]]
*[[Spartan Operations|Spartan Operations]]
|type=Special operations infantry
|role=Sabotage, reconnaissance
|size=Up to six two-man teams
|garrison=[[Onyx]]
|equipment=[[Semi-Powered Infiltration armor]]
}}
{{Article quote|But even among this collection of steadfast soldiers there were a select few with a bond deeper than the others could ever begin to imagine, as these unique IIIs were a secret even to their peers.<ref>'''Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe''', "Headhunters", ''page 159''</ref>}}  


<center>''For other uses, see [[Headhunters (disambiguation)]].''</center>
The '''Headhunters''' are a covert group of [[Spartan-III]] special operations squads, later reorganized to include [[Spartan-IV]] operatives as well.<ref name="canonfodder">[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/news/canon-fodder-have-s-moa '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Canon Fodder: Have S'moa'']</ref> Two Headhunter teams participated in a failed mission on an [[Unidentified moon (Headhunters)|unidentified Covenant-occupied moon]], with notable members including [[Jonah-B283]] and [[Roland-B210]].<ref>'''Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe''', "Headhunters" ; '''Volume 1''', ''pages 205-206''</ref>
'''Headhunters''' is a short story in [[Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe]], a collection of short stories by a number of authors. It tells the story of a specialist team of [[SPARTAN-III]]s, mainly [[Roland (Spartan)|Roland]] and [[Jonah]], two top echelon elite [[SPARTAN-III]]s who are selected by [[Office of Naval Intelligence|ONI]] for a special branch under the [[Beta-5 Division]]. Headhunters is written by Jonathan Goff. <ref>[[Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe]]</ref>


==Story Synopsis==
==Background==
The story focuses on the ghost-like Spartan-IIIs codenamed "Headhunters" in their top secret missions, and also shows a contrast between the openly celebrated [[SPARTAN-II]]s and the highly-classified unknown secretive force of [[SPARTAN-III]]s in that only ONI Section Three operatives know of their glories and failures. The characters and their close bond is revealed throughout the story, with entertaining and engaging dialogue between the central characters.
Only Spartan-IIIs who had survived two or more specially assigned training missions would be evaluated for induction into the Headhunters. Once an overall list of potential candidates was compiled, each soldier's personal files and mission reports were analyzed against a set series of parameters calculated by the top [[Office of Naval Intelligence]] specialists within the [[Beta-5 Division]]. Once selected, candidates were separated from their fellow Spartans and shipped to a special training facility on the far side of [[Onyx]]. After three months, the soldiers were broken into four two-person teams. These teams were chosen through a series of detailed evaluations and an intense interview process meant to devise the best possible pairings between members of the group.


The Headhunters are a top-secret group of unique IIIs that were "a secret, even to their peers" sent on top secret missions. Individuals had to survive two or more specially assigned training missions before being evaluated in the additional, grueling training regimen (seven months of supervised field exercises, followed by six months real-world wartime insertions). At the program's height there was a maximum contingent of six squads - six teams, with a total of seventeen soldiers rotating in to fill gaps when half or all of a team was lost in the field. Fireteams are comprised of two headhunters, initially paired via exhaustive interviews and ONI profiling. Jonah and Roland have excellent compatibility with 97.36 percent - only one other pair scored higher.
For the next two years, the Headhunters would go through seven months of supervised field exercises, followed by six months of real-world wartime insertions. These Spartan-IIIs would then perform missions far behind enemy lines and would likely die in combat. At the height of the program there was a maximum contingent of six squads — six teams with a total of seventeen soldiers rotating in to fill gaps when one or both members of a team were lost.<ref>'''Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe''', "Headhunters" ; '''Volume 1''', ''pages 207-208''</ref>


The story continues with an explanation of the gear Roland and Jonah have, and then finally the story begins as they stealthily recon, infiltrate, and rig a Covenant digging site on a remote planet. Roland and Jonah sneak past a perched Kig-Yar sniper, and into the outskirts of the camp, using [[Visual Intelligence System, Reconnaissance|VISR]] mode to help navigate and to look out for cloaked Elites. After gathering intel for two days, they make way. Roland, with an experimental active camouflage module on his armor, will be rigging the reactors in the base to blow while Jonah begins to hunt and kill Covenant in the camp. Other new equipment featured in the story comes in the form of an [[Energy Disruptor]], a device that disables the Covenant's plasma weapons and energy shields (those of personal armor systems as well as force-field doors in the camp). Jonah uses one of his several disruptors to attack and confront a group of [[Unggoy|Grunts]], [[Kig-Yar|Jackals]], and [[Sangheili|Elites]].
The Headhunter program remains active following the [[Human-Covenant War]], although changes to its structure have been made. [[Spartan Operations]] and ONI maintain a selective list of Spartan-III and [[Spartan-IV]] supersoldiers who may be deployed on highly classified missions, whether in two-person teams ("BINARY") or as single operatives ("LONEWOLF").{{Ref/Reuse|canonfodder}}


After Roland has set the charges using his av-cam, he meets Jonah on the other side of the camp as Jonah is about to battle his enemies, having just sliced off a dead Elite's head to taunt the enemy. Together, they kill the Covenant guards. Jonah disables the last Elite with two shots to the Elite's kneecaps. After some brief questioning, Jonah stabs the Elite in the neck, and then unloads an entire clip from his pistol into the corpse.
==Equipment==
During the [[Human-Covenant War]], at least two Headhunters wore a more advanced version of the standard-issue [[Semi-Powered Infiltration armor]] used by most Spartan-IIIs. This armor included [[motion tracker]]s, [[energy shielding]], [[Visual Intelligence System, Reconnaissance|VISR]] technology, and a prototype [[active camouflage]] module. The active camouflage system could be sustained for only three-and-a-half to four minutes and diverted power from other systems while it recharged.<ref>'''Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe''', "Headhunters" ; '''Volume 1''', ''page 212''</ref>


Despite the duo being among the best of the best, they are caught off-guard by a squad of cloaked Elites, and Roland is killed by a new type of [[Energy Sword]] with a blood-red blade held by a [[Spec Ops Elite]] wearing highly customized armor, and Jonah is surrounded by several other similarly-clad Elites. He is attacked and severely injured, but is still able to release the trigger for the explosives. The Covenant camp is vaporized, along with Jonah and the Elites.
Following the war, the [[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor (GEN2)|Mjolnir [GEN2]]] [[WAR MASTER-class Mjolnir|WAR MASTER]] variant became the ''de facto'' standard among Spartan-IV Headhunters,<ref>''Halo 5: Guardians'' War Master armor description</ref> with the [[WRATH-class Mjolnir|WRATH]] variant developed to be specifically tailored to the needs of future Headhunter teams.<ref>''Halo 5: Guardians'' Wrath armor description</ref>
 
==Known Headhunters==
*[[Jonah-B283]]
*[[Jun-A266]]<ref>[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/characters/jun-a266 '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Jun-A266'']</ref>
*[[Kevin-A282]]
*[[Hazel-A302]]
*[[Naiya Ray]]<ref name="osfm">''[[Halo: Official Spartan Field Manual]]'', p. 113</ref>
*[[Roland-B210]]
*[[Unidentified Headhunter]]
*[[Unidentified Headhunter 2]]
*An unidentified Headhunter that was captured and tortured by [[Inka 'Saham]].{{Ref/Game|Id=Target01|HINF|[[High Value Target]] dossier, Inka 'Saham}}
 
==Non-canon and dubious canon appearances==
===Silver Timeline===
{{Main|Silver Timeline}}
Prior to [[Operation: DEFIANT GLASS]], [[Vannak-134/Silver|Vannak-134]] was flagged for Headhunter assignment after the operation was complete.{{Ref/Site|Id=HTVDCHCW0|URL=https://halotheseries.tv/|Site=Halo: The Series|Page=Dr. Catherine Halsey's Computer|Detail=Week 0|D=25|M=3|Y=2022|LocalArchive=Dr._Catherine_Halsey's_Computer}} This ultimately never happened after [[STOLEN GAUNTLET]] was enacted due to [[John-117/Silver|John-117]].{{Ref/Site|Id=HTVDCHCW1|URL=https://halotheseries.tv/|Site=Halo: The Series|Page=Dr. Catherine Halsey's Computer|Detail=Week 1|D=25|M=3|Y=2022|LocalArchive=Dr._Catherine_Halsey's_Computer}}
 
==Trivia==
The concept of the Headhunters is similar to that of the [[SPARTAN-II program]]'s [[Black Team|Black]] and [[Gray Team]]s. All three groups are separated from their fellow Spartans and are sent far behind enemy lines for special covert operations. The Headhunters were a secret even to their peers, though the Spartan-IIs were aware of Black and Gray Teams' existence at one point or another.
 
==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Headhunters.png|Roland and Jonah during a mission on an unidentified moon in ''[[Headhunters (story)|Headhunters]]''.
File:Spivariant.jpg|Jonah and Roland stand back-to-back while fighting Covenant forces.
File:Evo Headhunters Post.jpg|Officially endorsed fan art of Jonah and Roland.
File:HSS-WarMaster1.png|A Headhunter in ''[[Halo: Spartan Strike]]''
</gallery>
 
==List of appearances==
*''[[Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe]]''
**''[[Headhunters (short story)|Headhunters]]'' {{1st}}
*''[[Halo: Spartan Strike]]''
*''[[Halo 5: Guardians]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo Mythos]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: Official Spartan Field Manual]]''
*''[[Halo Infinite]]'' {{Mo}}


==Sources==
==Sources==
<references/>
{{Ref/Sources}}
{{Books}}
 
{{SPARTAN Teams}}
{{SpartanPrograms}}
 
[[Category:SPARTAN-III teams]]
[[Category:SPARTAN-IV teams]]

Revision as of 21:51, April 10, 2024

Help.png
 This article is no longer up to date and needs to be updated with new information from Halo: Spartan Strike. You can help by updating this article.
"Headhunter" and "Headhunters" redirect here. For the Halo: Evolutions story, see Headhunters (short story). For other uses, see Headhunter (disambiguation).
Headhunters
A lineup of several Headhunters; Jonah and Roland are in the middle.

Affiliation:

United Nations Space Command

Branch:

Type:

Special operations infantry

Role:

Sabotage, reconnaissance

Size:

Up to six two-man teams

 
“ But even among this collection of steadfast soldiers there were a select few with a bond deeper than the others could ever begin to imagine, as these unique IIIs were a secret even to their peers.[1] ”

The Headhunters are a covert group of Spartan-III special operations squads, later reorganized to include Spartan-IV operatives as well.[2] Two Headhunter teams participated in a failed mission on an unidentified Covenant-occupied moon, with notable members including Jonah-B283 and Roland-B210.[3]

Background

Only Spartan-IIIs who had survived two or more specially assigned training missions would be evaluated for induction into the Headhunters. Once an overall list of potential candidates was compiled, each soldier's personal files and mission reports were analyzed against a set series of parameters calculated by the top Office of Naval Intelligence specialists within the Beta-5 Division. Once selected, candidates were separated from their fellow Spartans and shipped to a special training facility on the far side of Onyx. After three months, the soldiers were broken into four two-person teams. These teams were chosen through a series of detailed evaluations and an intense interview process meant to devise the best possible pairings between members of the group.

For the next two years, the Headhunters would go through seven months of supervised field exercises, followed by six months of real-world wartime insertions. These Spartan-IIIs would then perform missions far behind enemy lines and would likely die in combat. At the height of the program there was a maximum contingent of six squads — six teams with a total of seventeen soldiers rotating in to fill gaps when one or both members of a team were lost.[4]

The Headhunter program remains active following the Human-Covenant War, although changes to its structure have been made. Spartan Operations and ONI maintain a selective list of Spartan-III and Spartan-IV supersoldiers who may be deployed on highly classified missions, whether in two-person teams ("BINARY") or as single operatives ("LONEWOLF").[2]

Equipment

During the Human-Covenant War, at least two Headhunters wore a more advanced version of the standard-issue Semi-Powered Infiltration armor used by most Spartan-IIIs. This armor included motion trackers, energy shielding, VISR technology, and a prototype active camouflage module. The active camouflage system could be sustained for only three-and-a-half to four minutes and diverted power from other systems while it recharged.[5]

Following the war, the Mjolnir [GEN2] WAR MASTER variant became the de facto standard among Spartan-IV Headhunters,[6] with the WRATH variant developed to be specifically tailored to the needs of future Headhunter teams.[7]

Known Headhunters

Non-canon and dubious canon appearances

Silver Timeline

Main article: Silver Timeline

Prior to Operation: DEFIANT GLASS, Vannak-134 was flagged for Headhunter assignment after the operation was complete.[11] This ultimately never happened after STOLEN GAUNTLET was enacted due to John-117.[12]

Trivia

The concept of the Headhunters is similar to that of the SPARTAN-II program's Black and Gray Teams. All three groups are separated from their fellow Spartans and are sent far behind enemy lines for special covert operations. The Headhunters were a secret even to their peers, though the Spartan-IIs were aware of Black and Gray Teams' existence at one point or another.

Gallery

  • Roland and Jonah during a mission on an unidentified moon in Headhunters.

    Roland and Jonah during a mission on an unidentified moon in Headhunters.

  • Jonah and Roland stand back-to-back while fighting Covenant forces.

    Jonah and Roland stand back-to-back while fighting Covenant forces.

  • Officially endorsed fan art of Jonah and Roland.

    Officially endorsed fan art of Jonah and Roland.

  • A Headhunter in Halo: Spartan Strike

    A Headhunter in Halo: Spartan Strike

List of appearances

Sources

  1. ^ Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe, "Headhunters", page 159
  2. ^ a b Halo Waypoint: Canon Fodder: Have S'moa
  3. ^ Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe, "Headhunters" ; Volume 1, pages 205-206
  4. ^ Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe, "Headhunters" ; Volume 1, pages 207-208
  5. ^ Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe, "Headhunters" ; Volume 1, page 212
  6. ^ Halo 5: Guardians War Master armor description
  7. ^ Halo 5: Guardians Wrath armor description
  8. ^ Halo Waypoint: Jun-A266
  9. ^ Halo: Official Spartan Field Manual, p. 113
  10. ^ Halo Infinite, High Value Target dossier, Inka 'Saham
  11. ^ Halo: The Series, Dr. Catherine Halsey's Computer: Week 0 (Retrieved on Mar 25, 2022) [local archive] [external archive]
  12. ^ Halo: The Series, Dr. Catherine Halsey's Computer: Week 1 (Retrieved on Mar 25, 2022) [local archive] [external archive]

v • d • e
 
Units of the SPARTAN programs
Supervision
Generations
SPARTAN-II
Naval Special Weapons: Blue • Gold • Green • Red (Alpha • Beta • Gamma • Delta) • Omega • Silver • Yellow
Naval Intelligence: Black • Gray
SPARTAN-III
Training companies: Alpha • Beta • Gamma • Delta
Alpha: Wolf Pack
Beta: Echo • Foxtrot • India • Lima • Romeo • X-ray
Gamma Company: Gladius • Katana • Saber
Non-company units: Anchor • Echo • Gauntlet • Headhunters • NOBLE • Red • Strident
SPARTAN-IV
Alpha-Nine • Apex • Apollo • Avalanche • Bailey • Castle • Cerberus • Crimson • Colossus • Dagger • Domino • Eagle • Ferret • Fenrir • Forest • Grizzly • Hellhound • Horse • Hydra • Ivy • Intrepid • Jackknife • Jorogumo • Kodiak • Lancer • Leviathan • Majestic • Mako • Osiris • Phoenix • Rhino • Shadow • Stingray • Switchback • Sword • Sydney • Talon • Taurus • Tower • Venom • Windfall • Wolf
Joint units
Unified Special Warfare: NOBLE Team (c. 2545-2552)
Naval Special Weapons: Blue Team (2552-2553)
Naval Intelligence: Kilo-Five (2553) • Ferrets (2553)
Marine Corps: Gypsy Company (2557) • Mountain Squad (2558)
Unknown
Italics denote that a unit has been destroyed or disbanded, or that its whereabouts are unknown.

v • d • e
 
The SPARTAN programs and related topics
Training and protocol
Technology
Non-UNSC super soldiers
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