Kurt Ambrose: Difference between revisions

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Kurt Trevelyan was born on [[2511|October 19, 2511]] in [[Mira]], eventually growing up in [[Kuiper]] on [[Circumstance]].{{Ref/Reuse|journal}} When he was marked as physically and mentally superior by [[Catherine Halsey|Dr. Catherine Halsey]] in [[2517]], she had him abducted and sent to [[Reach]] to begin his Spartan training under [[Chief Petty Officer]] [[Franklin Mendez]]. As with the other candidates to become Spartans, he was replaced with a [[Flash cloning|flash clone]] that would appear to die of natural causes, just like all the other future Spartans replacements.

By early [[2526]], Green Team was composed of Kurt, [[Anton-044]], [[Malcolm-059]], and [[Solomon-069]]. On [[2526#March|March 5]] of that year, Kurt, his team, and eight other Spartans were organized into an assault squad led by John-117 with orders to board and capture [[Radiant Arrow|a]] [[Covenant frigate]] in orbit over the planet [[Netherop]]. To accomplish this, they were deployed from the {{UNSCShip|Starry Night}} for an [[Extra-vehicular activity|EVA]] [[Boarding|boarding action]].{{Ref/Novel|Id=HSS1|HSS|Chapter=1}} Using a flight of [[Elsedda-pattern Banshee|Banshee]]s for cover, the Spartans stealthily approached the alien vessel.{{Ref/Novel|Id=HSS2|HSS|Chapter=2}} They [[Skirmish over Netherop|boarded]] the frigate via its underslung hangar and eliminated the forces stationed there without the rest of crew realizing they had been boarded. As Green and Blue Teams pushed further into the alien vessel, John instructed [[Gold Team]] to collect weapons and corpses to be piled into the Banshees, which would then be pushed out into space for ONI to recover and study. Kurt and his team cleared the side compartments as Blue Team carefully made their way along the main corridor. It was going well, but as the eight Spartans continued on, a sensor operator one of the nearby [[prowler]]s "accidentally" broadcast a transmission on the Spartans' [[COM|SQUADCOM]], which revealed their presence to the frigate's crew. Unbeknownst to them, the crewman's apparent mistake was part of an [[insurrectionist]] plot designed by [[Lieutenant Commander]] [[Hector Nyeto]], intending to get the Spartans killed and remove the threat they posed to insurgents everywhere. With their presence on the vessel now known, the Spartans split up, with John leading his team to the bridge. Kurt led Green Team below in search of the [[Engineering|engineering deck]], where they would hopefully be able to disable the frigate. While on the way, they were met with resistance by [[Kig-Yar]] and [[Yanme'e]] warriors. When they reached the engineering deck, only the Yanme'e remained. John had been unable to prevent the frigate's [[shipmaster]] from activating a [[self-destruct]] sequence, forcing him to order all of his teammates to abandon ship immediately. All of the Spartans—including Kurt and his team —made it to safety before the ''Radiant Arrow'' detonated.{{Ref/Novel|Id=HSS3|HSS|Chapter=3}}

{{Main|Attack on Zhoist}}

Soon after, Kurt and Blue Team participated in an [[Extra-vehicular activity|extravehicular mission]] to investigate reported suspicious activity at [[Construction Platform 966A]]. During the mission, Kurt approached a ruptured [[Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine]] when his [[Thruster pack|T-PACK]] "malfunctioned", sending him spinning away into deep space. He was listed as [[missing in action]] and presumed dead. However, Kurt was recovered by ONI, which had manufactured the whole mission to allow Colonel James Ackerson to recruit the Spartan with new orders to train the next generation of SPARTANs. While his former identity as SPARTAN-051 remained as MIA, Kurt was given a new surname and an officer's commission, as [[Lieutenant, Junior Grade]].<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''page 59-64''</ref> Kurt Ambrose was then sent to the classified planet [[Onyx]] to train the SPARTAN-IIIs with CPO Mendez.<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''page 67-70''</ref> Over time, he was promoted for his successful efforts in training the new Spartans, having reached the rank of Lieutenant Commander by 2545.<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''page 13''</ref>

With Gamma Company, whom he came to regard as the "finest Spartans ever",{{Ref/Reuse|goo98}} Kurt secretly added a series of illegal drugs to the [[Project CHRYSANTHEMUM|augmentation procedures]] in order to heighten the Spartans' aggressive response, giving them a better chance of survival in battle. This was against the recommendations of Onyx's AI [[Deep Winter]], who was concerned with the Spartans' well-being.<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''page 108-109''</ref>

[[File:Ih onyx cover.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Kurt-051, in SPI armor, alongside Kelly-087 and another SPARTAN-II.{{Ref/Site|Id=CFFoundations|URL=https://www.halowaypoint.com/news/canon-fodder-foundations|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=Canon Fodder - Foundations|D=12|M=01|Y=2022}}]]

Before they proceeded further toward the "[[shield world]]" which, according to Dr. Halsey, held the Forerunner technologies they sought, Kurt confronted the doctor, realizing she was not telling the full truth behind her mission. After first inquiring Kurt about the specifics of the Spartan-IIIs' augmentations, Dr. Halsey revealed Kurt her true reasons behind her quest to Onyx; instead of recovering Forerunner technology, she intended to shelter the Spartans in the shield world inside Onyx's core, predicting that the UNSC would lose the war.<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''page 341-343''</ref> Despite this revelation, Kurt decided they continue inside the core room, retrieve any useful technologies and then escape. In case they failed, they could use the pair of [[FENRIS nuclear warhead]]s they had brought with them to ensure the technology did not fall into Covenant hands.<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''page 345''</ref>

Kurt died in the end as a brilliant commander in the eyes of those he had known, and as a noble hero who cared deeply for his SPARTAN-IIIs and SPARTAN-IIs as comrades and friends, John-117 included. After the conclusion of the [[Human-Covenant War]] in 2553, his still-intact Spartan armor transponder was detected by the {{UNSCShip|Glamorgan}} in the debris field that was formerly Onyx, leading to the rescue of remaining UNSC personnel in the shield world.<ref>'''Halo: Glasslands''', ''page 47''</ref> In honor of Kurt, Dr. Halsey, with [[Admiral]] [[Margaret Orlenda Parangosky|Parangosky]]'s approval, named the micro Dyson sphere "[[Trevelyan|ONI Research Facility Trevelyan]]". At first, Chief Mendez suggested using the name "Ambrose", but Halsey opted that they use Kurt's real name.<ref>'''Halo: Glasslands''', ''page 372''</ref>

*"Ambrose", the pseudonym assigned to Kurt by Ackerson, comes from the late Latin name Ambrosius, which was derived from the Greek name Αμβρόσιος (Αmbrosios) meaning "immortal"; this could reference the fact that Spartans are never marked as KIA in an attempt to uphold the belief that Spartans never die. This is appropriate, as his last words were, ''"Die? Didn't you know? Spartans never die."'' From a real-world perspective, Kurt was likely named in honor of the late [[Wikipedia:Stephen Ambrose|Stephen Ambrose]], the author of the historical biography ''Band of Brothers'', which was later adapted into an [[Wikipedia:Band of Brothers (TV miniseries)|HBO miniseries]]. The name of the camp where Kurt trained the SPARTAN-IIIs, [[Camp Currahee]], is a reference to ''Band of Brothers''.

*Kurt and [[Jorge-052]] were the only SPARTAN-IIs known to have been involved in the SPARTAN-III program. Coincidentally, both sacrifice themselves and their Spartan tags are consecutive integers.