Commander Prime:

Greg Baroni

Biography:

Hyperion was a gentle, loyal man at around his family back home on Earth. To outsiders, he took

on the persona of a rogue warrior, not wanting to risk giving his trust to someone whom he believed may

betray it. However, those who could gain his faith quickly discovered that there was no end to his

devotion; Hyperion’s friends and family saw him as protective, and believed nothing existed that could

prevent him from defending those he loved.

When the conflict with the Covenant was still at its early stages, he enlisted in the UNSC in order

to do everything he could to keep his family from harm. He immediately excelled in combat due to his

incredible focus and the phenomenal agility his massive frame possessed, but his defiance towards his

superior officers’ verbal degradation of his comrades spurred several incidents, including one physical

altercation where he threw his drill sergeant through a wall out of a barracks. In spite of his audacity in the

face of authority, “The Dagger” possessed skills that were second-none and word of him swiftly spread

throughout the ranks. It quickly grabbed the attention of the Spartan Program’s chair, Doctor Halsey. She

was fascinated by his innate proficiency with a blade and skill with a sniper rifle. This prompted her to

contact Mirage, the program’s elite commando unit specializing in covert operations. They quickly offered

him a spot on the team. Hyperion was initially against the move, however, he elected to withhold his

decision until after having an opportunity to train and speak with other members of the team.

When he did so, he came away thoroughly impressed. The Commander of Mirage, Spartan

F105: Sarpedon Archigos, was more of a father figure to the unit then an authority figure. He was a bold

leader who stressed the importance of family and encouraged the troop to collectively culture its

humanity, that is, “those qualities make us human”. He urged his troops to maintain the relationships they

had back home, and during times of peace, “Thunder Chief” would return home to Greece to be with his

family, and even would host a dinner for the group whenever it was convenient for the other members.

Archigos welcomed the potential recruit and took him under his wing, and his emphasis on his men and

women maintaining their lives outside of warfare hit home with Hyperion. The other five soldiers made an

equally lasting impression. Spartan B52D Duncan Clarke was a hulking individual and the enforcer of the

unit yet his humorous demeanor could liven up even the dullest situations. Spartans K96 and R96,

Kendall and Ryan Goetzenberger, were respectively female and male twins whose specialty was

reconnaissance and infiltration; when the duo was not bickering, they were the most lethally precise tag-

team the UNSC had to offer. Spartan I495 Hannah Evans was a reserved girl and the youngest in the

squad; she specialized in gathering intelligence and long range eliminations. The two got along well.

Finally, there was Spartan PR01 Wanderlei Silva the silent mercenary; “Wand” was almost bipolar, he

was absolutely ferocious in combat but mild-mannered off of the battlefield, at least after you earned his

respect.

Hyperion was taken aback by the Mirage, the cohesion within the unit flowed from their combat

expertise into their personal lives. As soon as he reported back to Halsey, he accepted the invitation to

the Spartan program.

However, Halsey had other plans in mind for the soldier. Being an above top secret classification,

the biomedical procedures utilized by the Spartan program were not disclosed to the public; Hyperion did

not have a chance to review the process before undergoing the treatment. Halsey took advantage of his

trust. After undergoing the sedation, Halsey did not simply administer the standard serum for the Spartan

IV. In her pursuit of creating the perfect soldier, she reverse engineered the technology derived from the

Composer during an undisclosed visit to Installation 3. She simulated a procedure known as a “Brevet

Mutation” for the unsuspecting soldier, which is an accelerated evolution of one’s physical nature.

However, Brevet Mutation requires a host in order to be performed successfully. Since no host existed for

a human of his immense size, Halsey would have to use a virtual simulation derived from the holographic

technology used by the UNSC. Due to the complexity of the process, she was constrained by the human

body’s organic limitations; the smaller bones in his body would grotesquely mutate beyond any organic

means of repair. Her solution was nothing short of brilliant. The Doctor ran the simulation for Hyperion’s

entire body under ideal conditions in order to gain vision of how he should appear following a flawless

Brevet Mutation. From this, she used the model to develop a state-of-the-art biomechanical chasse that

would function as a permanent mechanical “extension” of Hyperion’s body. Her means of transitioning his

body to a biomechanical state was nothing short of disturbing. Before he would undergo the Brevet

Mutation, she would expose his limbs, which she found were unable to survive the procedure and had

deemed “unnecessary”, to concentrated energy from the Composer. This extension would attach to and

seamlessly bond with his organic body upon his partial composition. The chasse would then be able to

bond with a unique set of armor derived directly from Promethean origin. Her only issue was how to

power this procedure. She accomplished this by transporting the unconscious soldier directly to

Installation 3, and the Composer itself. Drawing from the power of the machine, she partially composed

Hyperion.

*To be continued*

Note: I had initially had his biography mapped out to tie in to the trilogy in a relatively interesting way. He

was to have taken a “forgotten, slumbering soldier” role. Wherein he would have been found and

awakened in a similar manner the way Sentinel Prime was discovered in Transformers: Dark of the Moon.

However, in lieu of certain events occurring in Halo 4’s “Spartan Ops”, a game mode with a script set after

the plot of Halo 4, I elected to change the end of his biography. In doing so, I end up holding off until the

series runs its course. However, the developments are very intriguing and really flesh out a lot of the lore

of the franchise; I think it would only benefit the plot if such changes are made

Visual Inspiration:

Venator Armor

The Didact (Main Villain) – Prime’s armor will have an angular, sharper look.

Fotus Armor

Optimus Prime Guns

Optimus Prime Helmet/Faceplate

Armor Design

Trademark Weapon: Black swords that extend from his wrists

Sentinel Prime –Royal Look

His armor is slightly luminous – changes based on “intensity”

Personality Inspiration:

Optimus Prime – Autobot Leader Pyrrhus/Neoptolemus – Son of Achilles Master Chief – Protagonist of the entire Halo saga The Didact – Antagonist of the “Reclaimer Trilogy” of the Halo saga Mirage/Jun – He is created for war, an assassin by design, and a guardian by nature. Soujiro Seta – Supporting antagonist of the show “Rurouni Kenshin (a.k.a. Samurai X)” Kenshin Himura – Protagonist of the show “Rurouni Kenshin (a.k.a. Samurai X)” Mufasa – Simba’s wise father in “The Lion King” Hyperion – Greek Titan of Light

Traits:

- Relatively quiet during combat- Extraordinarily protective- Somewhat of an introvert- Supremely loyal to what he believes is right and just- For all the physical pain he has endured, Prime has undergone that much more emotional

suffering- The typical hierarchy of authority in all societies is entirely nonexistent to him- Prioritizes based on his own agenda- As the game proceeds, his pessimism will alter to optimism as he regains faith in humanity and

life as whole- Heroic- Unparalleled in combat ability with all except the Didact- Kind-

Script Sample:

The deck stands in silence, looking on at the massive Commander Prime as the gravity of his

words bites into their nerves like an arctic wind. The head scientist of the UNSC, Dr. Catherine

Halsey, rises and addresses the broad shouldered warrior.

[HALSEY]: What do you mean, “won’t fight”?

*Menacingly*

[PRIME]: You know damn well what it means Doctor.

Every crew member on the bridge of the United Nation Space Command (UNSC) starship,

Infinity, has turned from their positions and now watches the warrior in disbelief. Even Andrew

Del Rio, the Infinity’s outspoken Captain, is momentarily speechless. Mankind’s last hope for

survival is refusing to fight.

Halsey stands up and paces from an elevated command deck, she is looking down on

Commander Prime, a feat in and of itself.

*in an exceedingly patronizing tone*

[HALSEY]: You seemed to have no issue serving back before the fall of Reach, when the battles

were easier, why the sudden conscience, Prime?

[PRIME]: I don’t have a conscience anymore, Halsey

The Doctor is taken aback by the statement, and is mildly offended by it. She begins angrily.

[HALSEY]: Oh, how s-

*violently*

[PRIME]: YOU TOOK IT!

His luminous, inferno red armor seems to pulsate with raw fury. All on the deck are entirely

floored by the statement, and do not dare to interject. Master Chief glances over at the Arbiter,

who returns the look of concern; they both subtly moved back from Prime, who had his visage

fixed intently on Doctor Halsey. They silently ready their weapons, just in case. Prime continues.

[PRIME]: You took the entirety of my humanity and obliterated it when you condemned me to

life in a mechanical body which is nothing but a means of death and destruction.

The eyes of all in the room widen, glinting with awe and fear as he spoke. He breaks his violent

stare and looks towards the Earth, glowing in majesty from the bridge of the orbiting Infinity.

[PRIME]: When he coined the term in ancient times, Cicero defined ‘humanity’ as ‘the qualities

that make us human’. But what of these do I possess anymore?

Without breaking his stare, he gestures towards Chief (at least to his right, where Chief had

been, so it is implied that Prime is referring to him).

[PRIME]: Once this war is over, what place will its masters have in human society? Do you

expect a culture to simply embrace death bringers like us as though the carnage never

happened? People have already seen what your soldiers are capable of, and such memories will

haunt us the rest of our days. Don’t think that we have never thought about what we will say to

our future wives, or our children, when it inevitably comes time for them to know of our past.

Did you ever consider how that may change how they look at us, love us? You never considered

the scope of your actions Doctor.

*She smirks, and processes the Commander’s words*

[HALSEY]: If I do recall, Hyperion, you chose to enlist in my Spartan program.

An unforgiving look on his face, Prime calmly holds out his right arm, and angling it to show his

forearm, begins to undress the configuration from below the elbow.

[PRIME]: Even the Spartans were humans, Halsey. I joined your program because it was my

duty to defend my family, my species, my world. Now, the Earth is corrupt, my family is dead,

and I am no longer a part of the human species.

The metallic plates shift and contort, freeing his arm. He then removes the shell; once this piece

loses contact with his forearm, its luminosity fades to a dull, ruby sheen. The rest of the deck

looks on in horror.

[PRIME]: Now, my previous desire is irrelevant; I am nothing more than a machine.

The arm of Commander Prime is contoured, its silver plating reflected light like the chrome

smokestacks on an 18 wheeler. It looks exactly like that possessed by a healthy human, except it

(obviously) is not genuine. As the massive soldier moves his arm, one would be hard pressed to

spot a deficiency outside of the coloration.

Master Chief observes the arm from his position and notices many a similarity in its construction

to the build of the Promethean Knights.

*to himself*

[CHIEF]: I wonder if that’s purely a coincidence.

He places his arm back in the armor. The plates shift to their locked-in configuration, after

which, the piece regains its glow.

[PRIME]: From the neck down, you made my body into a science experiment. I will not serve

those who are willing to support such endeavors and moreover, cannot campaign a cause that I

can no longer be part of. My decision is final.

He pauses, and surveys the room. Then turns his back to the audience, pausing again as he is

about to leave.

[PRIME]: There is nothing anyone can do to change it.

Captain Del Rio has stood silent long enough. He is clearly unnerved, and angry. “

[DEL RIO]: Is that a threat, soldier!?”

He marches towards Prime. The response from the warrior literally shakes the room, as though

a small tremor opened up on the bridge of the Infinity. The frames of time will to slow to almost

to a halt as this scene unfolds. Commander Prime wheels around, grabbing the Captain by the

throat with his right arm and slams him into the wall of the exit corridor. Holding him there

effortlessly, Prime extends the ominous, black blade attached to his armor at the wrist and

presses its hard, merciless surface against the warm skin of the struggling man’s throat. The

Captain freezes, not daring to breathe, much less move. Prime leans in closely.

*in a low, foreboding whisper*

[PRIME]: Is that a challenge?

Future Plans:

Capstone Preview of action scene I am going to write for him, directly inspired by this:

- The Didact’s abilities and moreover, power level, will be comparable to Rayquaza (the green dragon) in the video; the Arbiter, Commander Prime and Master Chief will have to team up if they want to stand a chance.

- Commander Prime‘s fighting style will reflect elements from Tyranitar (light green, bulky), Salamence (teal, red wings) and Lucario’s (smallest, blue and black) combat abilities from the video. Obviously, he will not be able to open his mouth and use flamethrower or something. However, his signature attack will be a charged up pulse beam that he can fire from his visor, it will look extremely like “dark pulse”, the purple beam that Tyranitar uses towards the middle of the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rtl1eNRgLJY