Editing Alpha-Nine

{{Status|Canon}}
{{Military infobox
|image=[[File:HBB - Alpha-Nine.jpg|300px]]
|formed=[[2546]] - [[2555]], [[2558]] - present
|affiliation=[[United Nations Space Command]]
|branch=*[[UNSC Marine Corps]]
*[[Spartan Operations|Spartan]] {{C|Post-war}}
|type=*[[Orbital Drop Shock Troopers]]
*[[SPARTAN-IV program|SPARTAN-IV]]s {{C|Post-war}}
|role=
|size=*Five ODSTs {{C|2546-2554}}
**One ONI officer ''(operational command, various)''
*Three SPARTAN-IVs {{C|2554-2555}}
*Five SPARTAN-IVs {{C|2558 - present}}
|nicknames=
|battles=*[[Human-Covenant war]]
**[[Battle of Sargasso]]
**[[Fall of Reach]]
***[[Siege of New Alexandria]]
**[[Battle of Mombasa]]
***[[Operation: BUMRUSH]]
**[[Operation: JOINT MONITOR]]
*[[Post-Covenant War conflicts]]
**[[Draco III rebellion]]
**[[Operation: COALPEPPER]]
**[[Created conflict]]
***[[Battle of Balaho]]
***[[Mission to Luna]]
***[[Skirmish on the Spartan-IV training station]]
***[[Battle of Cassidy III]]
|commanders=*[[Spartan]] [[Edward Buck]]
*[[Captain (Navy)|Captain]] [[Veronica Dare]] ''(operational command, various)''
}}

'''Alpha-Nine''' is a small [[fireteam]] of [[Spartan-IV]] supersoldiers under the command of [[Spartan]] [[Edward Buck]].<ref name="Bad Blood">'''[[Halo: Bad Blood]]'''</ref> Formerly a small team of [[UNSC Marine Corps|UNSC Marine]] [[Orbital Drop Shock Troopers]],<ref>[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/tech/superintendent '''Waypoint''': ''Superintendent'']</ref> the team's roster changed drastically over the [[Human-Covenant War]] and the [[Post-Covenant War conflicts|post-war era]], with the remnants eventually becoming [[SPARTAN-IV program|Spartan-IV]] supersoldiers within a single fireteam. After [[Operation: COALPEPPER]], the team was disbanded and the remaining active members reassigned to other locations.<ref name="New Blood">'''[[Halo: New Blood]]'''</ref> Following the outbreak of the [[Created conflict]], the scattered members of Alpha-Nine were reunited to help combat the new threat.{{Ref/Reuse|Bad Blood}}

==Squad roster==
*'''[[Spartan]] [[Edward Buck]]''' {{c|formerly Gunnery Sergeant}} - Squad [[commanding officer|CO]] until the team's initiation into the [[SPARTAN-IV program]] in [[2554]] and reassigned to [[Fireteam Osiris]] by [[2558]]. Reinstated in late 2558. Married to teammate Veronica Dare.
*'''[[Spartan]] [[Taylor Miles|Taylor "Dutch" Miles]]''' {{C|formerly Corporal}} - The team's heavy weapons specialist until retirement in 2554. Came out of retirement by 2558 and reinstated. Married to teammate Gretchen Ketola.
*'''[[Spartan]] [[Kojo Agu|Kojo "Romeo" Agu]]''' {{c|formerly Lance Corporal}} - The squad's marksman until reassignment before 2558. Reinstated in late 2558.
*'''[[Spartan]] [[Michael Crespo|Michael "Mickey" Crespo]]''' {{c|formerly Private First Class}} - The squad's explosive ordnance expert and unofficial pilot. Defected to the [[United Rebel Front]] and incarcerated after [[Operation: COALPEPPER]] in [[2555]], but reinstated during squad's reformation as of 2558. 
*'''[[Spartan]] [[Gretchen Ketola]]''' - A former Marine who served with Miles and Agu until discharge by [[2552]]. Newest team member as a [[SPARTAN-IV]] as of late 2558. Married to teammate Taylor Miles.
'''Affiliates'''
*'''[[Captain (Navy)|Captain]] [[Veronica Dare]]''' - An [[Office of Naval Intelligence]] operative who assumed operational command of the squad for ONI's purposes on several occasions. Married to teammate Edward Buck.
'''Former'''
*'''[[Baruti Komen|Baruti "Gramps" Komen]]''' - The oldest member until his death during the [[Fall of Reach]]. {{c|deceased}}
*'''[[Gomez (ODST)|"Gogo" Gomez]]''' - One of the original members. Served during the [[Battle of Sargasso]]. {{c|deceased}}
*'''[[Lance Corporal]] [[Rookie|J.D. "Rookie"]]''' - The newest member of the squad by the [[Battle for Earth]]. Killed during the [[Draco III rebellion]]. {{c|deceased}}
*'''[[Svensdottir|"Daughter" Svensdottir]]''' - One of the original members. Served during the Battle of Sargasso. {{c|deceased}}
*'''[[Samrat|"Sam" Samrat]]''' - One of the original members. Served during the Battle of Sargasso. {{c|deceased}}

==History==
===Human-Covenant war===
====Battle of Sargasso====
{{Main|Battle of Sargasso}}
During the battle on [[Sargasso]], ONI tasked Alpha-Nine—then composed of Buck, [[Gomez (ODST)|Gomez]], [[Svensdottir]] and [[Samrat]]—with retrieving [[Lethbridge Industrial]]'s research data before the Covenant did.<ref>'''[[Halo: New Blood]]''', ''page 25''</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 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 [[Unidentified UNSC military base|base]] in a civilian truck.<ref>'''Halo: New Blood''', ''pages 38-44''</ref>

====Fall of Reach====
{{Main|Fall of Reach|Siege of New Alexandria}}
Alpha-Nine was part of the [[11th Shock Troops Battalion]] during the [[Fall of Reach|Covenant invasion]] of the planet [[Reach]]. During the battle of Reach, [[Baruti Komen|Baruti "Gramps" Komen]] was killed when a burst of plasma impacted his chest and blew out his heart. At the time of his death, the squad was merely holding a piece of ground for reasons undisclosed to them, leaving Buck to later wonder if Baruti had died for a noble cause. Komen's death left an open spot in Alpha-Nine, which was soon filled by another Shock Trooper nicknamed [[the Rookie]].

Buck and at least two members<ref name="NA">'''Halo: Reach''', campaign level ''[[New Alexandria]]''</ref> of Alpha-Nine were present during the failed defense of [[New Alexandria (location)|New Alexandria]].<ref>[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/characters/buck '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Buck'']</ref> On August 23, 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/Reuse|NA}} He was later evacuated, escaping to Earth.

====Battle of Mombasa====
{{Main|Battle of Mombasa}}
During the [[Battle of Earth]], the squad—now consisting of Buck, Taylor "Dutch" Miles, Kojo "Romeo" Agu, Michael "Mickey" Crespo and the "Rookie"—was assigned to the {{UNSCShip|Say My Name}} and were part of the [[103rd Shock Troops Battalion]]. They were a part of a larger ODST unit with the [[Operation: BUMRUSH|mission]] to board the [[Prophet of Regret]]'s flagship, ''[[Solemn Penance]]'', by dropping in [[Single Occupant Exoatmospheric Insertion Vehicle|SOEIVs]] from low orbit. Before the drop, however, ONI officer [[Veronica Dare]] took over command of the squad in order to use them in her mission to gain access to [[New Mombasa]]'s urban infrastructure artificial intelligence, the [[Superintendent]], below the city and retrieve critically important data collected by the construct. She did not, however, reveal the new mission to the squad until mid-drop, when she ordered them to alter their course towards the city's [[ONI Alpha Site (location)|ONI Alpha Site]] from where they could access the Superintendent. Dare also gave the squad clearance codes to access the Superintendent's systems, allowing them to utilize the AI for assistance, such as providing a three-dimensional map of the city.

Just as they were on their way down, the vessel jumped into [[Slipstream space|slipspace]], releasing a devastating shockwave and an [[electromagnetic pulse]] which disabled the squads' drop pods' electronic systems, resulting in them landing uncontrollably around the city.<ref>'''Halo 3: ODST''', campaign level ''[[Prepare To Drop]]''</ref>

Dare and Buck landed relatively close to each other. Dare's pod hatch was jammed by the hard landing, and Buck rushed to her position in order to help her. However, Covenant forces converged on Dare's position before Buck managed to reach her. When he finally discovered her pod, he found it to be empty, just as he was confronted by a mysterious Covenant [[Huragok|creature]], which was holding Dare's severely damaged helmet. [[Kojo Agu|Romeo]] appeared and killed the creature. After reviewing the situation with Romeo, Buck decided to get the squad out of the city, as they assumed Dare had been killed.<ref>'''Halo 3: ODST''', campaign level ''[[Tayari Plaza]]''</ref>

[[File:H3ODST NMPD Holdout.jpg|thumb|250px|Buck, Romeo, Dutch, and Mickey defending the crash site on the roof of NMPD HQ.]]
During the rest of the day, the squad regrouped, and fought the Covenant for control of the city. Finally together, minus [[the Rookie]] and Dare, the squad fought waves of incoming Covenant on the top of the [[NMPD headquarters]] building, where Agu was injured by a [[Jiralhanae Chieftain]].<ref>'''Halo 3: ODST''', campaign level ''[[NMPD HQ]]''</ref> The squad then made their way to [[Kikowani Station (location)|Kikowani Station]], where they, upon seeing that escape through train tunnels was impossible, hijacked a [[Type-52 Troop Carrier|Type-52 Phantom]] and found a way out of the city. However, Buck suddenly discovered he knew where Dare was, and ordered Crespo to turn back to the city.<ref>'''Halo 3: ODST''', campaign level ''[[Kikowani Station]]''</ref> Meanwhile, the Rookie woke up in his pod. After wandering around the city for a while, he received a transmission from Dare, who was pinned down in the [[New Mombasa Data Center|data center]] below the city. The Rookie made his way to the data center, and eventually found Dare.<ref>'''Halo 3: ODST''', campaign level ''[[Mombasa Streets]]''</ref> Together, they fought their way to the Superintendent's core, where they discovered [[Quick to Adjust|a Huragok]] that had absorbed the Superintendent's data, namely its "[[Vergil]]" subroutine, into itself. As they prepared to leave, Buck arrived to the data center and they made their escape back to the surface.<ref>'''Halo 3: ODST''', campaign level ''[[Data Hive]]''</ref> Traveling along the [[New Mombasa Waterfront Highway|Waterfront Highway]], they faced heavy Covenant resistance. Eventually, they were picked up by the Phantom piloted by Mickey. They left the city as it was [[Glassing|glassed]] by the Covenant [[Truth's fleet|fleet]].<ref>'''Halo 3: ODST''', campaign level ''[[Coastal Highway]]''</ref>

====Respite and redeployment====
After the Battle of Mombasa, Alpha-Nine guarded the Huragok, now known as Vergil, in the [[ONI]]-appropriated Crimson Wing of the [[Quito Space Tether]]'s terminus for the following weeks.<ref name="c9">'''Halo: New Blood''', Chapter 9</ref> Approximately one month after the battle, [[Sergeant Major]] [[Avery Johnson]] arrived to interrogate the creature.<ref>'''Halo 3: ODST''', ''[[Coastal Highway|Epilogue]]''</ref> Alpha-Nine was returned to the field shortly afterward and continued to remain in the Sol system fighting against the [[Prophet of Truth]]'s occupational forces while other UNSC forces deployed for the [[Battle of Installation 00]],<ref>[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/news/outpost-outro '''Halo Waypoint:''' ''Outpost Outro'']</ref> including [[Operation: JOINT MONITOR]] at some point following the [[Battle of Voi]].{{Ref/Reuse|c9}}<ref name="H5GLtd">'''Halo 5: Guardians Limited Edition''', ''Spartan Locke's Classified Orders''</ref>

===Post-war===
In [[2554]], Alpha-Nine took part in a combat operation against the [[United Rebel Front]] during an [[Draco III rebellion|uprising]] on [[Draco III]], where the Rookie was eventually killed in action. The Rookie's death prompted Taylor Miles to retire from UNSC service.

====Betrayal and disbanding====
Buck, Crespo and Agu would subsequently become [[SPARTAN-IV program|Spartan-IVs]], though they would continue to operate as a three-man fireteam. In [[2555]], they participated in a mission on the moon of [[Talitsa]] to recover Quick to Adjust and his human handler, [[Sadie Endesha]], from a [[United Rebel Front]] facility. The mission was a success, but saw Crespo's defection to the URF and subsequent capture.<ref>'''Halo: New Blood''', Chapter 18</ref> Afterwards, Buck and Agu were reassigned to a Spartan fireteam at Buck's request, with Buck opting to be a member, not a leader, of the squad.<ref>'''Halo: New Blood''', ''pages 175-179'' (Google Play edition)</ref> 

Following their service on this squad, both men were eventually again reassigned; Buck was reassigned to {{UNSCShip|Meriwether Lewis}} and acted as Spartan Commander for the Spartan contingent on the ship,{{Ref/Reuse|H5GLtd}} and Agu was reassigned by ONI on a specialized solo mission at [[Concord]]. Afterwards, he was reassigned to a classified Spartan fireteam,<ref name="fodder">[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/community/blog-posts/canon-fodder-lore-of-the-rings '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Canon Fodder - Lore of the Rings'']</ref> while Buck was reassigned to [[Fireteam Osiris]].<ref>'''[[Halo 5: Guardians]]'''</ref> Alpha-Nine itself was officially disbanded around 2558.

===Reunifying against a new threat===
With the onset of the [[Created conflict]], [[ONI]] decided to reform Alpha-Nine in order to reach out to the [[United Rebel Front]] for help, particularly the faction on [[Cassidy III]] that had unknown [[Forerunner]] technology protecting their colony [[Hole in the Wall]]. The hope was that the Front could help them use the technology to protect human worlds and ships from [[Cortana]] and the [[Created]], but it required releasing [[Michael Crespo|Mickey Crespo]] from prison.{{Ref/Reuse|Bad Blood}}

====Battle of Balaho====
Departing the {{UNSCShip|Infinity}} in a [[Condor]], [[Edward Buck]] and [[Veronica Dare]] traveled to the [[Unggoy]] homeworld of [[Balaho]] where [[Kojo Agu|Romeo]] had been reassigned, rumored to be because he slept with an admiral's wife. The Unggoy having submitted to Cortana's rule, they and Forerunner [[armiger]]s destroyed the UEG embassy. When Buck and Dare arrived, Romeo was on the run. The two rescued him and attempted to aid Romeo in rescuing the survivors from the embassy. However, the attempt failed and they were forced to flee while the survivors were killed.<ref>'''[[Halo: Bad Blood]]''', ''Chapters 3-4''</ref>

====Mission to Luna====
After rescuing Romeo, Dare directed the team to a secret ONI facility on [[Luna]] where ONI kept several of their [[Huragok]]s, including [[Quick to Adjust|Vergil]], who would be needed to retrieve Mickey. The three found the facility heavily damaged by the [[Guardian]]s during the [[Subjugation of Earth]], but otherwise relatively intact with the Huragoks having repaired several of the systems, including some life support. However, Vergil refused to leave without his handler [[Sadie Endesha]] who had been taken by armigers to an observation deck in another part of the station along with the surviving staff. As the armigers had restored power to that part of the station, Dare blew out the windows with the Condor's weapons and sent the armigers into space while force fields kept the humans safe. Having completed their objective, the team departed with Vergil and Sadie while the rest of the Hurgaok and human survivors moved to a safe house below the facility set up by the Huragok before the armigers could return.<ref>'''[[Halo: Bad Blood]]''', ''Chapters 5-7''</ref>

====Skirmish on the Spartan-IV training station====
With the addition of Vergil and Sadie, the team traveled to the [[Spartan-IV training station]] where Mickey was being held prisoner for his acts of [[treason]]. However, the mission was complicated by a comms blackout imposed on the station by its AI [[Leonidas]] that kept the residents from knowing of the recent events, Chief of Staff [[Jun-A266]] being "indisposed" and the high likelihood that Leonidas had joined the Created. However, the team had the advantage of Vergil and their Condor's cloaking abilities which kept Leonidas from knowing that anyone but Buck was on board. As Vergil attempted to take over the station's systems, Buck visited Mickey, but quickly became frustrated with his former friend's [[Insurrectionist]] views. Recognizing the potential danger that the inhabitants of the station were in from Leonidas, Buck decided to take the AI offline even if he hadn't been compromised as a precaution. Leonidas quickly revealed his true allegiance to the Created and attempted to have Buck arrested, going so far as to declare Buck [[STOLEN GAUNTLET]], or a rogue Spartan. After Buck came close to convincing three Spartans ordered to arrest him to wait until Jun could handle the situation, Leonidas murdered them by evacuating the air from the room, Buck's armor saving him from the same fate. As Leonidas was poised to do the same to the rest of the station, Vergil managed to knock out power to the station briefly, giving Buck enough time to remove Leonidas' [[data crystal chip]] from a terminal in Jun's office, effectively taking Leonidas off-line.

The brief power loss knocked out the force fields on the station's cells and released Mickey and two other imprisoned Spartans. Mickey killed the other prisoners and subdued his guards, but he and Buck became pinned down by the station's Spartans who believed Buck to be rogue thanks to Leonidas. In order to prevent Leonidas getting reactivated if they were captured, Buck destroyed his chip and apparently the AI. With the unexpected help of [[Taylor Miles|Dutch]] and [[Gretchen Ketola]], on the station for their own Spartan training, Alpha-Nine managed to escape with Dutch and Gretchen joining them. As the team departed, they were contacted by Jun who had been kept unconscious by Leonidas and who, thanks to the team's efforts, had regained control of the station. Warned that Leonidas might've alerted Cortana's [[Guardian]]s to the station's location, Jun promised that the personnel were making preparations to move and expressed gratitude for Alpha-Nine's help in resolving the problem.<ref>'''[[Halo: Bad Blood]]''', ''Chapters 8-11''</ref>

====Cassidy III====
After being reunited, Alpha-Nine traveled to the [[United Rebel Front]] colony of [[Hole in the Wall]] on the planet [[Cassidy III]]. There, Dare underwent negotiations with Mayor Wells to gain access to what the Front knew about the [[Forerunner]] technology that was cloaking the location. Dare finally got Wells to see the seriousness of the situation with the Created and she explained the little the Front's scientists had figured out about the technology. Dare proposed a deal to Wells where they would lend the Front Vergil and Sadie to study the device and then trade them Mickey, treated as a hero by the Front for actions, to get the two back when the research was completed.

However, during negotiations, Vergil discovered that Leonidas had embedded fragments of himself into the armors of Dutch and Gretchen and possibly other Spartans from the training station. Though Leonidas was removed from Dutch and Gretchen's armors and placed into a tablet, it was too late to stop him from sending a signal to the Created who dispatched a [[Guardian]] and a massive force of [[armiger]]s to pacify the colony. During [[Battle of Cassidy III|the battle]] that followed, Alpha-Nine worked alongside the Front to defend the colony, helping to buy Vergil time to repair the colony's transports and allow as many people, particularly scientists and leaders, as possible to escape with Wells promising to provide their intended location to Mickey. Out of other options once the ships were gone, Wells agreed to surrender to the Created through Leonidas who attempted to depart with the Guardian. However, Romeo was able to destroy Leonidas' fragments with an [[M99 Stanchion]]. Alpha-Nine attempted to evacuate in their Condor, but were intercepted by the Guardian who knocked out power to the ship. Vergil managed to repair the Condor, but both he and Buck nearly fell to their deaths before the rest of Alpha-Nine came together to save them. With the Guardian having expended its power attacking them, the team was able to escape to [[slipspace]].<ref>'''[[Halo: Bad Blood]]''', ''Chapters 11-20''</ref>

====Further actions====
After returning to the {{UNSCShip|Infinity}}, Buck convinced Captain [[Thomas Lasky]] and Commander [[Sarah Palmer]] to reinstate Mickey for at least the remainder of the conflict instead of returning him to jail. Buck left [[Fireteam Osiris]] to command Alpha-Nine once more on a permanent basis with both teams attending Buck and Dare's wedding on the ''Infinity''.<ref>'''[[Halo: Bad Blood]]''', ''Chapter 21''</ref>

Not long after Buck and Dare's honeymoon, Alpha-Nine was sent out on another classified mission. Out of contact with Command and with nothing but their armor, weapons and each other to rely upon, the team worked together better than ever after all of the hardships that they had been through.<ref>'''[[Halo: Bad Blood]]''', ''pages 330-331''</ref>

==Trivia==
*If the player reloads their weapon, and exchange their weapon with a fellow squad member during reload animation, the squad member will reload the weapon, and if the player takes back their weapon, there will be the same amount of ammo in reserve before trading as well as a full magazine loaded. The squad member will also say a dialogue randomly chosen when the player takes control of that particular squad mate and reloads.
*Despite every squad member being able to wield [[Type-25 Brute Shot]]s in [[campaign]] and [[Firefight (Halo 3: ODST)|Firefight]], the player cannot trade Brute Shots with them in campaign when they are controlled by AI. This is most likely because the squad and marines share the same AI program, and done for gameplay balance.
*Though ''[[Halo: New Blood]]'' gives no indication of what Mjolnir armor variants are worn by the Spartan members of Alpha-Nine, author [[Matt Forbeck]] has implied that they continue to wear [[ODST armor#MJOLNIR GEN2 variant|ODST armor]] or [[HELLJUMPER-class Mjolnir|variants]] derived from it.<ref>[https://twitter.com/mforbeck/status/573677386652319744 '''Twitter:''' ''Matt Forbeck'' - "You know, I never sat down and picked any out. Wouldn't be surprised to see them in ODST style though."]</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:The Squad.jpg|Promotional image featuring the squad.
File:Halo3-ODST-Squad.png|The squad, from left to right: Dare, Buck, Dutch, Mickey, Romeo, Rookie. Johnson, on the far right, and Dare, on the far left, were not part of the squad.
File:H3ODST PreparetoDropCinematic.jpg|Three members of the squad at a briefing table, discussing the mission.
File:H3ODST AlphaNine Kikowani.jpg|The squad, minus the Rookie and Dare.
File:Halo3 ODST-Dare.jpg|Veronica Dare
File:Halo3 ODST-Buck.jpg|Edward Buck
File:Halo3 ODST-Dutch.jpg|Taylor "Dutch" Miles
File:Halo3 ODST-Romeo.jpg|Kojo "Romeo" Agu
File:Halo3 ODST-Mickey.jpg|Michael "Mickey" Crespo
File:Halo3 ODST-Rookie.jpg|The Rookie
File:Enc22_Alpha_Nine_Page_1.jpg|A page from the [[2022]] edition of the ''[[Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition)|Halo Encyclopedia]]'' featuring Edward Buck, Michael Crespo, and Kojo Agu.
File:Enc22_Alpha_Nine_Page_2.jpg|A page from the 2022 edition of the ''Halo Encyclopedia'' featuring Taylor Miles, Gretchen Ketola, Jonathan Doherty, and Veronica Dare.
</gallery>

==List of appearances==
*''[[Halo 3: ODST]]'' {{1st}}
*''[[Halo: Reach]]''
*''[[Halo: New Blood]]''
*''[[Halo 5: Guardians]]''
**''[[Halo 5: Guardians Limited Edition dossiers|Limited Edition dossiers]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo Mythos]]''
*''[[Halo: Bad Blood]]''
*''[[Halo: The Master Chief Collection]]''
**''[[ONI Archive – Helljumpers - Halo 3: ODST|ONI Archive – Helljumpers]]''

==Sources==
{{Ref/Sources}}

{{Alpha-Nine}}
{{SPARTAN Teams}}
[[Category:Orbital Drop Shock Trooper units]]
[[Category:SPARTAN-IV teams|Alpha-Nine]]