Editing Alpha-Nine

{{Era|HCW|Post}}

|branch=[[UNSC Marine Corps]]

<br>[[Spartan Operations|Spartan]] {{C|Post-war}}

|type=[[Orbital Drop Shock Troopers]]

<br>[[SPARTAN-IV program|SPARTAN-IV]]s {{C|Post-war}}

|battles=*[[Human-Covenant war]]

***[[Mission to Balaho]]

***[[Mission to the Spartan-IV training station]]

'''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 name="Bad Blood" />

*'''[[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.

*'''[[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}}

===Human-Covenant war===

Buck and at least two members<ref name="NA">'''Halo: Reach''', campaign level ''[[New Alexandria (level)|New Alexandria]]''</ref> of Alpha-Nine were present during the failed defense of [[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 name="NA"/> He was later evacuated, escaping to Earth.

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]] 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.

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 (level)|Tayari Plaza]]''</ref>

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 (level)|NMPD HQ]]''</ref> The squad then made their way to [[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 (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>

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 name="c9"/><ref name="H5GLtd">'''Halo 5: Guardians Limited Edition''', ''Spartan Locke's Classified Orders''</ref>

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.

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 name="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 name="Bad Blood" />

====Mission to Balaho====

====Mission to 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.

*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]], 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.

File:The Squad.jpg|ODSTs

File:H3ODST AlphaNine Kikowani.jpg|The squad, minus the Rookie and Dare.

File:Halo3 ODST-Rookie.png|The Rookie

**''[[Halo 5: Guardians Limited Edition|Limited Edition]]'' {{Mo}}