Editing Daniel Clayton

{{Character Infobox|variant=Human

|image=[[File:Daniel Clayton.png|265px]]

|birth=2525-2526

|affiliation=*[[UNSC Navy]] (formerly)

**[[New Colonial Alliance]]

|rank= Captain

'''Captain Daniel Clayton''' is a former [[UNSC_rank_structure#Officer_ranks|commissioned officer]] of the [[UNSC Navy]] who defected to [[Mattius Drake|Admiral Matthius Drake]]'s [[New Colonial Alliance]]. He is the illegitimate son of [[James Cutter|Captain James Cutter]].<ref name="HE5">'''Halo: Escalation''', ''Issue #5''</ref>  

Daniel "Danny" Clayton was born on the inner colony world of [[Tribute]] to James Cutter and his mistress. Clayton has no memories of ever meeting his father, though his mother claimed he once did. Cutter and his command, the {{UNSCship|Spirit of Fire}}, disappeared following the [[Battle of Arcadia]] in [[2531#February|February 2531]]. Then-Captain [[Terrence Hood]] (Cutter's former executive officer) blamed himself for allowing the ship to go missing, as he ignored orders to avoid contact with the [[Covenant]]; the ensuing engagement prevented ''Spirit of Fire''<nowiki />'s log buoy from being recovered, thus denying the UNSC any indication of [[Shield World 0459|the ship's whereabouts]].

Out of guilt, Hood provided support for both Cutter's legitimate family (his apparent widow [[Mary Cutter|Mary]] and [[Cutter's daughter|their daughter]]) and his secret one, sending Clayton's mother money for years. Clayton eventually joined the UNSC and rose to the rank of captain; by [[2558]] he had come to serve under [[Horatio Temkin|Rear Admiral Horatio Temkin]], the UNSC's ambassador to [[Sanghelios]]. Clayton eventually learned that Lord Hood had been acting as a benefactor throughout his entire career in an attempt to make up for the loss of Cutter and ''Spirit of Fire''. Feeling he had never accomplished anything for himself, Clayton joined [[Mattius Drake|Admiral Mattius Drake]]'s [[New Colonial Alliance]].<ref name="HE5"/>

Having learned of Hood's diplomatic mission to [[Ealen IV]], Clayton leaked intel about the peace talks and employed the help of a Sangheili mercenary, [[Vata 'Gajat]]. On March 5, they led [[Battle of Ealen IV|an attack]] on the peace conference. Clayton also had his own agent among the delegation's security detail, Spartan-IV [[Vladimir Scruggs]]. During the battle, he was notified by Scruggs that [[Fireteam Jackknife]] was eliminated. The tide of the battle changed when the delegation reestablished communications with their orbiting fleets and escaped from the planet. Not wanting to risk being identified, Clayton and 'Gajat retreated  before the ''{{UNSCShip|Infinity}}'' and their allied Sangheili and Jiralhanae ships could engage them.<ref>'''Halo: Escalation''', ''Issue #3''</ref>  

After their failed assault of Ealen IV, 'Gajat and Captain Clayton lured Admiral Hood and the UNSC ''Infinity'' into a trap. They launched a freighter, the ''[[Pilgrims Pride]]'', which sent out a distress signal that was later picked up by ''Infinity''. When Infinity arrived in the [[Artesia-702 system]], it found the damaged freighter leaking atomic matter with faint life signs aboard and tugged the ship into one of its deployment bays. An ambush was sprung within the bay when the freighter set itself to self-destruct and multiple UNSC aircraft exited its cargo bay. The attack was repelled and ''Infinity''' later discovered the assault crafts used were from the ''Spirit of Fire''. ''Infinity'' tracked the freighter's origin to [[Oth Lodon]] where it found a [[Unidentified Covenant station|Covenant Station]] operated by NCA forces. Captain Clayton revealed himself and his motives to Lord Hood and fired on ''Infinity'' with the station's glassing cannon.<ref name="HE5"/>

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[[Category:Human Rebels]]