Editing James Cutter

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{{Quote|Where you see half a crew, [[Isabel]], I see family, courage. And a thousand heroes who swore to fight their way through hell before they'd ever... ''EVER'' turn their backs and run. And where you see one old ship, I see home. And that is always worth fighting for!|Captain Cutter to Isabel and the bridge crew of the ''Spirit of Fire''.<ref name="ANE">'''[[Halo Wars 2]]''' campaign level ''[[A New Enemy]]''</ref>}}

==Biography==

James Gregory Cutter was born on [[Reach]] on [[2478#June|June 12, 2478]].{{Ref/Reuse|HWCutter}} In the sixth grade, he had a teacher named [[Ash (teacher)|Mrs. Ash]]. During one of her spelling tests James spelled the word "rendezvous" correctly, which led to him liking the word ever since. After Cutter finished school, his [[Cutter's father|father]] pushed him to get a university degree and was furious when James became an [[ensign]] at the [[UN Colony Logistics Office]] and became even more angered when his son enrolled in flight school. He even went so far as to tell him he was "nothing more than a trucker".{{Ref/Reuse|OSG}} James enrolled in the [[UNSC School of the North Star]] on [[2500|September 15, 2500]], where he graduated magna cum laude with an emphasis in [[astronavigation]] and political science. He was admitted to [[Officer Candidate School]] on [[2504|June 19, 2504]], where he received additional training with emphases in command and astronavigation.  

[[File:cutteryoung.png|thumb|200px|left|James Cutter, captain of the UNSC ''Spirit of Fire'' in 2528.]]

===Aiding the ''Prophecy''===

{{Quote|no=two|q1=So, Mr. Captain, sir, what do you think 'loaded for bear' actually means?|Serina|q2=Serina, it means that tomorrow is going to be a long day.|James Cutter|Serina and Cutter at just over thirty-two hours prior to arrival at Harvest.}}

By January 3, [[2531]], the ''Spirit of Fire'' was part of the [[Third Fleet]]'s [[Battlegroup D]], which was massed at a staging area in interstellar space. The fleet had recently come into conflict with the Covenant's [[Fleet of Glorious Interdiction]] over the [[Outer Colony]] of [[Harvest]]. For the past five years, the Third Fleet had [[Harvest campaign|fighting]] to reclaim the colony from the Covenant. On January 3 Vice Admiral Cole chose Cutter and the ''Spirit of Fire'' to provide immediate assistance to the {{UNSCShip|Prophecy}}, which had successfully repelled [[Covenant]] ships near [[Harvest]] but had been critically damaged in the process.{{Ref/Reuse|Genesis}} Cole did not believe that a combat vessel could be spared to rescue the ''Prophecy'', but a support ship like the ''Spirit of Fire'' could be. In addition, the ''Spirit'' was to also use this opportunity to investigate ongoing Covenant activity in the system. After dealing with the {{Class|Marathon|heavy cruiser}}, the plan was for the ''Spirit'' to rendezvous once more with the rest of the fleet for another strike at the Covenant remaining at Harvest. Prior to jumping to [[slipstream space]], Cutter personally visited various locations on his ship, including the Shaw-Fujikawa drive room and Drop Bay Bravo, where he surveyed the [[slipspace drive]] and assorted ordnance, respectively. Before breaking from the battlegroup, he instructed the ship's relatively new [[Smart artificial intelligence|"smart" A.I.]], [[Serina]], to update their servers so he could read new a message from his family sent all the way from [[Reach]]. ''En route'' to the [[Epsilon Indi system]], with a little over thirty-two hours before their arrival, Serina brought up the matter of Cutter's previous rejection of the offer to captain the ''Prophecy''.  Cutter stated that he was perfectly happy with the position he had, to which Serina jokingly replied that she was at least glad she didn't have to "break in" a new captain, seeing as it had already taken her long enough to get him where she wanted.{{Ref/Reuse|OSG}} Once Cutter requested an update on how the ship and crew were doing, he was informed that there had been a message from Doctor [[Ellen Anders]], a professor from [[Rishard University]] assigned to the ship by the [[Office of Naval Intelligence]] to further study of the Covenant. Anders was not yet aboard the ''Spirit of Fire'', but she was already asking for better quarters than those which had been set aside for her, as well as an audience with the captain upon her arrival. Not wishing to take even the slightest break from his activities on the bridge at that moment, Cutter assigned [[Lieutenant]] [[Blake]] to deal with her and explain that different arrangements just weren't a possibility at the moment.{{Ref/Reuse|OSG}}

After over a month of time spent in transit, the ''Spirit of Fire'' arrived at Harvest on February 4, 2531.{{Ref/Reuse|Genesis}}<ref name="HWTE">[[Halo Wars Timeline Events]]</ref> A looped message that had evidently been broadcast from the ''Prophecy'' since three days prior indicated that the cruiser's reactor had gone critical and begun leaking radiation, forcing its crew to evacuate to onboard solar bunkers. Cutter openly wondered how it was that ONI had known the ''Prophecy'' was in trouble so soon after it had been crippled. Serina wagered that ONI had been present when it happenned but had refused to lend any aid. Incensed at the thought, Cutter immediately ordered her to prepare for NAV database extraction and rescue operations. Just as she assented, however, four small Covenant ships exited slipspace on the other side of the cruiser, which was suddenly an impediment that blocked potential hits from the ''Spirit'''s [[Magnetic Accelerator Cannon]] from hitting any of the new arrivals. Cutter ordered that the ''Spirit'' move to flank the Covenant craft and that [[pelican]] [[EVA]] squads be scrambled. Serina subsequently relayed commands to fireteams [[Fire Team Echo|Echo]], [[India Company|India]], [[Fire Team Lima|Lima]], and [[Fire Team November|November]]. As soon they had a clean shot, the MAC was able to destroy one of the smaller Covenant ships with one slug. Cutter then gave authorization for [[HAVOK]] [[Nuclear weapon|nuclear missiles]] to be used. The [[UNSC Marine Corps]] fireteams were successful in purging the databases of the ''Prophecy'', rescuing some of the crew, and initiating a self-destruct sequence. The Covenant threat was also disposed of by the ''Spirit of Fire'', but all survivors from the ''Prophecy'' were beyond truly saving, as they had all been exposed to far too much radiation.{{Ref/Reuse|Genesis}}

Once the ''Last Gleaming'' had departed, Cutter, Anders, and Serina conversed on the bridge. The professor, having been briefed on intercepted Covenant transmissions deciphered by [[artificial intelligence]]s, let Cutter know that the aliens seemed to be particularly interested in an arctic region of the planet. Serina scanned the area and detected major gravimetric anomalies. Anders thought her readings might indicate a specific structure on the surface hereto unknown to them, and Cutter told Serina to have Sergeant [[John Forge]] investigate. Marines deployed as part of [[Alpha Team (Harvest)|Alpha]] and [[Bravo Team (Harvest)|Bravo Team]]s and soon came under fire from [[Jiralhanae]] led by the Brute known as [[Avitus]]. The information coming from the surface threw the bridge into chaos and Cutter ordered Serina to get him a direct connection to Forge. The sergeant reported that unless Alpha and Bravo could link up at his position, his own marines would be done for. Cutter ordered him to secure his location and assured him that reinforcements were inbound.{{Ref/Reuse|OSG}}

A short time later [[Alpha Base (Harvest)|Alpha Base]] was built near the major gravimetric anomalies leading to several skirmishes in the northern polar region of Harvest lead by Cutter. This lead to the setting up of [[Epsilon Base]], sending a tactical evaluation update on the new [[HRUNTING Mark III (B) Cyclops]] models, and taking the time to compose a message to the father of [[Helena Roman]], a marine who had given her life that day on Harvest under his command.<ref name = "Site">'''[[Halo Wars Launch Site]]''' - ''UNSC Side''</ref>

A short time later, as [[D77-TC Pelican]]s and [[D20 Heron]]s were launched from the ''Spirit of Fire'', Cutter reestablished contact with Forge once again. He confirmed the professor had been correct regarding the Covenant's interest in the northern pole of Harvest, and Anders once again shared her suspicion that there was some kind of structure down there. Determined to find out what this was all about, Cutter directed Forge to pull back to [[Alpha Base (Harvest)|Alpha Base]] and to bring it back to operational status. To this end, he also directed more backup his way. After disconnecting from the sergeant, Cutter was sarcastically asked by Serina if he envisioned their current situation as "nothing too difficult". Cutter sighed and expressed a feeling that whatever was hidden in Harvest's arctic north might be the key to the entire war. Forge contacted the captain after arriving near to Alpha Base to let him know that it had been overrun. He also advised that Cutter refrain from deploying the "backup" until Alpha Base was theirs again. Cutter monitored the operation on the ground from the bridge high above the planet and provided Forge some assistance in the form of air support from [[B-65 Shortsword]]s. After the base was recaptured, Cutter advised that Forge scout the immediate area surrounding it just to be sure they were in the clear for the time being.

Alone on the observation deck with Anders and Serina, Cutter tried to extract as much as he could about what the Covenant had been after that was apparently hidden under humans' noses on Harvest for millennia.{{Ref/Reuse|Arcadia City}} Anders cautioned that she had only had around thirty seconds to examine the centerpiece of a giant room within the structure, but that interacting with it had triggered the display of a [[holography|holographic]] star chart. a specific star system was signaled out by the artifact, which happenned to be the system known to humans as the [[Procyon system]].<ref name="RI">'''Halo Wars''', campaign level ''[[Relic Interior]]''</ref> In particular, the colony of [[Arcadia]] had been pointed to. Arcadia was Anders' homeworld, and she strongly felt that they should go there at once before the Covenant did. she figured that if they had accessed the same display she did, that it would only be natural that a Covenant fleet would be arriving there soon. The captain was hesitant, as their orders had been to investigate Harvest only. Anders was not going to give up that easy and continued to insist that everything indicated they should make for Arcadia. Cutter relented and told her he would clear their departure with Vice Admiral Cole. Sure that Cole would permit the journey, he instructed Serina to chart a course to their next destination.<ref name="Arcadia City">'''Halo Wars''', campaign level ''[[Arcadia City]]''</ref>

===Battle for Arcadia===

{{Quote|We cannot lose our foothold on Arcadia, gentlemen. Secure a defensible position and hold it until we can reinforce you.|James Cutter to Marines on the ground.}}

In the aftermath of the scarab's defeat, however, Sergeant Forge and Dr. Anders were ambushed by the Arbiter, [[Ripa 'Moramee]] during a moment they were alone.{{Ref/Reuse|Anders' Signal}} Anders was easily captured by the hulking [[Sangheili]] and taken aboard a {{Pattern|Dextro Xur|Spirit}}. Forge immediately contacted Cutter to let him know what had happenned. Serina was able to track her transponder moving away from the planet toward a waiting {{Pattern|Sinaris|heavy destroyer}}, ''[[Proclamation's Tithe]]''. Five of these ships had arrived at the planet to join the fray and were engaging the remaining [[UNSC Navy]] presence surrounding the planet. Cutter demanded to know how Anders had been taken but all Forge could say was that a massive Elite had come out of nowhere. Furious, Cutter ordered him to return to the ship on the double. Once he was returned to it, he went directly for the bridge. Seeing that Forge had clearly been wounded by the encounter, Cutter questioned why he had not made for the med bay instead. At that moment, Anders' signal showed that the ship she had been taken aboard was accelerating and was already outside their effective weapon range. At the urging of Forge and [[Jerome-092]], a [[Spartan]] that was among [[Red Team|three]] picked up by the ''Spirit'' from Arcadia, Cutter ordered that Anders' captors be pursued.<ref name="Anders' Signal">'''Halo Wars''', campaign level ''[[Anders' Signal]]''</ref> As they prepared to jump to slipspace in the wake of the Covenant vessel's jump, a [[log buoy]] was released with data concerning their destination solution. The {{UNSCShip|Roman Blue}}, captained by Cutter's old XO, [[Terrence Hood]], was assigned to intercept the buoy. Hood failed to make it a priority in the midst of the ongoing battle and so the buoy was picked up by the ''[[Radiant Perception]]'', a CPV-class heavy destroyer, instead.{{Ref/Reuse|HE5}} It was February 10 when they left and Serina projected that their destination in uncharted Covenant space would take them thirteen days to reach. The ship remained on high alert for the entire transit, though non-essential crew members were briefly place in [[cryostasis]].{{Ref/Reuse|OSG}}

===Ancient powers===

{{Quote|Sergeant Forge, rendezvous with Red Team and find Anders, but be careful. We don't know what these things are capable of.|Captain Cutter to Sergeant Forge after encountering the [[Flood]] on the outer surface of the Etran Harborage.}}

On February 23, the ''Spirit of Fire'' emerged from slipspace hot on the trail of the Arbiter to the sight of an [[Trove|unknown planet]].{{Ref/Reuse|Anders' Signal}} Cutter prompted Serina for any information about their location, but she was of little help. She did inform him, however, that the Covenant vessel they had followed had taken cover on the planet's surface. No other Covenant activity was detected, though Serina did not that the world below them was resulting in strange readings when scanned by their instruments. Not wanting to waste any more time, the captain told her to get Forge down to the surface as soon as possible, to which she replied that he was already aboard a pelican waiting for approval. Two reconnaissance teams, [[Recon Team Echo|Echo]] and [[India Company|India]], were deployed with [[M312 Elephant]]s and instructed to set up bases at potential sites from which the Covenant could be attacked at a nearby fortified position.{{Ref/Reuse|HWTE}} Cutter confirmed that both teams were free of hostiles before they moved to their designated locations. Sergeant Forge led his own team and another elephant. Cutter let Forge know that he would need to clear a fire line ahead and get to a beacon that was waiting for him to signal the all-clear for a [[firebase]] to be dropped off. Logstics prevented the captain from landing any more troops at that time, but he assured Forge that he should have enough squads of marines with him within the elephant for the task at hand. The marines soon came into conflict with [[Jiralhanae]] and Cutter kept a close eye on the skirmish, offering advice and encouragement all the while from his perch in orbit. After the Jiralhanae were defeated, [[Recon Team Echo]] signaled that it was fully operational and that the situation had returned to normalcy before the man reporting for the team suddenly shouted that there was movement all over the place and that they needed help. All of Echo's signals went offline and Cutter told Forge to take a team to find out what had happened. When the sergeant reach Echo's elephant, he reported that he believed both it and India, all members of which had vanished from observation as well, had been compromised. Cutter questioned what he thought might have happenned, as scans registered no Covenant in the immediate area. Forge assured him it hadn't been the Covenant, but in fact was [[Flood|something]] seemingly even worse. Echo's elephant had been completely engulfed by a strange biomass and the bodies of its members were being hijacked by hideous [[Flood|infectious lifeforms]]. Forge managed to get the transport free and at this, Cutter approved his request for a firebase. He had Serina make the arrangements for D20 Herons to deliver the components. After Forge freed India's elephant from a similar predicament, Cutter had him bring it back to the new base to hold and wait for new orders.{{Ref/Reuse|Anders' Signal}}<ref>'''Halo Wars''', campaign level ''[[The Flood (level)|The Flood]]''</ref> [[File:Cuttersentinelpng.png|thumb|left|300px|Cutter and one of the mysterious drones observe one another while the ''Spirit of Fire'' passes between the planet's exterior and interior.]]The [[Spartan-II]]s of [[Red Team]] contacted Captain Cutter to let him know that they were one-hundred meters from Anders' transponder signal but were meeting with heavy resistance from this new enemy. Cutter told them to hold their position and wait for reinforcements before proceeding further. He then contacted Forge to fill him in and have him make his way to Red Team with his remaining marines, but not without advising extreme caution. Once the [[Spartan]]s and marines apparently "killed" a large [[Proto-Gravemind|monstrosity]] that had attached itself in place, Cutter asked Serina for an assessment of their situation. Anders' signal had been lost before the massive version of the alien lifeform had been encountered. However, The Serina let Cutter know that she had just discovered a new signal to the east of the UNSC's position.

===Etran Harborage===

{{Quote|If the Covenant get their hands on these ships it will mean the end of the war. We'll take our chances here, to give humanity some hope.|Captain Cutter decides the fate of his crew.}}{{Ref/Reuse|Reactor}}

The ''Spirit of Fire'' exploded through a massive tunnel of sorts to emerge within the interior of what was now fully revealed to be a fully artificial [[shield world|hollow planet]]. The entire inner surface was blanketed with topographical features that filled the place where a horizon should have been. The ship suddenly found itself on a collision course with the ''Proclamation's Tithe'' and Cutter ordered Serina to steer them hard to starboard to avoid colliding with the {{Pattern|Sinaris|heavy destroyer}}. Her efforts were not enough to completely keep the ships from hitting each other and the ''Tithe'' sheared off a significant section of ''Spirit of Fire''

's port side where D20 Herons were docked. Serina alerted the captain that the Covenant vessel was charging its weapons to engage them and Cutter shouted for everyone to assume battle stations and to bring their own weapons online. Seeing as there were still marines attached to the outer hull, he had Serina tell them that they weren't done out there yet. In the ensuing battle, the ''Spirit'''s power core took heavy damage and Cutter directed Forge to repair it with [[HRUNTING Mark III (B) Cyclops]]es all the while continuing to defend against the Covenant assault. Once the core was fixed, Cutter had Serina speed them away.<ref>'''Halo Wars''', campaign level ''[[Repairs]]''</ref>  

{{Quote|If we don't stop Atriox now, we leave the galaxy at the mercy of a monster. So no, Isabel. We won't be running anywhere today.|Captain Cutter rallies his crew to action.}}{{Ref/Reuse|ANE}}

[[File:SOFaboveArk.png|thumb|left|300px|Cutter and Anders survey the Ark from high above it.]]

The three Spartans entered the [[Henry Lamb Research Outpost]] but when they emerged, they were calling for an evac and were reporting a casualty. Jerome personally requested air support on their location and trailing north in order to strike their pursuers. Cutter affirmed his understanding an authorized [[Archer missile]]s to be fired. Using an [[M12 Chaingun Warthog]], Jerome and a wounded [[Douglas-042]] were able to make it to a waiting pelican for transport back to the ''Spirit of Fire''. [[Alice-130]] stayed behind to cover their retreat. ''En route'', Captain Cutter let Jerome know that he had a medical team standing by to receive Douglas and he that he wanted a full report from both Jerome and [[Isabel|an A.I.]] he had retrieved from the research outpost. Once on the bridge, Jerome slotted the [[data crystal chip]] of the A.I., named [[Isabel]], into a [[holotable]]. Jerome introduced her to the captain, but she reported that she already knew who he was, since he and his crew had supposedly been lost with all hands decades ago. Cutter requested information regarding what had just happenned on the surface. The A.I. was silent at first, but with some urging she indulged Cutter's questioning and told of him that five months ago, a portal that connected this location, named the Ark, to [[Earth]], had shut down. She also told of how a month after that a [[Banished|fearsome faction]] of [[Covenant remnants|ex-Covenant]] led by a Jiralhanae named [[Atriox]] had arrived and [[Attack on Installation 00|slaughtered]] everyone here. After explaining who Atriox was and what they were up against should they remain here at the Ark, Isabel urged a retreat, not knowing that the ship lacked any means of slipspace travel. In response, Cutter launched into an inspirational speech to the bridge crew wherein he appealed to the loss they were all feeling after waking up to find twenty-eight years had gone by, their shared sense of duty, the fact that he considered them all family, and the necessity of stopping a monster like Atriox from acquiring anything powerful he could threaten the galaxy with. Even Isabel was stirred by the speech and agreed to his plan to fight this faction, known as the [[Banished]]. Cutter figured the best way to start would be to hit Atriox's chain of command. Isabel informed him of a Banished salvage operation overseen by [[Decimus]], one of Atriox's lieutenants and the Brute that had led the attack on her outpost. The captain resolved to strike the Banished with a surprise attack, move south to establish a base, and then from there launch an attack on Decimus' operation. In the meantime, he told professor [[Ellen Anders|Anders]], who had taken on the role of his ''de facto'' right hand and advisor,<ref name="A">'''Halo Wars 2''', ''[[Phoenix Logs]] — Anders''</ref> that it would be her job to start looking for a way to send word home to the UNSC about their situation.{{Ref/Reuse|ANE}}

[[File:Cutterspeech.png|thumb|left|300px|Captain Cutter stirs his underlings to take the fight to the Banished.]]

===The Cartographer===

{{Quote|We need to hit the Banished again before they find out what we discovered at their base. Get to the Cartographer and find out what Atriox is planning.|James Cutter.}}

Around the same time that the fight to access the elevator to the Cartographer was going on, Captain Cutter was contacted by [[Alice-130]], the Spartan-II from [[Red Team]] that had stayed behind after the first encounter with the Banished. Cutter was pleased to hear from her and asked how she had escaped. She reported commandeering en enemy vehicle and also stated she had freed some marines that had been captured. Cutter immediately dispatched pelicans to extract she and the marines but also learned from Isabel that the enemy was heading for their position at that very moment. The situation was too hot to drop a firebase, but Cutter promised that the ''Spirit of Fire'' would be used to help them on the ground in whatever way it could. This initially took the form of [[restoration drone]]s, which were flown to the survivors. When the Banished bore down on them, then, the ship fired Archer missiles at the attackers. The pelicans safely extracted Alice and others and dropped them off some distance way so that they could continue to fight by conducting guerrilla strikes against the Banished. Cutter had Isabel prepare an explaination for them which would explain precisely who the Banished were, seeing as they had been absent since prior to Cutter and the other bridge crew learning of Atriox's history.<ref name="OneThreeZero">'''Halo Wars 2''', campaign level ''[[One Three Zero]]''</ref>  

===''Enduring Conviction''===

{{Quote|The ''Spirit of Fire'' wasn't built to fight a carrier like the ''Enduring Conviction'', and we can't hold it off for long.|Cutter to Douglas-042.}}

Now April 1, Banshees from the assault carrier strafed past the ''Spirit'' and unloaded plasma onto the hull and external weaponry of the aged ship. The small craft managed to create a hull breach in [[Sector 17 (Spirit of Fire)|Sector 17]],  and to disrupt the firing capability of some of the vessel's [[11A2R1 naval coilgun battery|deck guns]].<ref name="HTL">'''Halo Wars 2''', campaign level ''[[Hold the Line]]''</ref>  In response, Cutter made the decision to retract those that were no longer of use in order to prevent further damage. From elsewhere on the ship Anders reached out to the captain on the bridge to let him know the attack was making her work difficult and to ask whether or not they were even fighting back. Cutter assured her they were and asked that she let him handle it and that she continue to work as best she could. Isabel's contribution at that moment was to smugly point out that they must have gotten the Banished's attention. Before ordering a section of the ship evacuated and vented, Cutter agreed. He asked how long they could withstand the ''Conviction'', to which she replied "Not long". Being fully occupied with defending his ship, Cutter instructed Isabel to serve as his liaison to Alice-130 on the ground and recommended that she stay put at a small base at a secured beachhead to defend a local portal.<ref name="FTD">'''Halo Wars 2''', campaign level ''[[From the Deep]]''</ref>  Anders soon entered the bridge herself and excitedly announced that she had in fact devised a way to get word back to the Milky Way. If they were able to take control of a nearly-finished [[Installation 09|Halo ring]] in the Ark's central [[Foundry (location)|forges]], launching it to one of the designated locations for the Halo Array would open a portal. Since at least [[Installation 04]] in the [[Soell system]] would be in a region of space now known to humans and be closest to their centers of civilization, its original resting place was determined to be a suitable launching destination.

[[File:HW2 Cutterconviction.png|thumb|left|300px|Captain Cutter stares down a holographic readout of the ''Conviction''.]]

{{Quote|If Atriox gets control of this Halo, he'll be holding a gun to the head of all life across hundreds of light years. We have to clear the Banished off this ring.|Captain Cutter to Red Team.}}

By the next day, April 2, the Halo ring, under Anders' direction, had begun its final preparations for travel to the Soell system. Multiple landing parties were sent from the {{UNSCShip|Spirit of Fire}} to the inner surface of the ring but hot on their heels was a large [[Banished]] invasion. About thirty minutes after losing contact with several of these teams, Cutter judged that in order to stem the tide of Banished troops accessing the ring, it would be necessary to focus on the [[access point]]s at the Ark's [[Foundry (location)|Foundry]] that Atriox's forces were using to teleport to the ring. Once that was dealt with, he determined that they could then wipe the remaining Banished off of the Halo. As [[Douglas-042]], [[Alice-130]], and [[UNSC Marines]] made their way toward the Foundry, they encountered heavy resistance. As they were met by an impressive array of barricades blocking their path, Cutter urged Alice and Douglas to capture a [[Barukaza Workshop Scarab]] undergoing repairs and use it to blast through the barrier. As they set out to accomplish this objective, a forward operating base called for assistance due to the onslaught of Banished assaulting it. In response, Cutter authorized [[archer missile]]s to be rained down upon the attackers. The captain urged the Spartans to hurry in taking control of the scarab. They were successful in doing so and went on to halt the flow of troops onto the Halo.

Even though the Banished had been cut off the ring, those that had made it had already gained a foothold near the UNSC's [[Alpha Base (Installation 09)|Alpha Base]]. Believing the loss of the Halo ring to be unacceptable, Cutter sent all three Spartans of [[Red Team]] to it with haste and ordered them to clear all [[Jiralhanae]], [[Sangheili]], [[Mgalekgolo]], and [[Unggoy]] off the installation. Faced with the possibility of that which he had traveled to the Ark for slipping from his grasp, Atriox personally contacted the captain for the first time. He applauded Cutter's tenacity and, not knowing that the humans were without [[slipspace]] capability, said that he would not pursue them if they left the Ark then. Cutter gave the Brute no quarter, responding in defiance that he had not forgotten what happened to the researchers that had been massacred and that he would ultimately take the Ark from Atriox.<ref name="TH">'''Halo Wars 2''', campaign level ''[[The Halo]]''</ref> He directed Jerome and the other Spartans to gather everyone they could and get to the Halo's [[control room]] so professor Anders could disarm it prior to its journey. Once she was safely inside, Cutter reached out to her for an update and told Jerome and the others to defend her. With Banished troops incoming, there was no time to establish a base. Cutter advised that mobile turret defenses be protected and used effectively and wished his people good luck. As the Banished bore down on them, Cutter was able to spot [[Jiralhanae Warlord]]s on the field. He let Red Team know that eliminating them could mean disrupting the enemy's chain of command. As soon as they were ready, he also sent more marines with [[AV-14 Hornet]]s, [[HRUNTING Mark III (B) Cyclops]]s, [[EV-44 Nightingale]]s, [[M12G1 Gauss Warthog]]s, [[AC-220 Vulture]]s, and [[M808S Scorpion]]s to reinforce those on the Halo. The arrival of a fully-active Banished scarab prompted the captain to shout for a newly developed gunship, the [[D81-LRT Condor|G81-LRT Condor]], to be used at once against it. The scarab was destroyed but soon after was followed by heavy artillery in the form of [[Gydrozka Workshop Blisterback]]s. As the fight raged on, the captain repeatedly reiterated that the professor was to be protected at all costs and urged Anders to work quickly. After one of these urgings, she told him she had discovered something that might help them remove the Banished from the ring. He told her that no matter what it was, it had better work.

[[File:HW2 Cuttermap.png|thumb|left|300px|Cutter returns to the holotable on the observation deck after the ring is gone.]]

===The fight continues===

{{Quote|Yes, I have said goodbye to another friend and we are again cut off from the rest of humanity, but this time it's different. We know that the Covenant War has been won and a new future awaits us back home—perhaps our families as well. For now, we have a new purpose, something to fight for. And we'll do it together on our new home.|The captain's log on April 2, [[2559]].}}

Following Anders' departure on the newly-created Halo ring, James Cutter made an entry in his captain's log wherein he expressed his sadness at having to say goodbye to his colleague and friend. In it he also noted that though she was gone and his family on the ''Spirit of Fire'' a little smaller, there was plenty to keep him occupied in the weeks ahead.<ref name="BtE">'''Halo Wars 2''', ''[[Phoenix Logs]] — Beyond the Edge''</ref> Anders had said it would probably be a matter of weeks before help could be sent, after all. The Banished were still a threat to be dealt even if they had been bested this time. Cutter directed Isabel to start investigating the Ark's portal controls in the event that they needed to open—or close—the portal to Earth again in the future. He and Isabel began using minibases as unmanned sensor and communication relays in an ever-growing system of control nodes being extended across the Ark.<ref name="M">'''Halo Wars 2''', ''[[Phoenix Logs]] — Minibase''</ref> As the ranking Navy and [[UEG]] official in the administrative region, he also conferred the acting rank of Commander on [[Jerome-092]].<ref name="CJ">'''Halo Wars 2''', ''[[Phoenix Logs]] — Commander Jerome''</ref> The captain reflected on his hope that his family might still be alive, even knowing what he now did about [[Reach]] and the end of the [[Human-Covenant War]]. For the moment, however, the fight against Atriox on the Ark would be his purpose. At some point after this UNSC fighters fought the Banished amidst the wreckage of the ''Enduring Conviction'' and around one month later, on May 1, the fight across the Ark was still underway. At that time a plot by the [[Mgalekgolo]] pair known jointly as [[Colony]] to take control of a [[Forerunner]] {{Class|Despair|fighter}} was discovered. The plan was thwarted by the [[ODST]] unit, [[Sunray 1-1]], with help from [[India Company]], which Cutter had authorized to reinforce the squad. Cutter sent Hornets to evac the ODSTs (and [[Gruss|one]] [[Hospital Corpsman]]) after the completion of their mission and thanked them personally once they had returned to the ''Spirit of Fire''.<ref name="HW2NOMW">'''[[Halo Wars 2]]''' campaign level ''[[Not on My Watch]]''</ref> By June 4, the Banished and the ''Spirit of Fire'' were still in a stalemate when the [[Flood]] was unleashed from the wreckage of ''[[High Charity]]''. The parasite co-opted a number of Cutter's troops and vehicles but was contained by the Jiralhanae brothers, [[Voridus]] and [[Pavium]].<ref name="HW2M">'''[[Halo Wars 2]]''' campaign level ''[[Manifestation]]''</ref>

==Personality and traits==

==Gallery==

<gallery>

File:HW_Cutter_Sketches.jpg|Early sketches of Cutter.

File:HW Cutter Concept 1.jpg|Concept art of Captain James Cutter for ''[[Halo Wars]]''.

File:HW2-Cutter(trailer).png|Captain Cutter in ''[[Know Your Enemy]]''.

File:HM-Cutter&Serina.png|James Cutter in ''[[Halo Mythos]]''.

File:HW2_KnowYourEnemy_Print.png|Concept art with Cutter.

File:HW2 - Cutter promo.png|A promotional image of Cutter for ''Halo Wars 2''.

*''[[Halo: Renegades]]'' {{Mo}}

*''[[Halo: Divine Wind]]''

{{col-end}}