Editing John-117/Relationships

Samuel-034 was John's first and best friend since the Spartan-IIs began their training. The two met on the first day of training when they were teamed up with Kelly-087 for a "Ring the Bell" exercise. However, John believed that he could perform better if he was alone. As such, he left his team behind and reached the bell first while Sam and Kelly had struggled and were the last to reach it. As punishment for abandoning his team, Franklin Mendez prohibited John, Sam, and Kelly from receiving dinner, only allowing them to have some water. John was angered by this punishment, not understanding the importance of working as a team. On the second day of training, John attempted to avoid Sam and Kelly, who were still upset with John for leaving them behind. When they realized they were grouped together once more, Sam threatened John, saying that he would push him off of one of the platforms if he didn't work as a team. John agreed to work as a team; and together, they were the third team to reach the bell. Following the exercise, Sam asked them if they wanted to be friends. John and Kelly both agreed.{{Ref/Reuse|HTFOR4}}

As John and Sam trained together, they grew closer, often joking with each other and forming a strong friendship. During a training mission in [[2519]], Sam signaled John by mimicking the call of an owl. John jokingly called him an owl soon after, but Sam replied that he was "Chief Owl" to him.{{Ref/Reuse|HTFOR5}} While on another training mission in [[2523]], John made a risky decision to act as bait, and Sam told him that he would not let anyone to do anything to him. John thanked him and said that he knew.{{Ref/Novel|Id=HFS17|HFS|Chapter=17}}

In [[2525]], when Spartans were [[Battle of Chi Ceti|deployed]] to board and destroy the ''[[Unrelenting]]'' at [[Chi Ceti IV]], only John, Sam, and Kelly managed to reach the ship. When the group encountered [[Kig-Yar]] crew, one of them shot at John with its {{Pattern|Eos'Mak|plasma pistol}}, but Sam shoved him out of the way. As a result, Sam was struck by the bolt of plasma in his armor's vacuum suit, burning a hole in it and compromising its seal. When they were ready to leave, John activated the warheads they had brought with them and ordered Sam to stay behind to protect it. When Kelly disagreed, Sam explained that he would die if he entered the space with the breach in his vacuum suit. As the two left Sam with the warheads, John ordered Kelly not to look back at Sam. However, it was John who dared not to look back at his friend whom he had just sent to his death. John feared that if he did look back, he would stay with Sam until the end.{{Ref/Novel|Id=HTFOR15|HTFOR|Chapter=15}}

John never forgave himself for Sam's death, and the his decisions he made in those key movements have haunted him, despite being unable to identify any mistakes of his that resulted in that outcome. He had witnessed many soldiers die before and after that event, but Sam's death caused John to doubt his worthiness as a leader. Not long after Sam died, John led more Spartans in [[Skirmish over Netherop|boarding]] attempt on [[Radiant Arrow|another Covenant ship]]. This time, each of the Spartans were equipped with emergency patching kits, extra thruster packs, and locator beacons in an effort to avoid the situation that led to Sam's death. Yet, John was still worried for his Spartans, something that the others realized.{{Ref/Novel|Id=HSS1|HSS|Chapter=1}} When Kelly was injured later in that mission, John ordered Fred-104 to stay back and take care of her, leading to her calling John overprotective. This did not bother John; if being overprotective kept his fellow Spartans alive, he was fine with that.{{Ref/Novel|Id=HSS4|HSS|Chapter=4}} During a later [[Battle over Etalan|mission]], [[Staff Sergeant]] [[Avery Johnson]] decided to give John sniper cover instead of Fred or Kelly. John ordered Johnson to instead cover one of them, not wanting to put others at risk just so he could be protected. In that moment, John remembered how Sam had put himself at risk to protect John, ultimately paying for that with his life.{{Ref/Novel|Id=HSS20|HSS|Chapter=20}}  

During [[Battle of Installation 07]] in [[2560]], when John attempted to delete [[The Weapon|the Weapon]], he provided passwords for each step of the deletion protocol, with the second and third passwords being "034" and "Samuel," respectively. Even decades after his death, John still hesitated for a moment when speaking Sam's name.{{Ref/Level|Id=Nexus|HI|Nexus}}

Dr. Halsey, the creator of the SPARTAN-II program, acted as a motherly figure to John. She often called him by his name rather than "Master Chief" or "Spartan 117," and looked him directly in the eyes instead of focusing on his medals or Spartan insignia. In fact, John noticed that she was the only civilian to do so.{{Ref/Novel|Id=HTFoRC24|HTFoR|chapter=24}}

 

The two first met when John was a child on [[Eridanus II]]. Dr. Halsey visited his school, wishing to evaluate his aptitude as a SPARTAN-II candidate. When she arrived at his school, she found him playing a brutal version of king of the hill with several other children, and winning. Watching John for a moment, she wondered to herself if he would have any trouble pushing her off the hill. After engaging him in conversation and testing his luck with a coin toss, Dr. Halsey let him return to his game, calling him "John" as she departed. As she walked away, she scolded herself for calling "Number-117" by his name, telling her that she should not become attached to the subjects.{{Ref/Novel|Id=HTFoRC2|HTFoR|chapter=2}}

 

 

In 2552, when Kelly asked if John had survived the war, Dr. Halsey replied that John had always been the luckiest. When informed of the possibility that John might be dead, she struggled to accept it and hoped that John was truly missing rather than killed in action.{{Ref/Novel|Id=HGlaC15|HGla|chapter=15}}{{Ref/Level|H4|Prologue}} Upon discovering that the UNSC had hidden the fact that John was alive, she was shocked and angrily slapped [[Captain (NAVCOM)|Captain]] [[Thomas Lasky]], pointing out that she should have been informed.{{Citation needed}} Later, when Blue Team went AWOL in [[2558]], she told Captain Lasky that John was not mentally prepared to face [[Cortana]] as a threat and asked [[Spartan-IV]] [[Jameson Locke]] to "bring John home."{{Ref/Level|H5G|Before the Storm}}

 

John and [[Thel 'Vadam]]'s first meeting on Delta Halo was hostile, with the Arbiter continually referring to the Spartan as "Demon" and John's insistence that the San'Shyuum were making a "big mistake" by activating the Halo rings. This was also complicated by the fact that John was directly responsible for Thel being stripped of his rank and branded with the [[Mark of Shame]] because of John's destruction of [[Installation 04]]. Despite this, Thel would later admit that he possessed a modicum of respect for John even as enemies. Upon their next meeting on Earth, John was quick to try and kill the Sangheili before Johnson stopped him. They remained initially wary of one another, but learned to trust each other in combat against the Covenant and the Flood. Thel proved his trustworthiness to John through actions such as assisting him in the rescue of Sergeant Johnson, or counseling his fellow Sangheili not to glass all of Earth after the Flood outbreak at Voi. When they reached the Ark, the two's reliance on each other was cemented, and John demonstrated his respect for Thel by allowing him be the one to kill the Prophet of Truth. The Arbiter also came to his aid on ''High Charity'' despite having little need to do so, and chose to fight with John to the end in his efforts to stop the Flood and consoled him on Johnson's death. 'Vadam was the last one to see John alive before the latter went missing after the war, and afterward expressed to Lord Hood mild doubt that John might be dead. 'Vadam would later refer to John as a friend with John having reciprocated their friendship,{{Ref/Film|[[Halo: The Master Chief Collection terminal trailer]]|Quote=And your Master Chief calls me... friend.}} and upon learning that he was still alive following the [[Battle of Ealen IV|events]] on [[Ealen IV]], Thel believed that he was the key to the galaxy's future. During the [[Battle of Sunaion]], Thel referred to the Chief as the greatest of all Spartans, and later asked Spartan Locke to give the Chief his greetings. Following John's arrival at Sanghelios, 'Vadam greeted him with a dinner to celebrate their victory over Jul 'Mdama's forces. <ref>''[[Halo: Bad Blood]]'', ''Chapter 1''</ref> During dinner, Thel led John to a quiet location, where he inquired about how John had fared since the end of the Covenant War. John blamed himself for failing to stop Cortana from attacking the galaxy, his mind weighed down by the burden. 'Vadam noticed his distress and sought to comfort the Spartan, and his efforts did not go unnoticed. Thel reminded John that it was he who had opened his eyes to the lies of the Prophets, giving him hope that perhaps he could do the same for Cortana, revealing the truth to her. John's only response was a heavy, "Were it so easy."{{Ref/Reuse|sunrise}} Upon John and the team's departure, both of them clasped their arms together, ready to take the new threats upon them together once again just like [[Battle of Installation 00|they did before]].