Melody Azikiwe

Melody Azikiwe
Biographical information
Homeworld:	New Mombasa, Earth
Personal details
Species:	Human
Gender:	Female
Political and military information
Affiliation:	Unified Earth Government Diplomatic Corps
Title:	Envoy

Melody Azikiwe is an envoy of the UEG Diplomatic Corps.

Biography

Early life

Melody grew up on Earth, specifically New Mombasa, and was present during the Battle for Earth. When the Covenant attacked her home, Melody managed to escape and survive, but was left with nightmares about what she had witnessed.

Undiminished Entelechy

On July 12, 2556, Azikiwe worked alongside the AI Adalbert to translate recorded conversations stored on the black-box of the Covenant Ket-pattern battlecruiser Undiminished Entelechy. The black-box had been recovered by Spartan Fireteam Apollo as part of Operation: SHELL GAME.

Envoy to Carrow

Melody, along with her staff of Adam Hsein, Jens Forsburg, and Victoria Weaver, were sent to Carrow to broker peace between the human and Sangheili settlers. Prior to the outbreak of the Carrow Conflict, they spent most of their time aboard the Sangheili Varric-pattern heavy cruiser Unwavering Discipline, which was commanded by Rojka 'Kasaan. On September 1, 2558, the day before the peace summit, Sangheili dissidents under Thars 'Sarov attacked the human city of Suraka and forced Rojka to engage his fleet and the Jiralhanae-led fleet in Carrow's orbit. In the midst of the battle, Melody sent her staff down to the surface of Carrow to escape the fighting in orbit, while she would stay behind in order to attempt her mission provided by the Office of Naval Intelligence: negotiate the handover of Spartan-II Gray Team. Meeting with Rojka, Melody attempted to persuade the Fleetmaster to free the Spartans, but Rojka refused. After acquiring weaponry from one of the ship's armories, Melody moved towards the storage holds where they kept Gray Team's cryotubes. As she released the Spartans from cryo, she became gravely injured in the midst of a brief skirmish between herself and Rojka's warriors, falling into unconsciousness. Gray Team awakened to find Melody's body and after applying biofoam to her injuries, the Spartans took her and fought through the ship to the hangar area. After finding their lifeboat, the Spartans took Melody and piloted the ship down to the surface of Carrow.

Carrow's surface

After crash-landing in the Uldt Desert, Melody awakened to find Gray Team creating a makeshift stretcher for her. She explained to the Spartans of the current situation on the planet, along with the current status of the galaxy and the end of the Human-Covenant War. With Gray Team brought up to speed, the group set out, carrying Melody to the ONI facility known as Gila Station. During their travel, Azikiwe and the Spartans paused for a moment of rest but were attacked by one of Rojka's Banshees, which was pursing them. Taking out the Banshee with the Okarda'phaa-pattern plasma rifles they acquired from Unwavering Discipline, Melody and Gray Team moved on to the ONI facility. As they reached Gila Station, Melody had the Spartans broadcast a low-power general transmission with both a passcode and her name in order to gain safe access into the facility. Melody attempted to tell the Spartans information they needed to know, but she passed out again due to the wounds she had suffered.

Gila Station

Gray Team and an unconscious Melody were greeted by Commander Greg van Eekhout, an ONI agent in command of the facility. Van Eekhout had the Spartans take Melody into the facility to a Covenant designed automated surgical suite that would treat her wounds. After her wounds were treated, Melody awoke and moved immediately to probe Eekhout for answers regarding the possibility of her own staff's survival and the current situation on Carrow. Eekhout informed her that no one but Gray Team and herself had reached the facility, and the Jiralhanae had entered the Forerunner structure within Suraka faster than anticipated. Melody attempted to go over possible solutions, Eekhout brushed them off, stating they need Gray Team to confront the threat to Carrow. Despite van Eekhout's reluctance, Melody convinced him to reveal to the Spartans the threat from the Sharquoi, massive beasts created by the Forerunners, hundreds of thousands of which were in a hive beneath the planet's surface. Melody showed the Spartans footage from Operation: POLECAT, where the discovery of a hive with far less of the creatures led to the death of fifty ODSTs and a nuclear bombardment and glassing being required to end the threat. Melody revealed that the Jiralhanae Chieftain brought in by Thars 'Sarov was in fact Hekabe, a Jiralhanae who had recovered the vertex, the Sharquoi control device, during the Battle of Installation 00, allowing Hekabe to control the creatures when the High Prophets could not. In turn, Gray Team revealed that they were the ones who destroyed Rojka's homeworld of Glyke during Operation: SUNSPEAR, explaining his hatred and relentless hunt for them.

Shortly afterwards, Gila Station was found by the Sangheili, now working together to hunt Gray Team. On van Eekhout's orders, Gray Team evacuated in a hidden Warthog, while Melody and van Eekhout remained behind. Van Eekhout was killed by Thars, but Melody was rescued by Rojka 'Kasaan who was furious over her apparent betrayal by helping Gray Team escape. Melody managed to convince Rojka of the greater threat from the Sharquoi and pointed out to him that while his demons were Gray Team, to her, her own demons looked like Rojka and other Sangheili, but she was willing to put aside the past to build a better future.

Suraka and Thars

Melody and Rojka traveled to Suraka where they joined the effort to stop the Sharquoi that were released by Hekabe and rampaging through the city. Though Adriana-111 was nearly able to kill Hekabe, the vertex saved him, and he began preparations to take over Thars 'Sarov's remaining ships to replace his own destroyed fleet and take the Sharquoi to other worlds. In the face of the greater threat, Rojka and Gray Team formed an alliance to defeat Thars and stop Hekabe from getting Thars' ships, though they didn't inform Melody of the specifics of their plan. At a meeting, Melody, the Spartans and Rojka surrendered to Thars, only to have Rojka's three remaining warriors launch a surprise attack, allowing the Spartans to defeat Thars' forces while Rojka overpowered Thars. Thars refused to listen to reason until too late, allowing Hekabe's forces to take control of his ships and attack Rak. Enraged by all Thars had done, Rojka executed him with his energy sword to Melody's horror.

Stopping Hekabe

Shortly after Thars was killed, Governor Ellis Gass conscripted the group into a final push to defeat Hekabe using a modified M68 Gauss cannon that was powered by a reconfigured HAVOK tactical nuclear weapon which fired an Electromagnetic pulse. This blast would disrupt the Jiralhanae chieftain's connection with the Sharquoi. In this attack, Melody, Gray Team, Ellis, Rojka, and a squad of militia members led by Corporal Wyse entered the Forerunner facility via an aerial insertion, with Melody strapped to Adrianna's back. After battling their way down to Hekabe's position, the team was able to subdue the chieftain and remove the vertex from his head. Ellis then used the vertex for herself and told the surviving team members to evacuate to the surface before she detonated the Havok, taking out the remaining Sharquoi in the process. The team fled, with Mike carrying Melody. They were met by a Pelican that had been hailed for them by Ellis and escaped the facility before the detonation, though their craft was caught in the ensuing shockwave and crashed with no causalities.

Aftermath

After the UNSC forces arrived at Carrow, Melody and Gray Team were transported to the UNSC Welcome to the Snipehunt, where she was informed by Commander Yarick that her time working with ONI had passed. She would then return to her full Diplomatic Corps duties on Earth with the possibility of continuing work on Carrow.

Personality and traits

Melody Azikiwe is able to understand and translate Sangheili. She is extremely skilled at diplomacy, using her words to influence events around her by making others see reason in a situation. Rojka 'Kasaan considered what Melody could do to speaking things into being with the power of her words and after having witnessed it in action, was inspired to go down a similar path himself so that he could influence others for the better in the same way.

Trivia

Azikiwe's surname suggests she is of Nigerian descent.

List of appearances

• Halo: Fractures
  • Oasis (Indirect mention)
• Halo: Envoy (First appearance)