Editing Tarkov

{{Status|Canon}}
{{disambig header|the ODST in The Life|the ODST in Halo: The Cole Protocol|Markov}}
{{Character infobox
|variant=Human
|image=[[File:Tarkov.png|275px]]
|homeworld=
|birth=
|death=
|species=Human
|gender=Male
|height=
|mass=
|hair=Brown
|eyes=Blue
|affiliation=[[United Nations Space Command|UNSC]] [[UNSC Marine Corps|Marine]] [[Orbital Drop Shock Trooper|Shock Troopers]]
|rank=
|sn= 
|notable=
}}

'''Tarkov''' is an [[Orbital Drop Shock Trooper]] assigned to the [[19th Shock Troops Battalion|19th Battalion]] of the [[105th Shock Troops Division]] who participated in the [[Human-Covenant War]].<ref name="The Life">'''The Life'''</ref>

==Biography==
===Enlistment===
At some point during the Human-Covenant War, [[Staff Sergeant]] [[K. Stark]] of the 19th Battalion, an acquaintance or relative of Tarkov, was [[killed in action]]. Tarkov attended Stark's funeral and afterward volunteered to be an Orbital Drop Shock Trooper. He then went through a series of brutal training exercises, including live ammunition combat drills and crawls through mud to prepare him for combat. Tarkov was then assigned to the 19th Battalion.{{Ref/Reuse|The Life}}

===Combat===
During one of his first combat deployments, Tarkov [[Drop pod|dropped]] onto an unknown planet amongst other members of his [[battalion]] and immediately engaged [[Covenant Empire|Covenant]] forces. Several [[lance]]s of [[Jiralhanae]] soldiers were present along with Covenant style tank traps at the landing zone, with multiple [[Type-26 Ground Support Aircraft|Banshees]] providing close air support.

A [[Jiralhanae Minor]] struck Tarkov while the latter was moving up the line, knocking off his helmet and inflicting deep gashes in his face, simultaneously throwing him into a mud puddle. Tarkov vainly fired his pistol at the Brute as it moved forward to make the killing blow. However, a severely damaged Banshee crashed into the Brute's back, killing it and saving Tarkov's life.

Years later, Tarkov, now a battle-hardened veteran whose gashes had turned into scars, led four other ODSTs in a field burial for a fallen comrade slipping an ODST banner under his armor. As plasma fire erupted and artillery detonated in the distance, the ODSTs put on their helmets and moved out.{{Ref/Reuse|The Life}}

==Trivia==
Tarkov's surname, as well as the fact that Stark's funeral detail and Tarkov's trainers spoke [[Hungarian]], may suggest that Tarkov is a native of [[Reach]]. This is likely, as many of Reach's early settlers were from Eastern Europe, particularly Hungary, which influenced the names of many locations and even animal species on the planet.

In 2022, Mega Construx released a Halo building set called “ODST Hive Exterminators” based on concept art for Halo 3: ODST. The building set features Tarkov as the team leader of a four man ODST squad tasked with eliminating a drone hive. (This is Tarkov’s first appearance in any Halo media since his first and previously only appearance in the 2009 trailer ‘We are ODST’/‘The Life’). The building set features Tarkov wearing a standard ODST armor set with a Mustard Yellow color scheme accurately detailed to his appearance at the end of the live action trailer. Along with three unnamed squad members (2 male, 1 female) their armor is mash ups of preexisting armor piece pulled from various members of Alpha Nine each in a new color scheme.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Tarkov01.png|Tarkov in Stark's funeral prior to his enlistment.
File:Tarkov02.png|Tarkov as an ODST recruit.
File:Tarkov3.png|Tarkov lying in battlefield
File:Tunnel.png|Tarkov and other ODSTs holding improvised combat zone funeral.
</gallery>

==List of appearances==
*''[[The Life]]'' {{1st}}

==Sources==
{{Ref/Sources}}

[[Category:Orbital Drop Shock Troopers]]
[[Category:Human characters]]

https://www.megaconstrux.com/en-us/halo/sets/odst-hive-exterminators