Editing Tom-B292

{{Era|HCW|Post}}
{{Character infobox|variant=Human
|name=Tom-B292
|image=
|homeworld=
|birth=c. [[2533]]<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''page 26''</ref>
|death=
|species=[[Human]]
|gender=Male
|height=
|mass=
|hair=Black, close-cropped<ref name="g98">'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''page 98''</ref>
|hair-title=Hair
|eyes=Dark<ref name="g98"/>
|affiliation=*[[UNSC Navy]]
**[[UNSC Special Forces|Naval Special Warfare Command]]
***[[SPARTAN-III program]]
****[[Beta Company]]
*[[Spartan (branch)|Spartan]]
|rank=[[Petty Officer, Second Class|Petty officer, second class]]<ref name="g98"/>
|sn=S-B292
|notable=
}}

'''Petty Officer, Second Class Tom-B292''' is a [[SPARTAN-III program|SPARTAN-III]] supersoldier of [[SPARTAN-III Beta Company|Beta Company]] and one of the two sole survivors of [[Operation: TORPEDO]] along with [[Lucy-B091]]. Tom and Lucy served as [[Lieutenant Commander]] [[Kurt Ambrose]]'s senior [[NCO]]s and helped train [[SPARTAN-III Gamma Company|Gamma Company]] up until the [[Battle of Onyx]] in late [[2552]]. After the [[Human-Covenant War]], they were folded into the new [[Spartan branch]].<ref name="catalog">[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/forums/db05ce78845f4120b062c50816008e5d/topics/catalog-interaction/4c3e1c6f-6519-4ee0-83a4-4bac13bf07a3/posts?page=38#post745 '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Catalog Interaction - Page 38'']</ref>

==Biography==
===Childhood and training===
{{Quote|multi=yes|q1=Look. What are those two doing now?|q2=I think... the impossible.|Deep Winter|Kurt Ambrose|[[Deep Winter]] and [[Kurt Ambrose|Lieutenant Ambrose]] regarding Tom and Lucy during a training exercise<ref name="goo92">'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''page 92''</ref>}}
Orphaned by the [[Covenant]] when his homeworld was [[Glassing|glassed]], Tom joined the SPARTAN-III program at age six around [[2539]] in order to get revenge. He was trained by [[Lieutenant Commander]] [[Kurt Ambrose]] and [[Senior Chief Petty Officer]] [[Franklin Mendez]] for six years. Tom became the leader of [[Team Foxtrot]], one of the organized [[SPARTAN-III Beta Company|Beta Company]] combat teams comprised of [[Lucy-B091]], [[Adam-B004]] and [[Min-B174]].<ref name="goo15">'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''page 15''</ref> On [[2541|August 24, 2541]], Tom and the rest of Team Foxtrot partook in one of a series of exercises designed to filter out extra candidates the program lacked funds to further train and augment. After most of Foxtrot were incapacitated, leaving only Tom and Lucy, he engineered a plan to appropriate the automated [[M202 XP machine gun]]s pinning them down and complete the training mission. After they were successful in their designated objective, Tom, Lucy and the rest of the Spartans continued to ambush several waves of their instructors before being forced to stand down by Chief Mendez and Lieutenant Ambrose.<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''pages 89-96''</ref> However, Ambrose commended Tom and his team for their actions and they were accepted for further phases of training and eventually [[Project CHRYSANTHEMUM|physical augmentation]].<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''pages 89-96''</ref>

===Operation: TORPEDO===
{{Main|Operation: TORPEDO}}
When they were only 12 years old, the young Spartans were sent to destroy a Covenant refinery on [[Pegasi Delta]] in [[2545]]. As the Spartans faced superior enemy forces, they were wiped out, but Fireteam Foxtrot managed to reach the inside of the refinery. Only Lucy-B091 and Tom-B292 survived the fight, as they jumped out of the facility into a nearby ocean just before its core went critical.<ref name="goo27">'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''page 27''</ref>

Despite [[Colonel]] [[James Ackerson|Ackerson]]'s wish to have Tom for his own private operations, Kurt managed to have him and Lucy assigned to help him train the [[SPARTAN-III Gamma Company]] on [[Onyx]] alongside himself and [[Senior Chief Petty Officer|Chief]] [[Franklin Mendez|Mendez]]. Tom and Lucy subsequently became Kurt's top adjutants and were instrumental in Gamma Company's training.<ref name="g98"/> By early [[2551]], both held the rank of Petty Officer Second Class. In February 2551 they accompanied Kurt aboard {{UNSCShip|Hopeful}} to oversee Gamma Company's augmentations. By this time they had spent significant time in microgravity which was [[Space walk|apparent]] from their gaits.<ref name="g98"/>

===Battle of Onyx===
{{Main|Battle of Onyx}}
{{Quote|With all due respect, sir, we're not leaving. You'll have to court-martial us.|Tom announcing his and Lucy's intention to stay at Lieutenant Commander Ambrose's side<ref name="goo368"/>}}
When the [[Battle of Onyx]] broke out in [[2552]] and the planet's [[Onyx Sentinel|Sentinels]] attacked the local UNSC forces, Tom and Lucy were stationed at [[Camp Currahee]]. They managed to destroy one of the Forerunner drones before [[Lieutenant Commander]] [[Kurt Ambrose|Ambrose]] and [[Chief Mendez]] arrived.<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', Chapter 15</ref> After retrieving ordnance and equipment they moved on to [[El Morro Point]] and, following several days of guerrilla warfare against the Sentinels, met with [[Catherine Halsey|Dr. Catherine Halsey]] and the [[SPARTAN-II]]s of [[Blue Team]]. Tom and Lucy subsequently coordinated with [[Linda-058]] to destroy a Sentinel monitoring the area,<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', Chapter 29</ref> before the group pushed deeper into the restricted [[Zone 67]], eventually arriving in a massive Forerunner city.<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', Chapter 30</ref> Pursued by [[Joyous Exultation alliance|Covenant forces]], they were redirected to destroy a [[Sentinel manufacturing facility]] by Zone 67's ONI AI [[Endless Summer]]. Operating as an advance team, Tom and Lucy completed a crucial part of the operation, coordinated by Dr. Halsey via the use of local [[teleporter|translocation pads]] and they successfully destroyed the factory.<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', Chapters 33-34</ref>

The Spartans eventually made a stand at the entrance to the [[Trevelyan|shield world]] in the [[core room antechamber]] to prevent the incoming Covenant army from entering the shield world. When ordered by Lieutenant Commander Ambrose to enter the rift to the shield world, he and Lucy refused to leave Kurt's side, with Tom saying that he would be court-martialed before he would leave. Kurt then knocked him out with a blow to the underside of his helmet and ordered Lucy to take the unconscious Spartan with her into the shield world. He and Lucy were the last Spartans to leave the battle, surviving through Kurt's sacrifice.<ref name="goo368">'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''page 368-369''</ref>

===Shield world and later career===
After recovering from Kurt's blow, which left him with a bruise on his chin, Tom joined the rest of the survivors in reconnaissance of the shield world. He accompanied [[Kelly-087]], [[Olivia-G291]], [[Catherine Halsey|Dr. Halsey]] and [[Senior Chief Petty Officer|Chief]] [[Franklin Mendez|Mendez]] in surveying the area close to the now-inert entrance portal.<ref>'''Halo: Glasslands''', ''page 13''</ref> Later, while Mendez and Halsey were having a discussion about the Spartans, a small Forerunner drone suddenly swooped down on them. Tom was nearest to Halsey and tackled her to the ground to protect her.<ref>'''Halo: Glasslands''', ''page 40''</ref> Before anyone could catch the drone, it flew off.

Shortly afterward, Lucy-B091 disappeared inside a Forerunner structure, and eventually returned with a group of [[Huragok]], which helped the human survivors open communications with the ONI ships outside the shield world. The Huragok also brought the sphere into normal space from its compressed [[slipspace bubble]]. The few days the survivors had spent in the shield world amounted for over three months in normal space-time; though they entered the slipspace bubble in early November 2552, they would exit in [[2553|February 2553]].<ref>'''Halo: Glasslands''', ''page 382-389''</ref> Tom and the other survivors were then taken aboard the {{UNSCShip|Port Stanley}} by the ONI team [[Kilo-Five]], and headed to Earth for a debriefing in [[HIGHCOM Facility Bravo-6]].<ref>'''Halo: Glasslands''', ''page 401''</ref>

Tom, Lucy, and the former Team Saber members continued to serve within Blue Team despite being offered the chance to integrate into the [[SPARTAN-IV program]].<ref>'''Halo: Glasslands''', ''page 435''</ref>

===Conflict on Gao===
{{Main|Gao conflict}}
In [[2553#May|May of 2553]], the Office of Naval Intelligence learned of [[Covert Support Base 4276|a Forerunner structure]] host to [[Intrepid Eye|an ancilla]] located within the [[Montero Cave System]] on the human [[Outer Colony]] of [[Gao]] in the [[Cordoba system]]. Tom and the rest of Blue Team—Fred, Kelly, Linda, Lucy, Ash, Olivia, and Mark—were attached to ONI's [[717th Xeno-Materials Exploitation Battalion]], a research battalion charged with recovering the AI.<ref>'''Halo: Last Light''', ''page 33'' (Google Play edition)</ref> During their search for the AI, a string of murders began occurring in the cave systems; in July 2553, the UNSC forces on Gao agreed to help Gao's [[Gao Ministry of Protection|Ministry of Protection]] with the murders while they covertly located the AI, both parties unaware that the murders were caused by the ancilla.

After another victim had been discovered in the caves, Tom, Lucy, Kelly, and Linda were tasked with escorting the GMoP team and the bagged victim back to the village of [[Wendosa]], while the rest of Blue Team continued to search for the ancilla.<ref>'''Halo: Last Light''', ''page 146'' (Google Play edition)</ref> Upon arriving at Wendosa on [[2553#July|July 4, 2553]], the Spartans attempted to deliver the victim to a [[Pelican]] [[dropship]] for extraction. However, the four Spartans were spotted by members of the [[Keepers of the One Freedom]], a radical [[Covenant remnants|Covenant sect]] that had traveled to Gao in search for the ancilla. The cult's [[Jiralhanae]] leader, [[Castor]], believed that the bagged victim aboard the Pelican was actually the ancilla and ordered his forces to attack Wendosa to retrieve the AI.<ref>'''Halo: Last Light''', ''pages 134-136'' (Google Play edition)</ref><ref>'''Halo: Last Light''', ''pages 141-142'' (Google Play edition)</ref> As the Keepers of the One Freedom attacked the village, Tom and the other Spartans helped [[Charlie Company (Gao)|Charlie Company]] defend the rest of the research battalion. While the [[company]] took a defensive position in [[Wendosa Hotel]], Tom and the Spartans formed a skirmish ring around the hotel, attempting to disrupt enemy formations and prevent a Jiralhanae charge.<ref>'''Halo: Last Light''', ''pages 183-185'' (Google Play edition)</ref>

Fred, the rest of Blue Team, and [[Special Inspector]] [[Veta Lopis]] arrived at the village with the captured ancilla to aid the company. Meanwhile, while Kelly and Linda fired explosives at the Keepers from the Wendosa rooftops, Tom and Lucy—armed with heavy machine guns—were helping force the cult's forces back into retreat.<ref>'''Halo: Last Light''', ''pages 190-192'' (Google Play edition)</ref> When the Jiralhanae attempted to charge at the village, all Spartans of Blue Team worked together to thin their numbers. During the attack, Fred was ordered to return the captured ancilla to Commander [[Murtag Nelson]] at the [[Montero Vitality Clinic]]. However, while leaving Wendosa in a [[UH-144 Falcon|Falcon]], the aircraft was shot down by Keeper fire.<ref>'''Halo: Last Light''', ''pages 219-222'' (Google Play edition)</ref> The rest of Blue Team regrouped and, with Lopis, traveled to the Falcon's crash site to locate Fred and the AI. The team was assaulted by the Keepers, but they were eventually able to defeat the charging Jiralhanae with the help of the battalion's [[Alpha Company]]. Having recovered Fred and the ancilla, the team returned to the Montero Vitality Clinic.<ref>'''Halo: Last Light''', ''pages 225-239'' (Google Play edition)</ref> However, recently elected [[President of the Gao Republic|President of Gao]] [[Arlo Casille]] declared war on the UNSC forces on the planet and [[Gao battle-jumpers]] and [[Wyvern]]s were ordered to engage the battalion's remaining forces.

As the rest of the unit began retreating from the planet, the Spartans and Lopis traveled to the [[Wells of Echoes]] to detonate a [[HAVOK tactical nuclear weapon]] inside to destroy the Forerunner installation within the Montero Caves, denying the anti-UNSC president access to the installation.<ref>'''Halo: Last Light''', ''pages 289-290'' (Google Play edition)</ref> Once they retrieved the ancilla and the nuke, Blue Team and Lopis regrouped in the [[Montero Jungle]]. Tom and Lucy both drove the two Warthogs, with the rest of the team aboard, to the Well of Echoes.<ref>'''Halo: Last Light''', ''pages 306-307'' (Google Play edition)</ref> Upon arriving at the Well of Echoes, the team boarded a nearby ONI [[Owl]] with Rear Admiral [[Serin Osman]] aboard. Mark dropped the nuke into the Well of Echoes and the Owl left the planet as the HAVOK detonated and destroyed the Forerunner installation.<ref>'''Halo: Last Light''', ''pages 320-324'' (Google Play edition)</ref> As the Owl traveled to the UNSC task force in Gao's orbit, Osman revealed that the Gamma Company Spartan-IIIs were to be reassigned to classified infiltration teams. Despite their initial reluctance to the plan, the Beta Company survivors and the rest of Blue Team gave their "permission", although Tom openly protested to ONI's decision.<ref>'''Halo: Last Light''', ''pages 327-333'' (Google Play edition)</ref>

Tom and Lucy were later assigned to the [[Spartan (branch)|Spartan branch]] in [[2553|August 2553]]. Their location remained classified following their reassignment.<ref name="catalog"/>

==Personality and traits==
Tom has an unwavering and determined personality and he possesses a strong sense of duty and loyalty. He showed great tenacity and tactical aptitude during [[SPARTAN-III Beta Company|Beta Company]]'s training, and he and [[Lucy-B091]] were singled out by [[Franklin Mendez|CPO Mendez]] for their toughness.<ref name="goo92"/> As the leader of [[Team Foxtrot]], Tom was greatly committed to his team and felt immensely fulfilled when they succeeded in their mission.<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''page 96''</ref> During [[Operation: TORPEDO]], he was determined to complete the objective despite the declaration of the universal "panic code", [[Omega three]], and the unexpected appearance of Covenant reinforcements.<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''page 22''</ref> While he was close friends with all of his teammates Tom was still able to accept [[Adam-B004]]'s and [[Min-B174]]'s deaths and go on without hesitation; conversely, he stubbornly refused to leave [[Kurt Ambrose|Lieutenant Commander Ambrose]] behind at the end of the [[Battle of Onyx]] years later, prompting Kurt to knock him out.<ref name="goo368">'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''pages 368-369''</ref> Tom later reaffirmed that he would never have let Kurt to fend off the [[Joyous Exultation alliance|Covenant]] army on his own<ref>'''Halo: Glasslands''', ''page 42''</ref> and even then he wanted to hold on to the hope that he may have survived.<ref>'''Halo: Glasslands''', ''page 71''</ref>

Tom-B292 shares a bond with Lucy-B091 because of their experiences together. While Tom was affected by Beta Company's demise he was not as thoroughly traumatized as Lucy, who was [[Posttraumatic vocal disarticulation|rendered mute]] by the shock of her friends dying. Tom continued to reflect on Lucy's last words—''"How are you sure we're alive?"''—for years to come.<ref name="goo27"/> Although Lucy remained silent for years, Tom had little difficulty communicating with her.<ref>'''Halo: Glasslands''', ''pages 99-100''</ref> Because of Lucy's inability to speak Tom would often be the one to carry out more complex conversations whenever the two interacted with others, such as making reports or communicating over [[COM]] when they were paired together in combat.<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''pages 99, 137, 324''</ref>

Tom has close-cropped black hair and dark eyes. During Gamma Company's training he and Lucy spent so much time in their [[SPI armor]] that Kurt recognized them better with the suits on.<ref name="g98"/>

==List of appearances==
*''[[Halo: Ghosts of Onyx]]'' {{1st}}
*''[[Halo: Glasslands]]''
*''[[Halo: Last Light]]''

==Sources==
<references/>

{{Spartan III}}
[[Category:Spartan-IIIs]]