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[[Image:Captain Keyes.jpg|150px|right]]
{{Status|Canon}}
==Summary==
{{disambig header|UNSC naval captain|other uses|Keyes (disambiguation)|Jacob}}
SERVICE NUMBER: 01928-19912-JK
{{Character infobox
|variant=Human
|name=Jacob Keyes
|image=[[File:HaloMythosFullTransparentKeyes.png|301px]]
|homeworld=[[Earth]]{{Ref/Book|Id=EVG|EVG|P=106}}
|birth=[[2495|February 8, 2495]]{{Ref/Reuse|EVG}}
|death=[[2552#September 22|September 22, 2552]]{{Ref/Site|Id=wp jk|URL=https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/characters/jacob-keyes|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=Jacob Keyes|D=2|M=8|Y=2016}}
|causeofdeath=Infected by the [[Flood]] and mercy-killed by [[John-117]]
|parents=
|siblings=Unnamed Sister
|spouses=
|children=[[Commander]] [[Miranda Keyes]]
|species=
|gender=Male
|height={{Convert|194.3|cm|ftin|sp=us}}{{Ref/Reuse|EVG}}
|mass={{Convert|212|lb|kg|disp=flip}}{{Ref/Reuse|EVG}}
|hair=Gray {{C|formerly black}}
|eyes=Blue
|affiliation=*[[UNSC]] [[UNSC Navy|Navy]] {{c|formerly}}
*[[Flood]] {{c|prisoner}}
|rank=[[Captain (Navy)|Captain]]
|sn=01928-19912-JK
|notable=*Fathered [[Miranda Keyes]] with [[Catherine Halsey]]
*Creator of the "Keyes' Loop" and "Air Brake Drop"
*Part of the [[Proto-Gravemind]] on Alpha Halo
*Accompanied [[Dr. Halsey]] to observe [[John-117]] as a child
}}
{{Quote|Men like him will save us, you know. We need more like Keyes.|[[Admiral]] [[Preston Cole]]}}<ref>'''[[Halo: The Cole Protocol]]''', ''page 354''</ref>


Twenty-six years into his military career, Captain Keyes commanded respect as a keen strategist and inspirational leader of his men. His many decorations and years of combat experience against the Covenant made him a natural choice to command the ''[[Pillar of Autumn]]'' and its secret cargo.
[[Captain]] '''Jacob Keyes''' ([[service number]] '''01928-19912-JK''') was a [[commanding officer]] and one of the most brilliant tacticians in the [[UNSC Navy]]. He commanded great respect as a highly skilled strategist and inspirational leader to those under his command. His many decorations, thirty-five years of combat experience against the [[Covenant]] and [[Insurrectionist]]s, and ability to keep a secret made him an almost natural choice to command the {{UNSCShip|Pillar of Autumn}} and its secret cargo.
 
He was renowned as a war hero for his development of the [[Keyes Loop]] tactic, and leading the [[Battle of Installation 04]]: the ''Halo Event''.


==Biography==
==Biography==
===Early Career===
===Early career===
Keyes was born on [[Earth]] and spent time around the [[wikipedia:Pacific Ocean|Pacific Ocean]] during his childhood. He then attended the [[Luna OCS Academy]] on the Moon. During his training, an incident occurred where fourteen ensigns were killed due to an instructor's error during a poorly planned test. Keyes suffered plamsa burns during the test and had to be rehabilitated in a hospitial for two months. Keyes refused to testify against the instructor, and was noted for it.
[[File:TFoR-as-Keyes-cryo.jpg|250px|thumb|left|Keyes exiting a cryo chamber on-board the ''[[Han]]'' in [[2517]].]]
Captain Keyes was born on [[Earth]] and spent some time around the [[Wikipedia:Pacific Ocean|Pacific Ocean]] during his childhood. He had a sister who later resided on the colony world of [[Dwarka]].<ref>'''Halo: The Cole Protocol''', ''page 23''</ref> At some point in his life he read the [[Carver Findings|work]] of [[Elias Carver|Dr. Elias Carver]], but considered his view of the [[Insurrection|situation in the colonies]] to be pessimistic.<ref>'''Halo: The Cole Protocol''', ''page 113''</ref> During his second year of training in [[Officer Candidate School]], an incident occurred where fourteen ensigns were killed due to an instructor's error during a poorly planned test. Keyes suffered [[plasma]] burns during the test and had to be rehabilitated in a hospital for two months. Keyes refused to testify against the instructor and was nearly demoted for it. Keyes' stubbornness is what brought him to the attention of [[Dr. Halsey]].<ref name="for19">'''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]''', ''pages 19-20''</ref>
 
In [[2517]], [[seven]] weeks out of the OCS, [[Lieutenant, Junior Grade|Lieutenant (J.G.)]] Keyes was assigned to the {{UNSCShip|Magellan}} when those orders were rescinded and he was chosen to assist Dr. [[Catherine Halsey]] with her task of searching for usable subjects for her [[SPARTAN-II]] project.{{Ref/Reuse|for19}} Keyes was chosen by Halsey for this assignment partly because he could "keep a secret". In order to fool anybody who was suspicious, they told them that they were looking for a school for their daughter, and so they both began observing the chosen subjects for the program. The first child they chose was SPARTAN subject number 117: [[John-117|John]].<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''page 25''</ref> Later, he expressed doubts when Halsey actually let [[Soren-066]] choose whether he wanted to become a Spartan, saying it was an "awful lot to lay on a child, even one who's grown up so fast."<ref>'''[[Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe]]''', ''page 16''</ref> Keyes never forgot this assignment or the names of each and every one of the children.
 
As Keyes slowly started learning of the true nature of the SPARTAN-II project, Dr. Halsey immediately sent him back to normal duty with a full [[Lieutenant (UNSC)|Lieutenant]] commission.<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''page 28''</ref> In [[2524]], he was reunited with Dr. Halsey while attending a conference at the [[University of Calippus]]; it was on this occasion that they conceived their daughter, [[Miranda Keyes|Miranda Halsey]].<ref>'''[[Halo: Reach]]''', ''[[Dr. Halsey's personal journal]]''</ref>
 
===Human-Covenant War===
[[File:TFoR AS - Keyes 2525.jpg|left|thumb|251px|Lieutenant Keyes at the beginning of the war.]]
Early in the [[Human-Covenant War]], he became a widely known hero when he led a small group of security troops against the Covenant ambush of the frigate {{UNSCShip|Meriwether Lewis}} and held the Covenant off long enough for the ship to escape. He sustained a deep gouging plasma burn to his thigh and had his hand shattered, which was later rebuilt.<ref>'''Halo: The Cole Protocol''', ''page 28''</ref>
 
Because of his injuries, Keyes was removed from active service and reassigned to the [[Academy at Mare Nubium|Luna OCS Academy]].<ref>'''Halo: The Cole Protocol''', ''page 21''</ref> Some of the top brass at [[UNSC High Command]] disapproved of him and he got the nickname "Schoolmaster" from those detractors, who thought he didn't belong in command of anything but a classroom, if that. In [[2531]] he agreed to take in his daughter Miranda, when her mother felt she was unable to give her the care she needed. Miranda grew very close to her father, taking his surname, following him into the service, and becoming one of the youngest candidates ever accepted into the OCS Academy.<ref name="name">'''[[Dr. Halsey's personal journal]]''', ''April 6, 2550'' ("''Initially, she likely joined the military to impress her father; after all, she had her name legally changed.''")</ref>
 
In [[2535]], Keyes was placed back on active duty, transferred aboard the {{UNSCShip|Armageddon's Edge}} to [[Chi Rho]] in the [[Ectanus 45]] system. He was transported to the planet's surface by [[Jeffries|Petty Officer Jeffries]].<ref>'''Halo: The Cole Protocol''', ''page 26''</ref> At [[Camp Patmos]], Keyes met with [[Jean Mawikizi|Vice Admiral Jean Mawikizi]], [[Dmitri Zheng|Commander Dmitri Zheng]], and [[Akio Watanabe|Major Akio Watanabe]]. He was briefed on the newly instated [[Cole Protocol]] and offered a position to serve with the bridge crew, under the command of Zheng, aboard the modified {{Class|Stalwart|light frigate}} {{UNSCShip|Midsummer Night}} to help enforce the newly written protocol.<ref>'''Halo: The Cole Protocol''', ''pages 31-35''</ref> Keyes accepted the offer and convinced Mawikizi to transfer Jeffries to the frigate due to his incredible skill in piloting, believing it would be useful in the unorthodox missions that the frigate would be assigned to.<ref>'''Halo: The Cole Protocol''', ''page 37''</ref>
 
===Raid on ''Finnegan's Wake''===
The ''Midsummer Night'' travelled to the edges of the Ectanus 45 system, shadowing a [[freighter]], ''[[Finnegan's Wake]]'', that had slowly edged its way past the system's ecliptic plane.<ref>'''Halo: The Cole Protocol''', ''page 47''</ref> To ensure that the freighter's navigation data had been deleted, Keyes led a boarding team of [[Orbital Drop Shock Trooper]]s into ''Finnegan's Wake''. The ODSTs and Keyes discovered the captain of the ship and interrogated him. Before the ODSTs could make their way to delete the navigation data, an explosion in the ship went off, throwing Keyes to the ground and killing several ODSTs, including their commander, [[Canfield]].<ref>'''Halo: The Cole Protocol''', ''page 51''</ref>
 
[[Insurrectionist]]s began attacking the ODSTs and an emergency beacon was activated, asking the ''Midsummer Night'' for reinforcements. Realizing that the Insurrectionists were the ones that triggered the beacon, Keyes attempted to warn the frigate, believing the freighter was rigged to blow, but communications were jammed. Keyes borrowed the [[ODST armor|armor]] of an ODST, [[Markov]], and ordered the others to pile the deceased and injured ODSTs into cargo containers.<ref>'''Halo: The Cole Protocol''', ''page 56''</ref> Using the force of a rigged explosion, the ODSTs, Keyes, and the cargo containers were launched from the freighter towards the frigate, using [[battle rifle]]s to propel themselves into the right direction. The insurgents realized what the ODSTs were doing and desperately blew up the freighter in an attempt to take out some of the nearby ODSTs.<ref name="cp61">'''Halo: The Cole Protocol''', ''page 61''</ref> Over twenty ODSTs were killed and Keyes was wounded with a piece of the freighter's hull plating. However, more ODSTs had survived than expected, earning Keyes the respect of nearly everyone on the ship.<ref>'''Halo: The Cole Protocol''', ''page 95''</ref>
 
===Charybdis IX riots===
{{Main|Scyllion Warehouse District riot}}
After the ''Finnegan's Wake'' incident, Keyes and the rest of the ''Midsummer Night'' bridge crew were debriefed by Watanabe and Zheng. It was revealed that [[Covenant]] weapons, modified for human use, were being distributed to human civilians and insurgents. Deemed a great violation of the Cole Protocol, the ''Midsummer Night'' was to find out where the weapons were coming from. The [[Office of Naval Intelligence]] had discovered a container of these weapons on the [[Outer Colony]] of [[Charybdis IX]], and the ''Midsummer Night'' was assigned to help the ONI operatives of the planet discover who the weapons were being distributed to.<ref>'''Halo: The Cole Protocol''', ''page 100''</ref> Upon arriving in the [[Charybdis system]], the ODSTs "demonstrated" that they were grateful for Keyes' service at ''Finnegan's Wake'' and [[Major]] [[Faison]], the commanding ODST after Canfield's death, had him tattooed with the ODST brand, saying any ODST would help him if he showed it to them.<ref>'''Halo: The Cole Protocol''', ''page 104''</ref>
 
Jeffries transported Keyes and Watanabe to [[Scyllion]], the planetary capital, in a [[D77-TC Pelican]]. Watanabe explained the history of Scyllion to Keyes and that rioting was becoming commonplace in the city. The two were delivered to the ONI mobile command center in the edges of the [[Scyllion Warehouse District]], where they met with [[Corinthia Hansen|Captain Corinthia Hansen]].<ref>'''Halo: The Cole Protocol''', ''page 107''</ref> Pretending to be a insurgent, Hansen attempted to deliver the cargo container of modified weapons to rebel leader [[Jason Kincaide]], hoping to discover where Kincaide distributes his weapons. However, due to escalating riots nearby, they were forced to capture Kincaide and attempt to flee the city.<ref>'''Halo: The Cole Protocol''', ''page 112''</ref> However, fellow Insurrectionists and dissatisfied citizens of Scyllion destroyed the ONI convoy of vehicles, killing most of the ONI operatives and freeing Kincaide. Kincaide began to incite the rioting mob and told them to kill all surviving UNSC personnel. Keyes, Hansen, and Watanabe barely escaped the rioters as they began hunting down survivors.<ref>'''Halo: The Cole Protocol''', ''page 122''</ref>


In 2517, [[List of "Seven" references in Halo|seven]] weeks out of OCS, Lieutenant (J.G.) Keyes was assigned to the ''[[UNSC Magellan]]'' when those ordered were rescinded and he was picked to help [[Dr. Catherine Halsey]] with her task of searching for able subjects for her [[SPARTAN-II]] project. The first child they chose was SPARTAN subject number 117; [[Master Chief|John]]. Keyes never forgot this assignment, or the names of each and every one of those children.  
They attempted to escape with Jeffries' Pelican, but it was destroyed by rebel [[RPG]] fire, resulting in the death of Jeffries. The trio fled to the roof of the building, where they called in for ODST reinforcements from the ''Midsummer Night'' and engaged in firefights with the rebels and rioters.<ref>'''Halo: The Cole Protocol''', ''page 127''</ref> Soon, Kincaide began arming rioters with the modified Covenant weapons. While attempting to listen to the rioter discussion below, Kincaide and three rioters attacked the trio. Watanabe killed two of the rioters but was killed by Kincaide, along with the third rioter. In retaliation, Keyes shot Kincaide multiple times and the two wrestled for control of Kincaide's modified {{Pattern|Okarda'phaa|plasma rifle}}. Keyes gained the upper-hand, and shot Kincaide with the rifle, decapitating him. At first taken back upon realizing he had killed his first human, Keyes threw Kincaide's corpse into the streets below and warned the rioters to disperse and cease hostilities, or else they would be shot.<ref>'''Halo: The Cole Protocol''', ''pages 131-133''</ref>


After this task was complete, he went back to normal duty and became an excellent strategist when dealing with Covenant. He became a minor hero early in his career, when he led a small group of security troops against a [[Covenant]] ambush of the frigate ''[[UNSC Meriwether Lewis]]'' and held the Covenant off long enough for the ship to escape. He later toured on the Frigate ''[[UNSC Midsummer Night]]''. He garnered many citations and years of combat experience against the Covenant during these tours. During one of these tours, Keyes went to [[Charybdis IX]]. There, he killed his first human being with a [[Pistol]] during a riot.
After the death of Jason Kincaide, twenty ODSTs dropped into Scyllion and broke up any remaining resistance. Two snipers eliminated any surviving RPG-wielding rebels, allowing Keyes and Hansen to be picked and taken to the ''Midsummer Night''. Although Keyes considered the engagement to be a loss, Hansen told him otherwise, informing him that they learned of the origin of the modified weapons from Kincaide.<ref>'''Halo: The Cole Protocol''', ''page 135''</ref> While in transit to the frigate, Zheng detected a [[Covenant fleet]] arriving near Charybdis IX. While Keyes and Zheng were in favor of making a last stand alongside the three [[UNSC destroyer]]s guarding the planet, Hansen revealed that she had a rank higher than both of them and ordered them to continue their search by following the ''[[Kestrel (freighter)|Kestrel]]'', a freighter that had supplied Kincaide. Hansen was dropped off at an orbiting depot and the ''Midsummer Night'' fled the system before the Covenant could [[Battle of Charybdis IX|attack]].<ref>'''Halo: The Cole Protocol''', ''page 148''</ref>


He later taught at the OCS Academy. Some of the top brass at [[HIGHCOM]] disapproved of him, and he got the nickname "Schoolmaster" from those detractors who thought he didnt belong in command of anything but a classroom, if that.
===Battle of the Rubble===
{{Main|Battle of the Rubble}}
The ''Midsummer Night'' trailed the ''Kestrel'' for nearly a week, eventually following it to the [[23 Librae]] system. The freighter made its way to the [[asteroid]]s orbiting a gas giant in the system, [[Hesiod]]. Upon further inspection, the crew of the frigate discovered that all the asteroids were connected, forming an Insurrectionist metropolis known as [[the Rubble]]. The crew further learned that the Insurrectionists were working with the [[Kig-Yar]].<ref>'''Halo: The Cole Protocol''', ''page 167''</ref> While admiring the Rubble, [[Badia Campbell]] revealed herself as a rebel-sympathizer and mortally wounded Zheng and shot [[Dante Kirtley]] and [[Rai Li]]. While Keyes and Campbell wrestled for control of her sidearm, she gained the upper-hand and proceeded to commit suicide.<ref>'''Halo: The Cole Protocol''', ''page 177''</ref> Campbell had damaged the ship's fusion core coolant system, leaving the frigate nearly disabled. At Zheng's orders, Keyes attacked the Rubble's fleet of freighters, with the ''Midsummer Night'' being damaged with a [[mass driver]] round. While Zheng left the bridge of the ship to check on engineering, the Rubble hailed the frigate, asking to speak with its commander. Keyes left the bridge to find Zheng dying near engineering, having surrendered to the overwhelming rebel forces. Zheng warned Keyes not to trust anyone and gave him command of the frigate before dying. As the rebels boarded the ship, Keyes ordered the ODSTs to stand down.<ref>'''Halo: The Cole Protocol''', ''pages 180-184''</ref>


===2552===
[[File:Keyes Salute Memory.jpg|251px|thumb|A middle-aged Keyes.]]
However, because of the shortange of good officers, Keyes was promoted to Commander in 2552 and assumed command of the ''[[Iroquois|UNSC Iroquois]]''. Shortly thereafter, he foresaw a Covenant attack on [[Sigma Octanus IV]] thanks to a paper by [[Spartan-084|SPARTAN-084]], destroying  a Covenant destroyer, two frigates, and chased off a Covenant carrier with a daring maneuver dubbed the "[[Keyes Loop]]" during [[The Battle of Sigma Octanus IV]]. This awarded him the rank of Captain and command of the ''[[Pillar of Autumn|UNSC Pillar of Autumn]]''. He later returned to [[Reach]] and was debriefed by an [[ONI]] council. He met SPARTAN-117 once again.
The ''Midsummer Night'' was forced to dock with the [[Habitat Asuncion]] asteroid and the frigate's crew was given the option to become a resident of the Rubble or be held in prison cells. Keyes gave a speech telling the crew that he would forgive them if they choose to become residents, but he decided that he would not join their citizenry. [[Maria Esquival]] warned him that he was not allowed to make any more speeches and had him arrested.<ref>'''Halo: The Cole Protocol''', ''pages 204-210''</ref> Meanwhile, the leader of the Kig-Yar working with the Rubble's citizens, [[Reth]], was beginning to pre-emptively invade the Rubble to show that he was still loyal to the [[Covenant]]. [[Jai-006]], from [[Gray Team]], arrived at Keyes' holding cell and rescued him and the rest of the frigate's imprisoned crew. The Rubble's [[AI]], [[Juliana]], offered to help Keyes and his crew escape the system in a Kig-Yar ship, if he helped her discover what the Kig-Yar were attempting to do.<ref>'''Halo: The Cole Protocol''', ''page 250''</ref> Keyes met with [[Ignatio Delgado]] aboard the freighter ''[[Mighty Sparrow]]'' and took command of it, with several of its crew. He intended to dock it with Reth's [[flagship]], the ''[[Infinite Spoils]]'', and allow Juliana to infiltrate the vessel's systems.<ref>'''Halo: The Cole Protocol''', ''page 255''</ref>


His new command carried an important mission: to carry the Spartan supersoldiers to Covenant space and capture a [[Prophet]]. Two days before his mission was to begin, he was aboard the ''Pillar of Autumn'' when [[The Battle of Reach]] began. Keyes offloaded most of the [[Spartan]]s to the surface of the planet and to [[Reach Station Gamma]]. He then tried to aid in the defense of Reach, even destroying the [[Assault Carrier]] flagship of the fleet, ultimantely in vain. He could only pick up SPARTAN-117 (along with the body of [[Spartan-058|SPARTAN-058]]) and [[Sergeant Johnson]] from the station and flee.
The ''Mighty Sparrow'' rammed the ''Infinite Spoils'', allowing Faison, his ODSTs, and Jai to board the raider. The ODSTs and Jai quickly eliminated the small Kig-Yar contingent aboard the ship and took control of its bridge. However, a [[Kig-Yar troop carrier]], commanded by [[Shipmaster]] [[Thel 'Vadam]]ee, attacked the two ships.<ref>'''Halo: The Cole Protocol''', ''pages 262-268''</ref> The troop carrier disabled the ''Mighty Sparrow'' and Keyes ordered everyone to make their way inside the ''Infinite Spoils'', during which Faison was mortally wounded by a Kig-Yar.<ref>'''Halo: The Cole Protocol''', ''page 271''</ref> Keyes and the surviving members of the boarding party made their way to the docks and donned vacuum suits. Juliana released the air from the docks, killing most of the Kig-Yar inside. After the ODSTs eliminated any survivors, Keyes came aboard Gray Team's freighter, ''[[Petya]]''.<ref>'''Halo: The Cole Protocol''', ''page 280''</ref>
 
After discovering the [[Unggoy]] army Reth had created on one of Hesiod's moons, [[Metisette]], Keyes prepared to launch [[Battle of Metisette|a counter-attack]] to destroy the Covenant forces. Keyes retook control of the repaired ''Midsummer Night'' and used the frigate to deploy Gray Team and ODSTs to the moon. To allow Juliana to orbitally bombard Metisette with the Rubble, the Spartans and ODSTs destroyed Kig-Yar AA guns and sensor stations. After they completed their mission, Keyes had Gray Team and the surviving ODSTs returned to the frigate.<ref>'''Halo: The Cole Protocol''', ''pages 312-317''</ref> Keyes used the ''Midsummer Night'' to protect [[Habitat Exodus]] while the Rubble's citizens were evacuated inside it, during which the frigate was damaged. After the Exodus asteroid detached from the rest of the Rubble, Juliana used the asteroids to destroy the Unggoy army on Metisette and killed Reth.<ref>'''Halo: The Cole Protocol''', ''page 328''</ref> However, the Exodus could not make a slipspace jump to safety like it intended to do. Keyes decided to convince the [[Rubble Security Council]] to travel to an [[Inner Colony]], which was still possible at the time. After a short speech to the Council members reminding them of their duty to protect all the Rubble's citizens and the duty to fight back against the Covenant who took their homes, the Council decided to travel to [[Falaknuma]], an Inner Colony in the [[18 Scorpii system]].<ref>'''Halo: The Cole Protocol''', ''page 343''</ref>
 
Keyes was brought down and debriefed by ONI [[Commander]] [[Hadley]] and [[Admiral]] [[Preston Cole]] himself. Although Keyes expected he would be court-martialed for violating the Cole Protocol by giving the Insurrectionists navigation data, Cole congratulated Keyes for his commendable bravery and work and promoted him to Commander.<ref>'''Halo: The Cole Protocol''', ''page 352''</ref>
 
===Sigma Octanus===
{{Main|Battle of Sigma Octanus IV}}
[[File:HFoR-Iroquoisbridge.png|250px|thumb|Keyes as an older man commanding the UNSC Iroquois.]]
Keyes eventually assumed command of a [[Halberd-class light destroyer|''Halberd''-class destroyer]], the {{UNSCShip|Iroquois}} in April of 2552.<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''pages 138-139''</ref> In 2552, he foresaw a Covenant attack on [[Sigma Octanus IV]] thanks to an [[UNSC Astrophysics|astrophysics]] [[UNSC Astrophysics Journal 034-23-01|journal]] by [[Fhajad-084|SPARTAN-084]]. His actions resulted in the destruction of a [[Covenant destroyer]], two [[Covenant frigate]]s and the retreat of a [[Covenant carrier]] with a daring maneuver dubbed the "[[Keyes Loop]]", all without a ship AI to help him.<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''pages 146-154''</ref> The ''Iroquois'', still in orbit and badly damaged by the maneuver pulled off by Keyes, deployed the SPARTAN-IIs to engage the Covenant forces on the surface of Sigma Octanus IV towards [[Côte d'Azur]].<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''page 156''</ref>
 
This unprecedented victory against a Covenant force earned him a promotion to [[Captain (Navy)|Captain]] and aided him to become recognized by the entire UNSC.<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''page 187''</ref> Keyes and the ''Iroquois'' remained in the [[Sigma Octanus system]] to fight in the [[Battle of Sigma Octanus IV]]. Keyes' brilliance and hindsight allowed him to find out what the Covenant were up to, and intercepted a transmission beamed for a [[Covenant stealth ship]] to receive, saving Sigma Octanus IV again. During the battle, Keyes used the ''Iroquois'' to ram the stealth ship and destroyed it with [[Archer missile]]s, leaving his destroyer badly damaged.<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''page 226''</ref> Shortly after the battle, the ''Iroquois'' was tagged by a [[Covenant spy probe]], subsequently leading the Covenant to [[Reach]].<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''page 247''</ref> At Reach, Keyes was debriefed by an [[ONI]] council at [[Camp Hathcock]].<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''page 251''</ref> He was congratulated on his victory and assigned command of the {{UNSCShip|Pillar of Autumn}}. During his time at Hathcock, Keyes met with [[John-117]].<ref>'''[[Halo: Fall of Reach - Invasion]]''', ''Issue #1''</ref>
 
===Fall of Reach===
{{Main|Fall of Reach}}
[[File:Keyes n' Six.jpg|251px|thumb|left|Noble Six delivers Cortana's fragment to Captain Keyes.]]
At Reach, Keyes was given [[Operation: RED FLAG|an important mission]] by [[Rear Admiral (Lower Half)|Rear Admiral]] [[Michael Stanforth|Stanforth]]: to transport the active SPARTAN-II commandos deep into Covenant space in order to capture a [[Hierarchs|High Prophet]], who would then be used as a ransom to end the Human-Covenant War.<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''page 276''</ref> Before the ''Autumn'' could leave Reach for slipspace, the Covenant attacked Reach. His mission scrubbed, Keyes offloaded most of the Spartans to the surface of the planet and sent three to [[Gamma Station]].<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''page 308''</ref> He then tried to aid in the defense of Reach and even destroyed a [[Kewu-pattern battleship|powerful Covenant "sniper ship"]], but ultimately, his efforts were in vain.<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''page 346''</ref> He could only pick up John-117 along with [[Linda-058]] and a handful of Marines from the station just in time to flee the pursuing Covenant.<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''page 329''</ref>
 
At some point after retrieving John-117, Keyes took the ''Pillar of Autumn'' to the [[Asźod|Asźod ship breaking yards]] on the ground to retrieve a fragment of [[Cortana]] from [[SPARTAN-B312]]. This fragment held valuable navigation data that would lead the ''Pillar of Autumn'' to [[Installation 04]]. As he met with Noble Six to receive the Cortana fragment, Keyes noted that Dr. Halsey's judgement in choosing the package's carrier had been correct. Noble Six reminded the Captain that the mission's success was thanks to the efforts of the whole of [[Noble Team]], to which Keyes replied that their sacrifice would be remembered. Noble Six gave covering fire against a Covenant {{Pattern|Ket|battlecruiser}} and waves of other Covenant aircraft with a ground-based [[Onager|mass driver]] as the ''Autumn'' took off and withdrew from the system.<ref name="TPoA">'''[[Halo: Reach]]''', campaign level ''[[The Pillar of Autumn (Halo: Reach level)|The Pillar of Autumn]]''</ref>
{{Clear}}


===Halo===
===Halo===
The ''Pillar of Autumn'''s [[AI]], [[Cortana]], ended up navagating the vessel to [[Installation 04]]. They were once again assailed by Covenant forces and the ''Autumn'' crashed. Keyes and the command crew of the ''Autumn'' tried to flee in a [[bumblebee]] lifepod, [[Kilo Tango Victor 17]]. During the descent, the [[Ossoona]] [[Isna 'Nosolee]] was spotted aboard by Keyes, and he killed the [[Elite]]. Unfortunately, they were still spotted in the descent. Thanks to the traitor [[Ensign Ellen Dowski]], the Covenant were able to capture Keyes, and kill the rest of the Command Crew.
[[File:Keyes Needler.jpg|thumb|200px|Captain Keyes arms himself with a [[Type-33 Needler]] and prepares to fight his way out of the ''[[Truth and Reconciliation]]''.]]
{{Main|Battle of Installation 04}}
{{Quote|Whoever controls Halo controls the fate of the universe.|Captain Keyes}}
The ''Pillar of Autumn''{{'}}s [[AI]] [[Cortana]] ended up navigating the vessel to [[Installation 04]]. They were once again assaulted by Covenant forces, and Captain Keyes told Cortana to lock in a selection of landing zones on the ring and to upload them to his neural interface. Keyes then assigned the Master Chief to protect Cortana and she became a valuable asset to him. Keyes locked in the codes and the ''Pillar of Autumn'' crashed on the ring.<ref>'''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]''', campaign level ''[[The Pillar of Autumn (Halo: Combat Evolved level)|The Pillar of Autumn]]''</ref>
 
Keyes and the command crew of the ''Autumn'' managed to escape in a [[Bumblebee]] life pod, [[Kilo Tango Victor 17]].<ref>'''Halo: Combat Evolved''', campaign level ''[[Halo (Halo: Combat Evolved Level)|Halo]]''</ref> During the descent, the [[Ossoona]], [[Isna 'Nosolee]] was discovered to be lurking aboard by Keyes, and subsequently killed by the Captain. Unfortunately, they were still spotted in the descent by two [[Sangheili]] on {{Pattern|Karo'etba|Ghost}}s. Due to the actions of [[Treason|traitor]] [[Ensign]] [[Ellen Dowski]], the Covenant were able to find out where Keyes and the command crew were. When they got there they incapacitated the Captain and killed the rest of the command crew, including Dowski herself. Despite being an inspirational leader to many under his command, the Captain also has a great deal amount of respect for each and everyone of his crew and he dearly cares about them. The death of his crew shocked him, and he had wished to die as well as he was captured by the Covenant.<ref>'''[[Halo: The Flood]]''', ''page 88''</ref>


Keyes was taken aboard the Covenant [[CCS-class]] cruiser, the ''[[Truth and Reconciliation]]''. There, he was interrogated, tourtured, and held prisoner until the Master Chief and the [[ODST]]s were able to rescue him and a group of [[Marines]]. They were forced to comandeer a [[Covenant Dropship]] during their escape, and Keyes piloted it, even stopping to ram two [[Hunter]]s.
Keyes was taken aboard the Covenant {{Pattern|Ket|battlecruiser}}, the ''[[Truth and Reconciliation]]''. There, he was interrogated, tortured, and held prisoner until the Master Chief, the ODSTs, and a group of [[UNSC Marine Corps|Marines]] were able to rescue him with the help of Cortana. Combining what Keyes found out from what Cortana was able to hack from the Covenant battlenet, they were able to figure out some of the truth about Halo. They were forced to commandeer a [[Spirit]] dropship, during their escape and Keyes piloted it out himself, even going so far as to ram two [[Mgalekgolo]] on the flight out for "a little payback".<ref>'''Halo: Combat Evolved''', campaign level ''[[The Truth and Reconciliation]]''</ref>


Keyes then went to [[Alpha Base]], taking command of the base from [[Major Antonio Silva]] briefly. He then took Sergeant Johnson and two fire teams of of Marines (Including [[Private Wallace Jenkins|PFC Jenkins]]) to a facility they thought held a Covenant weapons cache. It turned out that the place was one of the [[Halo]]'s [[Flood Containment Facilities]]. Keyes and his Marines were ambushed by the [[Flood]]. During the ensuing firefight, an [[Infection Form]] latched onto his back and infected him.
Keyes then went to [[Alpha Base (Installation 04)|Alpha Base]], taking command of the base from [[Major (UNSC)|Major]] [[Antonio Silva]] briefly. He then took [[Staff Sergeant]] [[Avery Johnson]], [[Fire Team Charlie]] and [[Second squad (Pillar of Autumn)|second squad]] to a facility they thought held a Covenant weapons cache. It turned out that the structure was one of the Halo's [[Flood containment facility|Flood containment facilities]]. Keyes and his Marines were ambushed by the [[Flood]]. During the ensuing firefight, a [[Pod infector]] latched onto his back and infected him.<ref>'''Halo: Combat Evolved''', campaign level ''[[343 Guilty Spark (level)|343 Guilty Spark]]''</ref>


Keyes watched helplessly as the form took over his body and attacked his mind. Originally, Keyes' body was a [[Combat Form]], but the Flood, apparently realizing his importance, merged him and several Elites into a [[Brain Form]]. The Flood hoped that his intelligence would help them to operate the crashed ''Truth and Reconciliation'' and escape the ring, but before they could do so, The Master Chief boarded the ship once again looking for Keyes, and found only the Brain form. Keyes life officially ended when the Chief destroyed his brain after his mind had been absorbed by the Flood infection. His [[Command Neural Interface]] enabled Master Chief and Cortana to start up the Pillar of Autumn's engines so they could destroy the Halo by overloading them.
===Infection and death===
{{Quote|Chief... Don't be a fool. Leave me...|Captain Jacob Keyes speaks in a twisted voice through a COM channel, struggling as he loses himself to the Flood.}}
[[File:HCEA Terminals FloodKeyes.png|thumb|200px|Keyes as he is slowly absorbed into the Flood [[proto-Gravemind]].]]
Keyes observed helplessly as the Pod infector took over his body and attacked his mind. Originally, Keyes' body was a [[Flood combat form|combat form]], but the Flood, apparently realizing his importance, merged him and several other combat forms into a [[proto-Gravemind]]. One of the tortures Keyes endured was having his memories ripped away one by one as the Flood tried to learn anything that would help attain new sources of food.<ref>'''Halo: The Flood''', ''pages 225-227''</ref> The Flood hoped that his intelligence would help them to operate a damaged Covenant cruiser and escape the ring, but Keyes was able to fend it off by constantly accessing data that was permanently stored in his [[command neural interface]], while feeding it those of his memories that were not vital to the survival of humanity, such as his name, age, and service number (though definitely not anything that could lead to the thought of the location of Earth).<ref>'''Halo: The Flood''', ''pages 253-254''</ref>


Keyes is survived by his daughter, [[Miranda Keyes]], also a ship Commander. She accepted a posthumous Colonial Cross awarded to him for his bravery during the events on Installation 04 by [[Lord Hood]].
Just as Keyes acquired the determination to defy his infection, he finally submitted to the Flood.<ref>'''[[Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary]]''', [[Terminal (Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary)#Terminal 9|Terminal 9]]</ref> However, before Keyes succumbed to the overwhelming pressure, the Master Chief boarded the ship once again looking for Keyes and found only the proto-Gravemind form. The Captain was able to contact the Chief three times, warning him to leave him behind, before the proto-Gravemind fully overwhelmed him.<ref>'''Halo: The Flood''', ''pages 290, 303 and 305-306''</ref> Keyes' life officially ended when the Chief punched through his skull to retrieve his command neural interface after his mind had been absorbed by the Flood infection, with Cortana stating that she knew that "this was what he wanted."<ref>'''Halo: The Flood''', ''page 306''</ref> Despite this, Keyes' corpse continued to make faint breathing sounds.<ref>'''Halo: Combat Evolved''', campaign level ''[[Keyes]]''</ref>
 
Keyes' command neural interface enabled Master Chief and Cortana to start up the ''Pillar of Autumn''{{'}}s engines so they could destroy the Halo ring by overloading and exploding the engines.<ref>'''Halo: Combat Evolved''', campaign level ''[[The Maw]]''</ref>{{clear}}
 
===Legacy===
[[File:H2A-KeyesMedal.jpg|thumb|250px|Keyes' daughter [[Miranda Keyes|Miranda]] accepts her father's [[Colonial Cross]], posthumously awarded to him by [[Fleet Admiral]] [[Terrence Hood|Hood]] just prior to the [[Battle of Earth]].]]
{{Quote|Your father's actions were in keeping with the highest traditions of military service, his bravery in the face of impossible odds, reflecting great credit upon himself and the UNSC. The Navy has lost one of its best.|[[Fleet Admiral]] [[Terrence Hood]] to [[Miranda Keyes]] after awarding her father with a posthumous Colonial Cross.}}
 
The Keyes family lived on [[Luna]], including his daughter, [[Miranda Keyes]]. She accepted a posthumous [[Colonial Cross]] awarded to her father for his bravery during the events on Installation 04 by [[Lord Hood]].{{Ref/Level|H2|[[Cairo Station]]}} In [[2553]], he was remembered at the [[Voi Memorial]] alongside his daughter, Sergeant Johnson, and many other victims of the Human-Covenant War.{{Ref/Level|H3|[[Halo (Halo 3 level)|Halo]]}} His courage and skill were never forgotten, making him one of the most important and remembered naval officers in human history.
 
In [[2560#May|May 2560]], the Master Chief and [[the Weapon]] hear one of Cortana's memories of Keyes concerning her safety from just before the Master Chief left the ''Pillar of Autumn's'' bridge during the [[Battle of Installation 04]], prompting the Weapon to ask about him. The Master Chief states that he was a good man who was lost on the first Halo ring that they had found.{{Ref/Quest|HI|Reformation|Nexus}} Later, while teleporting through a data cluster, the Master Chief witnesses Cortana's memory of an argument between Keyes and Halsey over Halsey creating Cortana as an AI version of herself, something that Keyes is greatly displeased by.{{Ref/Quest|HI|Reckoning|[[Repository (Halo Infinite level)|Repository]]}}
{{Clear}}
 
==Personality and traits==
[[File:Keyes Halsey Memory.jpg|thumb|left|250px|One of Keyes' final memories of [[Catherine Halsey]] prior to being assimilated into the Proto-Gravemind.]]
Keyes was often quite officious and put the safety of the UNSC before his own personal safety, even going as far as to almost self destruct the ship he was on so that the Covenant would not find Earth. He was prepared and willing to give anything for his planet. He would often [[Keyes Loop|charge headlong into battle]] keeping a straight and calm face, along with an underlying strategy. Keyes was also known to be fearless in most situations, as he refused to tell [[Zuka 'Zamamee]] about [[John-117]], and even dared the [[Sangheili]] to kill him.
 
As a captain, Keyes expected the best from his Marines and ensured to maintain their morale when facing a hopeless defeat. He silenced one Marine for panicking when there was no available escape route in the ''Truth and Reconciliation'' and angrily ordered Private [[Manuel Mendoza|Mendoza]] to resume his position when the latter was attempting to flee from their first encounter of the Flood.
 
Jacob Keyes was very caring to those under his command and attempted to be a strong fatherly figure to his daughter, [[Miranda Keyes|Miranda]], knowing that she had limited time with both of her parents. Although he did not prefer teaching at the [[Luna OCS Academy]], he was glad that he was able to spend time with Miranda. Upon being offered a position aboard the {{UNSCShip|Midsummer Night}}, he was hard-pressed about leaving his daughter alone on [[Luna]], but believed that he would be protecting her by fighting [[Insurrectionist]]s and the [[Covenant]].{{Ref/Novel|TCP|Page=36}} Although they were not particularly close, Miranda aspired to be like him, even taking his last name, and joined the [[UNSC Navy]] to serve with him.{{Ref/Reuse|name}}
 
At times he thought of his sister and her fate on [[Dwarka]]. He had banished the guilt of not being able to save her by knowing he had saved the lives of millions from [[the Rubble]]. However, he felt guilty for the deaths of the [[ODST]]s during the raid on ''Finnegan's Wake'', despite not being responsible.{{Ref/Reuse|cp61}} He also was grieved by the death of [[Jeffries]], the pilot Keyes had transferred aboard the ''Midsummer Night'', who was killed by insurgent [[RPG]] fire on [[Charybdis IX]].{{Ref/Novel|TCP|Page=125}} Keyes also had a habit of fiddling with his [[Keyes' pipe|grandfather's pipe]], often chewing on its tip to aid in concentration.{{Ref/Novel|TFOR|Page=17}}
{{Clear}}


==Decorations==
==Decorations==
===Ribbons===
[[File:Keyes Patches.png|thumb|200px|An artist's rendition of Captain Keyes's medal ribbons.]]
[[Image:Keyes Ribbons.jpg|thumb|200px|right|The various ribbons of Keyes.]]
Keyes wore nine ribbons on his uniform at the time of his death in 2552.<ref>'''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]''', campaign level, ''[[Truth and Reconciliation (Level)|Truth and Reconciliation]]''</ref> For the sake of this article, these will be numbered Ribbons 1 through 9, in this order.
There are nine ribbons on Keyes' uniform. US Armed Forces ribbons are worn by order of precedence, from left to right, top to bottom. For the sake of this article, they will be numbered Ribons 1 through 9, in this order.


These Ribbons coencide with the following Modern US Air Force Decorations:
These ribbons coincide with the following UNSC and old U.S. Air Force decorations:


*''Ribbon 1:'' The Medal of Honor
*''Ribbon 1:'' [[UNSC Legion of Honor]]
*''Ribbon 2:'' Distinguished Service Cross
*''Ribbon 2:'' [[wikipedia:Distinguished Service Cross (United States)|Distinguished Service Cross]]
*''Ribbon 3:'' The Purple Heart
*''Ribbon 3:'' [[Purple Heart]]
*''Ribbon 4:'' Air Force Commendation Medal
*''Ribbon 4:'' [[wikipedia:Air Force Commendation Medal|Air Force Commendation Medal]]
*''Ribbon 5:'' Combat Readiness Medal
*''Ribbon 5:'' [[wikipedia:Combat Readiness Medal|Combat Readiness Medal]]
*''Ribbon 6:'' Armed Force Expeditionary Medal
*''Ribbon 6:'' [[wikipedia:Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal|Armed Force Expeditionary Medal]]
*''Ribbon 7:'' Outstanding Airman of the Year Ribbon
*''Ribbon 7:'' [[Outstanding Airman of the Year Ribbon]]
*''Ribbon 8:'' NCO Professional Military Education Graduation Ribbon
*''Ribbon 8:'' [[NCO Professional Military Education Graduation Ribbon]]
*''Ribbon 9:'' Basic Military Training Honor Graduate Ribbon
*''Ribbon 9:'' [[Basic Military Training Honor Graduate Ribbon]]
*The Colonial Cross (Posthumous)
*[[The Colonial Cross]]<ref>'''[[Halo 2]]''', campaign level, ''[[Cairo Station]]'' opening cutscene</ref> (Posthumous)


''Note:'' Ribbon 7 is out of order. In the Modern US military, it would be worn before Ribbon 6. Then again, It is also unlikely that Keyes, a naval captain, won an award for being an enlisted member of the Air Force. We can only assume that the meaning of these ribbons has changed.
==Non-canon and dubious canon appearances==
===Odd One Out===
{{Not canon}}
[[File:Halo Legends - Jacob Keyes.png|thumb|125px|Jacob Keyes in  ''[[Odd One Out]]''.]]
{{Quote|no=three|1=Jacob Keyes|q1=You think he'll be okay?|2=Master Chief|q2=This kind of thing happens to him all the time. Well, 1337 is still a Spartan. He's been trained with the best of 'em. There's no need for concern.|3=Jacob Keyes|q3=If you say so, Master Chief.|4=Jacob Keyes and the Master Chief on SPARTAN-1337.}}
In ''[[Odd One Out]]'', Jacob Keyes was in command of a UNSC starship and served as the superior of the Master Chief, Cortana, and [[SPARTAN-1337]]. When SPARTAN-1337 slipped and fell out of his Pelican, Keyes was reassured by the Master Chief that SPARTAN-1337 was still a Spartan and there's no need for concern over the incident. He later notified the Master Chief that they had reestablished radio contact with 1337, allowing the Chief to speak to 1337.{{Ref/Film|[[Halo Legends]]|Story=Odd One Out}}


===Medals===
 
Along with the Medal Decorations, Keyes is depicted with [[wikipedia:Image:USMC_CAPTAIN.jpg|Captain's Bars Insignia]] (Above name tag), a [[wikipedia:Captain#Army_and_Marines|''Marine'' rank of Captain]] which is much different than a [[wikipedia:Captain#Naval|''Naval'' rank of Captain]]. A Marine ranking Captain (0-3) is a [[wikipedia:Military_ranks#Field_or_Senior_officers|Company Grade or Junior Officer]] which is ranked three steps lower than a naval Captain (0-6), and has no special authority with respect to a ship and is just another passenger or crew member whilst on board. While a naval Captain is a Senior Officer Postion usually in charge of the vessel he is stationed on. According to his military record, Keyes graduated from [[Luna OCS Academy]], a ''Naval'' Academy. Also his daughter, [[Commander Miranda Keyes]] is designated as a [[wikipedia:Commander|Commander]], which is only a naval rank and two steps higher than a Marine Captain but one step below a Naval Captain. A naval Captain wears the [[wikipedia:Image:Captain_insignia.gif|Eagle]] which is equivilent to a [[wikipedia:Colonel_%28United_States%29|Marine Colonel]]. Whether it was intended for Keyes to have Marine Captain's Bars or if it was just a mistake is a question for the developers.
===Silver Timeline===
{{Notice/Silver|category=no}}
{{Main|Jacob Keyes/Silver}}
'''Captain Jacob Keyes''' is a member of the UNSC Navy's [[Asymmetric Warfare Research Group]].{{Ref/Site|Id=halseycomputer|URL=https://halotheseries.tv/|Site=Halo: The Series|Page=Dr. Catherine Halsey's Computer|D=25|M=3|Y=2022|LocalArchive=Dr. Catherine Halsey's Computer}}{{clear}}


==Trivia==
==Trivia==
[[Image:Pipe.jpg|150px|right]]
===Miscellaneous===
On Captain Keyes' tunic is the [[Marathon]] logo. It has also been noted that the text on the tunic states "Hello My Name Keyes". The missing "is" probably did not fit.
{{Linkbox|quote=yes|gallery=yes}}
 
*It is mentioned in ''Halo: The Cole Protocol'' that Keyes received the ODST tattoo on his right arm due to the fact that he saved a group of ODSTs aboard an Insurrectionist cargo ship. The tattoo is of the [[Wikipedia:Kanji|kanji]] (a [[China|Chinese]] character adopted into the [[Japan]]ese writing system) meaning "bastard" or "bad-ass".<ref>'''Halo: The Cole Protocol''', ''page 105''</ref>
In the level [[Truth and Reconciliation (Level)|Truth and Reconciliation]] it is possible to kill Keyes when you open the brigs. However, he comes back to life for the cutscene and for the rest of the mission. The only sign of him dying is a patch of blood on his cell floor and if you kill him after that you will fail the mission.
*Keyes enjoyed smoking [[Sweet William cigar]]s along with many other people in the UNSC such as [[Franklin Mendez|CPO Mendez]] and [[Avery Junior Johnson|Sergeant Major Avery Johnson]], but was only ever seen using his pipe.
*On the ''[[Halo 3]] Legendary Edition'' bonus disc, [[Martin O'Donnell]] jokingly describes Captain Keyes of having at least twelve polygons. He is also jokingly called the "Captain of Exposition".<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwfnAM3dBrM#t=72 '''YouTube:''' ''Halo: Combat Evolved Developer Commentary Playthrough (2007)'']</ref>
*In ''Halo: Combat Evolved'', Captain Keyes' tunic features the ''[[Marathon]]'' logo, which is also the logo of the ''Pillar of Autumn''. The text on the tunic states "Hello My Name Keyes". The missing "is" probably did not fit onto the texture for his in-game uniform model. The ''Marathon'' logo is replaced with the [[Seventh Column]] symbol in ''[[Halo: Reach]]'' due to Bungie-Microsoft copyright issues, and again to a cog in ''[[Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary]]''.
*In the original ''Combat Evolved'', Keyes wore Marine fatigues when he arrived with the other troops at the [[Flood containment facility]]. However, in ''Anniversary'' he is still wearing and fights in his uniform.
*In ''[[Halo: The Flood]]'', according to one of his memories while being consumed by the Flood, Keyes first killed a human with a pistol. However, this was retconned in ''[[Halo: The Cole Protocol]]'', in which Keyes first killed a human with a modified plasma rifle.


In the level [[Keyes (Level)|Keyes]] when you find the [[Brain Form]] his pipe is dangling from a tentacle behind the blob. If you zoom in with a [[Pistol]] or a [[Sniper Rifle]], you can see the [[Marathon]] logo on the end of his pipe.
===Production notes===
*Captain Keyes was voiced by [[Pete Stacker]] in ''Halo: Combat Evolved'', ''Halo: Reach'', and ''Halo Infinite''. The Captain Keyes model for ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' was created by [[Marcus R. Lehto]].


== Images ==
===Mistakes===
[[Image:Data chip.jpg|150px]]
*Despite holding the [[Captain (Navy)|Naval rank of captain (O-6)]], Keyes is consistently depicted with the bars of a [[Unified Ground Command|UNICOM]] [[Captain (ground forces)|captain (O-3)]] rather than the proper Captain's Eagle. This mistake was first made in ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' and remained uncorrected in both ''Halo: Reach'' and ''Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary''.
[[Image:Keyes in brig.jpg|150px]]
*The Captain Keyes model seen in the PC port of ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' is from a prerelease version of the Xbox game. The older model uses a much lower resolution texture, and the uniform design is more symmetrical barring the ID and ribbons. This incorrect model appears in ''Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary'', and the issue was later patched in the ''Halo: The Master Chief Collection'' [[Series 7: Elite]] update.
*Ribbon 7 on Keyes' uniform is out of order. In the modern U.S. Military, it would be worn before Ribbon 6 (however, this can be the common occurrence in works of fiction of portraying military personnel as slightly off regulations). Then again, it is also unlikely that Keyes, a naval captain, won an award for being an enlisted member of the Air Force. We can only assume that the meaning of these ribbons has changed.


==Production Notes==
==Gallery==
Captain Keyes was voiced by [[Steve Downes]] on ''Halo: Combat Evolved''.  
<gallery>
File:HaloCE-CaptainJacobKeyes.png|Captain Jacob Keyes wearing Marine fatigues in ''Halo: Combat Evolved''.
File:Captain Jacob Keyes.png|A close-up of Captain Keyes in [[Halo: Combat Evolved (PC port)|the PC port for ''Halo: Combat Evolved'']].
File:HCE-CaptainJacobKeyes.png|A full body render of Captain Keyes in the PC port for ''Halo: Combat Evolved''.
File:Data chip.jpg|Keyes hands Cortana's storage chip to John-117.
File:Keyes.jpg|Captain Jacob Keyes in combat on the ''Truth and Reconciliation'', wielding a needler.
File:HCE - John killing Keyes.png|John-117 punches Keyes who was assimilated into a Proto-Gravemind.
File:HCE_ProtoKeyes.jpg|Jacob Keyes' remains before and after John-117 punched a hole through his face to retrieve his neural implants.
File:HM-JacobKeyes.png|Concept art of Keyes for ''Halo: Reach''.
File:HR-HCEA-Concept-CaptJacobKeyes.jpg|''Halo: Reach'' concept art of Keyes.
File:HR Screenshot Keyes1.png|Keyes preparing to take possession of the Package in ''Halo: Reach''.
File:Keyes.png|Captain Keyes holding the Package in ''Halo: Reach'', showing uniform detail.
File:HR Screenshot Keyes2.png|Keyes and a squad of Marines depart from the landing pad in ''Halo: Reach''.
File:Jacob_Keyes_by_Halsey.jpg|Keyes, age 22, as drawn by Dr. Catherine Halsey in [[Dr. Halsey's personal journal|her journal]] in 2517.
File:YoungKeyes.png|A young Jacob Keyes with Dr. Halsey.
File:FoR - HathcockBoardroom.png|Captain Keyes debriefed at Camp Hathcock.
File:JohnKeyes.png|Captain Keyes and the Master Chief during the Fall of Reach.
File:CEA_Keyes1.png|Keyes in ''Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary''.
File:2817468-gallery.jpg|Keyes and the Master Chief on the bridge of the ''Pillar of Autumn'' in ''[[Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary]]''.
File:Keyes With Pipe.png|Keyes smoking his pipe.
File:KeyesJohnsonCEA.png|Keyes and Sergeant Johnson engaging [[Pod infector]]s as their squad is overwhelmed.
File:CEA Keyes Death.jpg|Jacob Keyes' remains before and after John-117 punched a hole through his face to retrieve his neural implants.
File:Keyes Memory.jpg|Keyes in [[Terminal (Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary)#Terminal 9|Terminal 9]] of ''Anniversary''.
File:Anniversary, flood outbreak.jpg|Keyes remembering his Marine squad being ambushed by the Flood in the [[Flood containment facility]].
File:Keyes Paper Memory.jpg|Keyes remembering holding tickets to a show he couldn't remember.
File:Keyes Date Memory.jpg|A memory of a date Keyes had within his youth.
File:Keyes Protogravemind.jpg|Keyes being assimilated by the [[proto-Gravemind]].
File:Keyes Transition Flood.jpg|Keyes recollecting his transformation into a [[Flood combat form]].
File:KeyesFamily.png|Art of Keyes in ''Halo Mythos'', and art of [[Miranda Keyes|his daughter]] from ''The Art of Halo 3''.
File:HaloMythosFullTransparentKeyes.png|Close-up of Keyes in ''Halo Mythos''.
File:Mega-Render-Keyes.jpg|A MegaConstrux render of Keyes holding an [[M6H2 magnum]].
File:HINF-ShadowKeyes.jpg|A hologram of Jacob Keyes on [[Installation 07]] in ''[[Halo Infinite]]''.
File:Enc22-JacobKeyes.png|Jacob Keyes in the ''[[Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition)]]''.
</gallery>


The Captain Keyes model for ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' was created by [[Marcus R. Lehto]].
==List of appearances==
{{Col-begin}}
{{Col-2}}
*''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]'' {{1st}}
**''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach#2010 bonus content|Adjunct]]''
*''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]''
*''[[Halo: The Flood]]''
*''[[Halo: First Strike]]''
*''[[Halo 2]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo Graphic Novel]]''
**''[[The Last Voyage of the Infinite Succor]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: Ghosts of Onyx]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo 3]]'' {{C|Picture only}}
*''[[Halo: The Cole Protocol]]''
*''[[Halo Wars]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo Legends]]''
**''[[Odd One Out]]'' {{C|Non-canon appearance}}
*''[[Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe]]''
**''[[Pariah]]''
{{Col-2}}
*''[[Halo: Reach]]''
*''[[Halo: Fall of Reach]]''
**''[[Halo: Fall of Reach - Boot Camp|Boot Camp]]''
**''[[Halo: Fall of Reach - Covenant|Covenant]]''
**''[[Halo: Fall of Reach - Invasion|Invasion]]''
*''[[Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary]]''
**''[[Terminal (Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary)|Terminals]]''
*''[[Halo 4]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo 2: Anniversary]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: Escalation]]''
*''[[Halo: Fleet Battles]]''
*''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach - The Animated Series]]''
*''[[Halo Mythos]]''
*''[[Halo: Fireteam Raven]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo Infinite]]'' {{C|Hologram only}}
{{Col-end}}


Jacob Keyes appears or is mentioned in the following Halo products:
==Sources==
*[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]
{{Ref/Sources|3}}
*[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]/[[Halo: The Flood]]
**[[Pillar of Autumn (Level)|The Pillar of Autumn]]
**[[Truth and Reconciliation (Level)|The Truth and Reconciliation]]
**[[Silent Cartographer Level#Walkthrough|The Silent Cartographer]] <small>(Radio transmission)</small>
**[[343 Guilty Spark (Level)|343 Guilty Spark]] <small>(Cutscene)</small>
**[[Keyes (Level)|Keyes]]
*[[Halo: First Strike]] <small>(Mentioned Only)</small>
*[[Halo 2]]<small> (Mentioned Only)</small>


[[Category:Characters|Keyes, Jacob]]
[[Category:Human characters|Keyes, Jacob]]
[[Category:UNSC|Keyes, Jacob]]
[[Category:Educators|Keyes, Jacob]]
[[Category:UNSC Navy officers|Keyes, Jacob]]

Latest revision as of 12:02, June 10, 2024

This article is about UNSC naval captain. For other uses, see Keyes (disambiguation) and Jacob.
Jacob Keyes
HaloMythosFullTransparentKeyes.png
Biographical information

Homeworld:

Earth[1]

Born:

February 8, 2495[1]

Died:

September 22, 2552[2] (aged 57)

Cause of death:

Infected by the Flood and mercy-killed by John-117

Siblings:

Unnamed Sister

Children:

Commander Miranda Keyes

Personal details

Gender:

Male

Height:

194.3 centimeters (6 ft 4.5 in)[1]

Weight:

96 kilograms (212 lb)[1]

Hair color:

Gray (formerly black)

Eye color:

Blue

Political and military information

Affiliation:

Rank:

Captain

Service number:

01928-19912-JK

Notable info:

 

"Men like him will save us, you know. We need more like Keyes."
— Admiral Preston Cole[3]

Captain Jacob Keyes (service number 01928-19912-JK) was a commanding officer and one of the most brilliant tacticians in the UNSC Navy. He commanded great respect as a highly skilled strategist and inspirational leader to those under his command. His many decorations, thirty-five years of combat experience against the Covenant and Insurrectionists, and ability to keep a secret made him an almost natural choice to command the UNSC Pillar of Autumn and its secret cargo.

He was renowned as a war hero for his development of the Keyes Loop tactic, and leading the Battle of Installation 04: the Halo Event.

Biography[edit]

Early career[edit]

Halo: The Fall of Reach - The Animated Series screenshot
Keyes exiting a cryo chamber on-board the Han in 2517.

Captain Keyes was born on Earth and spent some time around the Pacific Ocean during his childhood. He had a sister who later resided on the colony world of Dwarka.[4] At some point in his life he read the work of Dr. Elias Carver, but considered his view of the situation in the colonies to be pessimistic.[5] During his second year of training in Officer Candidate School, an incident occurred where fourteen ensigns were killed due to an instructor's error during a poorly planned test. Keyes suffered plasma burns during the test and had to be rehabilitated in a hospital for two months. Keyes refused to testify against the instructor and was nearly demoted for it. Keyes' stubbornness is what brought him to the attention of Dr. Halsey.[6]

In 2517, seven weeks out of the OCS, Lieutenant (J.G.) Keyes was assigned to the UNSC Magellan when those orders were rescinded and he was chosen to assist Dr. Catherine Halsey with her task of searching for usable subjects for her SPARTAN-II project.[6] Keyes was chosen by Halsey for this assignment partly because he could "keep a secret". In order to fool anybody who was suspicious, they told them that they were looking for a school for their daughter, and so they both began observing the chosen subjects for the program. The first child they chose was SPARTAN subject number 117: John.[7] Later, he expressed doubts when Halsey actually let Soren-066 choose whether he wanted to become a Spartan, saying it was an "awful lot to lay on a child, even one who's grown up so fast."[8] Keyes never forgot this assignment or the names of each and every one of the children.

As Keyes slowly started learning of the true nature of the SPARTAN-II project, Dr. Halsey immediately sent him back to normal duty with a full Lieutenant commission.[9] In 2524, he was reunited with Dr. Halsey while attending a conference at the University of Calippus; it was on this occasion that they conceived their daughter, Miranda Halsey.[10]

Human-Covenant War[edit]

Halo: The Fall of Reach - The Animated Series screenshot
Lieutenant Keyes at the beginning of the war.

Early in the Human-Covenant War, he became a widely known hero when he led a small group of security troops against the Covenant ambush of the frigate UNSC Meriwether Lewis and held the Covenant off long enough for the ship to escape. He sustained a deep gouging plasma burn to his thigh and had his hand shattered, which was later rebuilt.[11]

Because of his injuries, Keyes was removed from active service and reassigned to the Luna OCS Academy.[12] Some of the top brass at UNSC High Command disapproved of him and he got the nickname "Schoolmaster" from those detractors, who thought he didn't belong in command of anything but a classroom, if that. In 2531 he agreed to take in his daughter Miranda, when her mother felt she was unable to give her the care she needed. Miranda grew very close to her father, taking his surname, following him into the service, and becoming one of the youngest candidates ever accepted into the OCS Academy.[13]

In 2535, Keyes was placed back on active duty, transferred aboard the UNSC Armageddon's Edge to Chi Rho in the Ectanus 45 system. He was transported to the planet's surface by Petty Officer Jeffries.[14] At Camp Patmos, Keyes met with Vice Admiral Jean Mawikizi, Commander Dmitri Zheng, and Major Akio Watanabe. He was briefed on the newly instated Cole Protocol and offered a position to serve with the bridge crew, under the command of Zheng, aboard the modified Stalwart-class light frigate UNSC Midsummer Night to help enforce the newly written protocol.[15] Keyes accepted the offer and convinced Mawikizi to transfer Jeffries to the frigate due to his incredible skill in piloting, believing it would be useful in the unorthodox missions that the frigate would be assigned to.[16]

Raid on Finnegan's Wake[edit]

The Midsummer Night travelled to the edges of the Ectanus 45 system, shadowing a freighter, Finnegan's Wake, that had slowly edged its way past the system's ecliptic plane.[17] To ensure that the freighter's navigation data had been deleted, Keyes led a boarding team of Orbital Drop Shock Troopers into Finnegan's Wake. The ODSTs and Keyes discovered the captain of the ship and interrogated him. Before the ODSTs could make their way to delete the navigation data, an explosion in the ship went off, throwing Keyes to the ground and killing several ODSTs, including their commander, Canfield.[18]

Insurrectionists began attacking the ODSTs and an emergency beacon was activated, asking the Midsummer Night for reinforcements. Realizing that the Insurrectionists were the ones that triggered the beacon, Keyes attempted to warn the frigate, believing the freighter was rigged to blow, but communications were jammed. Keyes borrowed the armor of an ODST, Markov, and ordered the others to pile the deceased and injured ODSTs into cargo containers.[19] Using the force of a rigged explosion, the ODSTs, Keyes, and the cargo containers were launched from the freighter towards the frigate, using battle rifles to propel themselves into the right direction. The insurgents realized what the ODSTs were doing and desperately blew up the freighter in an attempt to take out some of the nearby ODSTs.[20] Over twenty ODSTs were killed and Keyes was wounded with a piece of the freighter's hull plating. However, more ODSTs had survived than expected, earning Keyes the respect of nearly everyone on the ship.[21]

Charybdis IX riots[edit]

Main article: Scyllion Warehouse District riot

After the Finnegan's Wake incident, Keyes and the rest of the Midsummer Night bridge crew were debriefed by Watanabe and Zheng. It was revealed that Covenant weapons, modified for human use, were being distributed to human civilians and insurgents. Deemed a great violation of the Cole Protocol, the Midsummer Night was to find out where the weapons were coming from. The Office of Naval Intelligence had discovered a container of these weapons on the Outer Colony of Charybdis IX, and the Midsummer Night was assigned to help the ONI operatives of the planet discover who the weapons were being distributed to.[22] Upon arriving in the Charybdis system, the ODSTs "demonstrated" that they were grateful for Keyes' service at Finnegan's Wake and Major Faison, the commanding ODST after Canfield's death, had him tattooed with the ODST brand, saying any ODST would help him if he showed it to them.[23]

Jeffries transported Keyes and Watanabe to Scyllion, the planetary capital, in a D77-TC Pelican. Watanabe explained the history of Scyllion to Keyes and that rioting was becoming commonplace in the city. The two were delivered to the ONI mobile command center in the edges of the Scyllion Warehouse District, where they met with Captain Corinthia Hansen.[24] Pretending to be a insurgent, Hansen attempted to deliver the cargo container of modified weapons to rebel leader Jason Kincaide, hoping to discover where Kincaide distributes his weapons. However, due to escalating riots nearby, they were forced to capture Kincaide and attempt to flee the city.[25] However, fellow Insurrectionists and dissatisfied citizens of Scyllion destroyed the ONI convoy of vehicles, killing most of the ONI operatives and freeing Kincaide. Kincaide began to incite the rioting mob and told them to kill all surviving UNSC personnel. Keyes, Hansen, and Watanabe barely escaped the rioters as they began hunting down survivors.[26]

They attempted to escape with Jeffries' Pelican, but it was destroyed by rebel RPG fire, resulting in the death of Jeffries. The trio fled to the roof of the building, where they called in for ODST reinforcements from the Midsummer Night and engaged in firefights with the rebels and rioters.[27] Soon, Kincaide began arming rioters with the modified Covenant weapons. While attempting to listen to the rioter discussion below, Kincaide and three rioters attacked the trio. Watanabe killed two of the rioters but was killed by Kincaide, along with the third rioter. In retaliation, Keyes shot Kincaide multiple times and the two wrestled for control of Kincaide's modified Okarda'phaa-pattern plasma rifle. Keyes gained the upper-hand, and shot Kincaide with the rifle, decapitating him. At first taken back upon realizing he had killed his first human, Keyes threw Kincaide's corpse into the streets below and warned the rioters to disperse and cease hostilities, or else they would be shot.[28]

After the death of Jason Kincaide, twenty ODSTs dropped into Scyllion and broke up any remaining resistance. Two snipers eliminated any surviving RPG-wielding rebels, allowing Keyes and Hansen to be picked and taken to the Midsummer Night. Although Keyes considered the engagement to be a loss, Hansen told him otherwise, informing him that they learned of the origin of the modified weapons from Kincaide.[29] While in transit to the frigate, Zheng detected a Covenant fleet arriving near Charybdis IX. While Keyes and Zheng were in favor of making a last stand alongside the three UNSC destroyers guarding the planet, Hansen revealed that she had a rank higher than both of them and ordered them to continue their search by following the Kestrel, a freighter that had supplied Kincaide. Hansen was dropped off at an orbiting depot and the Midsummer Night fled the system before the Covenant could attack.[30]

Battle of the Rubble[edit]

Main article: Battle of the Rubble

The Midsummer Night trailed the Kestrel for nearly a week, eventually following it to the 23 Librae system. The freighter made its way to the asteroids orbiting a gas giant in the system, Hesiod. Upon further inspection, the crew of the frigate discovered that all the asteroids were connected, forming an Insurrectionist metropolis known as the Rubble. The crew further learned that the Insurrectionists were working with the Kig-Yar.[31] While admiring the Rubble, Badia Campbell revealed herself as a rebel-sympathizer and mortally wounded Zheng and shot Dante Kirtley and Rai Li. While Keyes and Campbell wrestled for control of her sidearm, she gained the upper-hand and proceeded to commit suicide.[32] Campbell had damaged the ship's fusion core coolant system, leaving the frigate nearly disabled. At Zheng's orders, Keyes attacked the Rubble's fleet of freighters, with the Midsummer Night being damaged with a mass driver round. While Zheng left the bridge of the ship to check on engineering, the Rubble hailed the frigate, asking to speak with its commander. Keyes left the bridge to find Zheng dying near engineering, having surrendered to the overwhelming rebel forces. Zheng warned Keyes not to trust anyone and gave him command of the frigate before dying. As the rebels boarded the ship, Keyes ordered the ODSTs to stand down.[33]

A middle-aged Keyes.

The Midsummer Night was forced to dock with the Habitat Asuncion asteroid and the frigate's crew was given the option to become a resident of the Rubble or be held in prison cells. Keyes gave a speech telling the crew that he would forgive them if they choose to become residents, but he decided that he would not join their citizenry. Maria Esquival warned him that he was not allowed to make any more speeches and had him arrested.[34] Meanwhile, the leader of the Kig-Yar working with the Rubble's citizens, Reth, was beginning to pre-emptively invade the Rubble to show that he was still loyal to the Covenant. Jai-006, from Gray Team, arrived at Keyes' holding cell and rescued him and the rest of the frigate's imprisoned crew. The Rubble's AI, Juliana, offered to help Keyes and his crew escape the system in a Kig-Yar ship, if he helped her discover what the Kig-Yar were attempting to do.[35] Keyes met with Ignatio Delgado aboard the freighter Mighty Sparrow and took command of it, with several of its crew. He intended to dock it with Reth's flagship, the Infinite Spoils, and allow Juliana to infiltrate the vessel's systems.[36]

The Mighty Sparrow rammed the Infinite Spoils, allowing Faison, his ODSTs, and Jai to board the raider. The ODSTs and Jai quickly eliminated the small Kig-Yar contingent aboard the ship and took control of its bridge. However, a Kig-Yar troop carrier, commanded by Shipmaster Thel 'Vadamee, attacked the two ships.[37] The troop carrier disabled the Mighty Sparrow and Keyes ordered everyone to make their way inside the Infinite Spoils, during which Faison was mortally wounded by a Kig-Yar.[38] Keyes and the surviving members of the boarding party made their way to the docks and donned vacuum suits. Juliana released the air from the docks, killing most of the Kig-Yar inside. After the ODSTs eliminated any survivors, Keyes came aboard Gray Team's freighter, Petya.[39]

After discovering the Unggoy army Reth had created on one of Hesiod's moons, Metisette, Keyes prepared to launch a counter-attack to destroy the Covenant forces. Keyes retook control of the repaired Midsummer Night and used the frigate to deploy Gray Team and ODSTs to the moon. To allow Juliana to orbitally bombard Metisette with the Rubble, the Spartans and ODSTs destroyed Kig-Yar AA guns and sensor stations. After they completed their mission, Keyes had Gray Team and the surviving ODSTs returned to the frigate.[40] Keyes used the Midsummer Night to protect Habitat Exodus while the Rubble's citizens were evacuated inside it, during which the frigate was damaged. After the Exodus asteroid detached from the rest of the Rubble, Juliana used the asteroids to destroy the Unggoy army on Metisette and killed Reth.[41] However, the Exodus could not make a slipspace jump to safety like it intended to do. Keyes decided to convince the Rubble Security Council to travel to an Inner Colony, which was still possible at the time. After a short speech to the Council members reminding them of their duty to protect all the Rubble's citizens and the duty to fight back against the Covenant who took their homes, the Council decided to travel to Falaknuma, an Inner Colony in the 18 Scorpii system.[42]

Keyes was brought down and debriefed by ONI Commander Hadley and Admiral Preston Cole himself. Although Keyes expected he would be court-martialed for violating the Cole Protocol by giving the Insurrectionists navigation data, Cole congratulated Keyes for his commendable bravery and work and promoted him to Commander.[43]

Sigma Octanus[edit]

Main article: Battle of Sigma Octanus IV
Keyes as an older man commanding the UNSC Iroquois.

Keyes eventually assumed command of a Halberd-class destroyer, the UNSC Iroquois in April of 2552.[44] In 2552, he foresaw a Covenant attack on Sigma Octanus IV thanks to an astrophysics journal by SPARTAN-084. His actions resulted in the destruction of a Covenant destroyer, two Covenant frigates and the retreat of a Covenant carrier with a daring maneuver dubbed the "Keyes Loop", all without a ship AI to help him.[45] The Iroquois, still in orbit and badly damaged by the maneuver pulled off by Keyes, deployed the SPARTAN-IIs to engage the Covenant forces on the surface of Sigma Octanus IV towards Côte d'Azur.[46]

This unprecedented victory against a Covenant force earned him a promotion to Captain and aided him to become recognized by the entire UNSC.[47] Keyes and the Iroquois remained in the Sigma Octanus system to fight in the Battle of Sigma Octanus IV. Keyes' brilliance and hindsight allowed him to find out what the Covenant were up to, and intercepted a transmission beamed for a Covenant stealth ship to receive, saving Sigma Octanus IV again. During the battle, Keyes used the Iroquois to ram the stealth ship and destroyed it with Archer missiles, leaving his destroyer badly damaged.[48] Shortly after the battle, the Iroquois was tagged by a Covenant spy probe, subsequently leading the Covenant to Reach.[49] At Reach, Keyes was debriefed by an ONI council at Camp Hathcock.[50] He was congratulated on his victory and assigned command of the UNSC Pillar of Autumn. During his time at Hathcock, Keyes met with John-117.[51]

Fall of Reach[edit]

Main article: Fall of Reach
Noble Six delivers Cortana's fragment to Captain Keyes.

At Reach, Keyes was given an important mission by Rear Admiral Stanforth: to transport the active SPARTAN-II commandos deep into Covenant space in order to capture a High Prophet, who would then be used as a ransom to end the Human-Covenant War.[52] Before the Autumn could leave Reach for slipspace, the Covenant attacked Reach. His mission scrubbed, Keyes offloaded most of the Spartans to the surface of the planet and sent three to Gamma Station.[53] He then tried to aid in the defense of Reach and even destroyed a powerful Covenant "sniper ship", but ultimately, his efforts were in vain.[54] He could only pick up John-117 along with Linda-058 and a handful of Marines from the station just in time to flee the pursuing Covenant.[55]

At some point after retrieving John-117, Keyes took the Pillar of Autumn to the Asźod ship breaking yards on the ground to retrieve a fragment of Cortana from SPARTAN-B312. This fragment held valuable navigation data that would lead the Pillar of Autumn to Installation 04. As he met with Noble Six to receive the Cortana fragment, Keyes noted that Dr. Halsey's judgement in choosing the package's carrier had been correct. Noble Six reminded the Captain that the mission's success was thanks to the efforts of the whole of Noble Team, to which Keyes replied that their sacrifice would be remembered. Noble Six gave covering fire against a Covenant Ket-pattern battlecruiser and waves of other Covenant aircraft with a ground-based mass driver as the Autumn took off and withdrew from the system.[56]

Halo[edit]

Captain Keyes arms himself with a Type-33 Needler and prepares to fight his way out of the Truth and Reconciliation.
Main article: Battle of Installation 04

"Whoever controls Halo controls the fate of the universe."
— Captain Keyes

The Pillar of Autumn's AI Cortana ended up navigating the vessel to Installation 04. They were once again assaulted by Covenant forces, and Captain Keyes told Cortana to lock in a selection of landing zones on the ring and to upload them to his neural interface. Keyes then assigned the Master Chief to protect Cortana and she became a valuable asset to him. Keyes locked in the codes and the Pillar of Autumn crashed on the ring.[57]

Keyes and the command crew of the Autumn managed to escape in a Bumblebee life pod, Kilo Tango Victor 17.[58] During the descent, the Ossoona, Isna 'Nosolee was discovered to be lurking aboard by Keyes, and subsequently killed by the Captain. Unfortunately, they were still spotted in the descent by two Sangheili on Karo'etba-pattern Ghosts. Due to the actions of traitor Ensign Ellen Dowski, the Covenant were able to find out where Keyes and the command crew were. When they got there they incapacitated the Captain and killed the rest of the command crew, including Dowski herself. Despite being an inspirational leader to many under his command, the Captain also has a great deal amount of respect for each and everyone of his crew and he dearly cares about them. The death of his crew shocked him, and he had wished to die as well as he was captured by the Covenant.[59]

Keyes was taken aboard the Covenant Ket-pattern battlecruiser, the Truth and Reconciliation. There, he was interrogated, tortured, and held prisoner until the Master Chief, the ODSTs, and a group of Marines were able to rescue him with the help of Cortana. Combining what Keyes found out from what Cortana was able to hack from the Covenant battlenet, they were able to figure out some of the truth about Halo. They were forced to commandeer a Spirit dropship, during their escape and Keyes piloted it out himself, even going so far as to ram two Mgalekgolo on the flight out for "a little payback".[60]

Keyes then went to Alpha Base, taking command of the base from Major Antonio Silva briefly. He then took Staff Sergeant Avery Johnson, Fire Team Charlie and second squad to a facility they thought held a Covenant weapons cache. It turned out that the structure was one of the Halo's Flood containment facilities. Keyes and his Marines were ambushed by the Flood. During the ensuing firefight, a Pod infector latched onto his back and infected him.[61]

Infection and death[edit]

"Chief... Don't be a fool. Leave me..."
— Captain Jacob Keyes speaks in a twisted voice through a COM channel, struggling as he loses himself to the Flood.
Keyes as he is slowly absorbed into the Flood proto-Gravemind.

Keyes observed helplessly as the Pod infector took over his body and attacked his mind. Originally, Keyes' body was a combat form, but the Flood, apparently realizing his importance, merged him and several other combat forms into a proto-Gravemind. One of the tortures Keyes endured was having his memories ripped away one by one as the Flood tried to learn anything that would help attain new sources of food.[62] The Flood hoped that his intelligence would help them to operate a damaged Covenant cruiser and escape the ring, but Keyes was able to fend it off by constantly accessing data that was permanently stored in his command neural interface, while feeding it those of his memories that were not vital to the survival of humanity, such as his name, age, and service number (though definitely not anything that could lead to the thought of the location of Earth).[63]

Just as Keyes acquired the determination to defy his infection, he finally submitted to the Flood.[64] However, before Keyes succumbed to the overwhelming pressure, the Master Chief boarded the ship once again looking for Keyes and found only the proto-Gravemind form. The Captain was able to contact the Chief three times, warning him to leave him behind, before the proto-Gravemind fully overwhelmed him.[65] Keyes' life officially ended when the Chief punched through his skull to retrieve his command neural interface after his mind had been absorbed by the Flood infection, with Cortana stating that she knew that "this was what he wanted."[66] Despite this, Keyes' corpse continued to make faint breathing sounds.[67]

Keyes' command neural interface enabled Master Chief and Cortana to start up the Pillar of Autumn's engines so they could destroy the Halo ring by overloading and exploding the engines.[68]

Legacy[edit]

Keyes' daughter Miranda accepts her father's Colonial Cross, posthumously awarded to him by Fleet Admiral Hood just prior to the Battle of Earth.

"Your father's actions were in keeping with the highest traditions of military service, his bravery in the face of impossible odds, reflecting great credit upon himself and the UNSC. The Navy has lost one of its best."
— Fleet Admiral Terrence Hood to Miranda Keyes after awarding her father with a posthumous Colonial Cross.

The Keyes family lived on Luna, including his daughter, Miranda Keyes. She accepted a posthumous Colonial Cross awarded to her father for his bravery during the events on Installation 04 by Lord Hood.[69] In 2553, he was remembered at the Voi Memorial alongside his daughter, Sergeant Johnson, and many other victims of the Human-Covenant War.[70] His courage and skill were never forgotten, making him one of the most important and remembered naval officers in human history.

In May 2560, the Master Chief and the Weapon hear one of Cortana's memories of Keyes concerning her safety from just before the Master Chief left the Pillar of Autumn's bridge during the Battle of Installation 04, prompting the Weapon to ask about him. The Master Chief states that he was a good man who was lost on the first Halo ring that they had found.[71] Later, while teleporting through a data cluster, the Master Chief witnesses Cortana's memory of an argument between Keyes and Halsey over Halsey creating Cortana as an AI version of herself, something that Keyes is greatly displeased by.[72]

Personality and traits[edit]

One of Keyes' final memories of Catherine Halsey prior to being assimilated into the Proto-Gravemind.

Keyes was often quite officious and put the safety of the UNSC before his own personal safety, even going as far as to almost self destruct the ship he was on so that the Covenant would not find Earth. He was prepared and willing to give anything for his planet. He would often charge headlong into battle keeping a straight and calm face, along with an underlying strategy. Keyes was also known to be fearless in most situations, as he refused to tell Zuka 'Zamamee about John-117, and even dared the Sangheili to kill him.

As a captain, Keyes expected the best from his Marines and ensured to maintain their morale when facing a hopeless defeat. He silenced one Marine for panicking when there was no available escape route in the Truth and Reconciliation and angrily ordered Private Mendoza to resume his position when the latter was attempting to flee from their first encounter of the Flood.

Jacob Keyes was very caring to those under his command and attempted to be a strong fatherly figure to his daughter, Miranda, knowing that she had limited time with both of her parents. Although he did not prefer teaching at the Luna OCS Academy, he was glad that he was able to spend time with Miranda. Upon being offered a position aboard the UNSC Midsummer Night, he was hard-pressed about leaving his daughter alone on Luna, but believed that he would be protecting her by fighting Insurrectionists and the Covenant.[73] Although they were not particularly close, Miranda aspired to be like him, even taking his last name, and joined the UNSC Navy to serve with him.[13]

At times he thought of his sister and her fate on Dwarka. He had banished the guilt of not being able to save her by knowing he had saved the lives of millions from the Rubble. However, he felt guilty for the deaths of the ODSTs during the raid on Finnegan's Wake, despite not being responsible.[20] He also was grieved by the death of Jeffries, the pilot Keyes had transferred aboard the Midsummer Night, who was killed by insurgent RPG fire on Charybdis IX.[74] Keyes also had a habit of fiddling with his grandfather's pipe, often chewing on its tip to aid in concentration.[75]

Decorations[edit]

An artist's rendition of Captain Keyes's medal ribbons.

Keyes wore nine ribbons on his uniform at the time of his death in 2552.[76] For the sake of this article, these will be numbered Ribbons 1 through 9, in this order.

These ribbons coincide with the following UNSC and old U.S. Air Force decorations:

Non-canon and dubious canon appearances[edit]

Odd One Out[edit]

Misterchief.gif
 This article contains information about a non-canonical subject that, while official, is not part of the established Halo universe.
Halo Legends screenshot
Jacob Keyes in Odd One Out.

Jacob Keyes: "You think he'll be okay?"
Master Chief: "This kind of thing happens to him all the time. Well, 1337 is still a Spartan. He's been trained with the best of 'em. There's no need for concern."
Jacob Keyes: "If you say so, Master Chief."
— Jacob Keyes and the Master Chief on SPARTAN-1337.

In Odd One Out, Jacob Keyes was in command of a UNSC starship and served as the superior of the Master Chief, Cortana, and SPARTAN-1337. When SPARTAN-1337 slipped and fell out of his Pelican, Keyes was reassured by the Master Chief that SPARTAN-1337 was still a Spartan and there's no need for concern over the incident. He later notified the Master Chief that they had reestablished radio contact with 1337, allowing the Chief to speak to 1337.[78]


Silver Timeline[edit]

HTV-SilverTeam logo.png
 This article contains information about the Silver Timeline, and is not a part of the established Halo canon.
Main article: Jacob Keyes/Silver

Captain Jacob Keyes is a member of the UNSC Navy's Asymmetric Warfare Research Group.[79]

Trivia[edit]

Miscellaneous[edit]

Graphic Halo.png Check out our collection of quotes related to Jacob Keyes on its quotes page.
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  • It is mentioned in Halo: The Cole Protocol that Keyes received the ODST tattoo on his right arm due to the fact that he saved a group of ODSTs aboard an Insurrectionist cargo ship. The tattoo is of the kanji (a Chinese character adopted into the Japanese writing system) meaning "bastard" or "bad-ass".[80]
  • Keyes enjoyed smoking Sweet William cigars along with many other people in the UNSC such as CPO Mendez and Sergeant Major Avery Johnson, but was only ever seen using his pipe.
  • On the Halo 3 Legendary Edition bonus disc, Martin O'Donnell jokingly describes Captain Keyes of having at least twelve polygons. He is also jokingly called the "Captain of Exposition".[81]
  • In Halo: Combat Evolved, Captain Keyes' tunic features the Marathon logo, which is also the logo of the Pillar of Autumn. The text on the tunic states "Hello My Name Keyes". The missing "is" probably did not fit onto the texture for his in-game uniform model. The Marathon logo is replaced with the Seventh Column symbol in Halo: Reach due to Bungie-Microsoft copyright issues, and again to a cog in Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary.
  • In the original Combat Evolved, Keyes wore Marine fatigues when he arrived with the other troops at the Flood containment facility. However, in Anniversary he is still wearing and fights in his uniform.
  • In Halo: The Flood, according to one of his memories while being consumed by the Flood, Keyes first killed a human with a pistol. However, this was retconned in Halo: The Cole Protocol, in which Keyes first killed a human with a modified plasma rifle.

Production notes[edit]

  • Captain Keyes was voiced by Pete Stacker in Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo: Reach, and Halo Infinite. The Captain Keyes model for Halo: Combat Evolved was created by Marcus R. Lehto.

Mistakes[edit]

  • Despite holding the Naval rank of captain (O-6), Keyes is consistently depicted with the bars of a UNICOM captain (O-3) rather than the proper Captain's Eagle. This mistake was first made in Halo: Combat Evolved and remained uncorrected in both Halo: Reach and Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary.
  • The Captain Keyes model seen in the PC port of Halo: Combat Evolved is from a prerelease version of the Xbox game. The older model uses a much lower resolution texture, and the uniform design is more symmetrical barring the ID and ribbons. This incorrect model appears in Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, and the issue was later patched in the Halo: The Master Chief Collection Series 7: Elite update.
  • Ribbon 7 on Keyes' uniform is out of order. In the modern U.S. Military, it would be worn before Ribbon 6 (however, this can be the common occurrence in works of fiction of portraying military personnel as slightly off regulations). Then again, it is also unlikely that Keyes, a naval captain, won an award for being an enlisted member of the Air Force. We can only assume that the meaning of these ribbons has changed.

Gallery[edit]

  • Captain Jacob Keyes wearing Marine fatigues in Halo: Combat Evolved.

    Captain Jacob Keyes wearing Marine fatigues in Halo: Combat Evolved.

  • A close-up of Captain Keyes in the PC port for Halo: Combat Evolved.

    A close-up of Captain Keyes in the PC port for Halo: Combat Evolved.

  • A full body render of Captain Keyes in the PC port for Halo: Combat Evolved.

    A full body render of Captain Keyes in the PC port for Halo: Combat Evolved.

  • Keyes hands Cortana's storage chip to John-117.

    Keyes hands Cortana's storage chip to John-117.

  • Captain Jacob Keyes in combat on the Truth and Reconciliation, wielding a needler.

    Captain Jacob Keyes in combat on the Truth and Reconciliation, wielding a needler.

  • John-117 punches Keyes who was assimilated into a Proto-Gravemind.

    John-117 punches Keyes who was assimilated into a Proto-Gravemind.

  • Jacob Keyes' remains before and after John-117 punched a hole through his face to retrieve his neural implants.

    Jacob Keyes' remains before and after John-117 punched a hole through his face to retrieve his neural implants.

  • Concept art of Keyes for Halo: Reach.

    Concept art of Keyes for Halo: Reach.

  • Halo: Reach concept art of Keyes.

    Halo: Reach concept art of Keyes.

  • Keyes preparing to take possession of the Package in Halo: Reach.

    Keyes preparing to take possession of the Package in Halo: Reach.

  • Captain Keyes holding the Package in Halo: Reach, showing uniform detail.

    Captain Keyes holding the Package in Halo: Reach, showing uniform detail.

  • Keyes and a squad of Marines depart from the landing pad in Halo: Reach.

    Keyes and a squad of Marines depart from the landing pad in Halo: Reach.

  • Keyes, age 22, as drawn by Dr. Catherine Halsey in her journal in 2517.

    Keyes, age 22, as drawn by Dr. Catherine Halsey in her journal in 2517.

  • A young Jacob Keyes with Dr. Halsey.

    A young Jacob Keyes with Dr. Halsey.

  • Captain Keyes debriefed at Camp Hathcock.

    Captain Keyes debriefed at Camp Hathcock.

  • Captain Keyes and the Master Chief during the Fall of Reach.

    Captain Keyes and the Master Chief during the Fall of Reach.

  • Keyes in Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary.

    Keyes in Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary.

  • Keyes and the Master Chief on the bridge of the Pillar of Autumn in Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary.

    Keyes and the Master Chief on the bridge of the Pillar of Autumn in Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary.

  • Keyes smoking his pipe.

    Keyes smoking his pipe.

  • Keyes and Sergeant Johnson engaging Pod infectors as their squad is overwhelmed.

    Keyes and Sergeant Johnson engaging Pod infectors as their squad is overwhelmed.

  • Jacob Keyes' remains before and after John-117 punched a hole through his face to retrieve his neural implants.

    Jacob Keyes' remains before and after John-117 punched a hole through his face to retrieve his neural implants.

  • Keyes in Terminal 9 of Anniversary.

    Keyes in Terminal 9 of Anniversary.

  • Keyes remembering his Marine squad being ambushed by the Flood in the Flood containment facility.

    Keyes remembering his Marine squad being ambushed by the Flood in the Flood containment facility.

  • Keyes remembering holding tickets to a show he couldn't remember.

    Keyes remembering holding tickets to a show he couldn't remember.

  • A memory of a date Keyes had within his youth.

    A memory of a date Keyes had within his youth.

  • Keyes being assimilated by the proto-Gravemind.

    Keyes being assimilated by the proto-Gravemind.

  • Keyes recollecting his transformation into a Flood combat form.

    Keyes recollecting his transformation into a Flood combat form.

  • Art of Keyes in Halo Mythos, and art of his daughter from The Art of Halo 3.

    Art of Keyes in Halo Mythos, and art of his daughter from The Art of Halo 3.

  • Close-up of Keyes in Halo Mythos.

    Close-up of Keyes in Halo Mythos.

  • A MegaConstrux render of Keyes holding an M6H2 magnum.

    A MegaConstrux render of Keyes holding an M6H2 magnum.

  • A hologram of Jacob Keyes on Installation 07 in Halo Infinite.

    A hologram of Jacob Keyes on Installation 07 in Halo Infinite.

  • Jacob Keyes in the Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition).

    Jacob Keyes in the Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition).

List of appearances[edit]

Sources[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d Halo: The Essential Visual Guide
  2. ^ Halo Waypoint, Jacob Keyes (Retrieved on Aug 2, 2016) [archive]
  3. ^ Halo: The Cole Protocol, page 354
  4. ^ Halo: The Cole Protocol, page 23
  5. ^ Halo: The Cole Protocol, page 113
  6. ^ a b Halo: The Fall of Reach, pages 19-20
  7. ^ Halo: The Fall of Reach, page 25
  8. ^ Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe, page 16
  9. ^ Halo: The Fall of Reach, page 28
  10. ^ Halo: Reach, Dr. Halsey's personal journal
  11. ^ Halo: The Cole Protocol, page 28
  12. ^ Halo: The Cole Protocol, page 21
  13. ^ a b Dr. Halsey's personal journal, April 6, 2550 ("Initially, she likely joined the military to impress her father; after all, she had her name legally changed.")
  14. ^ Halo: The Cole Protocol, page 26
  15. ^ Halo: The Cole Protocol, pages 31-35
  16. ^ Halo: The Cole Protocol, page 37
  17. ^ Halo: The Cole Protocol, page 47
  18. ^ Halo: The Cole Protocol, page 51
  19. ^ Halo: The Cole Protocol, page 56
  20. ^ a b Halo: The Cole Protocol, page 61
  21. ^ Halo: The Cole Protocol, page 95
  22. ^ Halo: The Cole Protocol, page 100
  23. ^ Halo: The Cole Protocol, page 104
  24. ^ Halo: The Cole Protocol, page 107
  25. ^ Halo: The Cole Protocol, page 112
  26. ^ Halo: The Cole Protocol, page 122
  27. ^ Halo: The Cole Protocol, page 127
  28. ^ Halo: The Cole Protocol, pages 131-133
  29. ^ Halo: The Cole Protocol, page 135
  30. ^ Halo: The Cole Protocol, page 148
  31. ^ Halo: The Cole Protocol, page 167
  32. ^ Halo: The Cole Protocol, page 177
  33. ^ Halo: The Cole Protocol, pages 180-184
  34. ^ Halo: The Cole Protocol, pages 204-210
  35. ^ Halo: The Cole Protocol, page 250
  36. ^ Halo: The Cole Protocol, page 255
  37. ^ Halo: The Cole Protocol, pages 262-268
  38. ^ Halo: The Cole Protocol, page 271
  39. ^ Halo: The Cole Protocol, page 280
  40. ^ Halo: The Cole Protocol, pages 312-317
  41. ^ Halo: The Cole Protocol, page 328
  42. ^ Halo: The Cole Protocol, page 343
  43. ^ Halo: The Cole Protocol, page 352
  44. ^ Halo: The Fall of Reach, pages 138-139
  45. ^ Halo: The Fall of Reach, pages 146-154
  46. ^ Halo: The Fall of Reach, page 156
  47. ^ Halo: The Fall of Reach, page 187
  48. ^ Halo: The Fall of Reach, page 226
  49. ^ Halo: The Fall of Reach, page 247
  50. ^ Halo: The Fall of Reach, page 251
  51. ^ Halo: Fall of Reach - Invasion, Issue #1
  52. ^ Halo: The Fall of Reach, page 276
  53. ^ Halo: The Fall of Reach, page 308
  54. ^ Halo: The Fall of Reach, page 346
  55. ^ Halo: The Fall of Reach, page 329
  56. ^ Halo: Reach, campaign level The Pillar of Autumn
  57. ^ Halo: Combat Evolved, campaign level The Pillar of Autumn
  58. ^ Halo: Combat Evolved, campaign level Halo
  59. ^ Halo: The Flood, page 88
  60. ^ Halo: Combat Evolved, campaign level The Truth and Reconciliation
  61. ^ Halo: Combat Evolved, campaign level 343 Guilty Spark
  62. ^ Halo: The Flood, pages 225-227
  63. ^ Halo: The Flood, pages 253-254
  64. ^ Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, Terminal 9
  65. ^ Halo: The Flood, pages 290, 303 and 305-306
  66. ^ Halo: The Flood, page 306
  67. ^ Halo: Combat Evolved, campaign level Keyes
  68. ^ Halo: Combat Evolved, campaign level The Maw
  69. ^ Halo 2, campaign level Cairo Station
  70. ^ Halo 3, campaign level Halo
  71. ^ Halo Infinite, campaign mission Reformation: Nexus
  72. ^ Halo Infinite, campaign mission Reckoning: Repository
  73. ^ Halo: The Cole Protocol, page 36
  74. ^ Halo: The Cole Protocol, page 125
  75. ^ Halo: The Fall of Reach, page 17
  76. ^ Halo: Combat Evolved, campaign level, Truth and Reconciliation
  77. ^ Halo 2, campaign level, Cairo Station opening cutscene
  78. ^ Halo Legends - Odd One Out
  79. ^ Halo: The Series, Dr. Catherine Halsey's Computer (Retrieved on Mar 25, 2022) [local archive] [external archive]
  80. ^ Halo: The Cole Protocol, page 105
  81. ^ YouTube: Halo: Combat Evolved Developer Commentary Playthrough (2007)
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