James MacCraw

Private James MacCraw was a UNSC Marine stationed aboard the prowler UNSC Red Horse in October 2552.

Biography

The Mona Lisa

Main article: Skirmish on Mona Lisa

MacCraw was a relatively new member of Sergeant Lopez's squad by the time of their mission in the Soell system. An inexperienced rookie, MacCraw initially failed to impress Lopez, but he proved to be surprisingly competent in combat. He participated in the reconnaissance operation aboard the civilian prisoner ship, Mona Lisa. After a brief skirmish with a group of unarmored and unarmed Sangheili, the group received new orders to enact the Cole Protocol. They split up into two teams, with MacCraw being assigned to the team led by Lopez, along with Mahmoud, Percy, Rakesh and Singh.

While scouting the medical bay, the team MacCraw was with found an ONI Major named John Smith locked inside a safe room. As they interrogated Smith about the experiments with the prisoners and the Flood, Smith broke free and killed Mahmoud with a concealed knife. By the time they reached the bridge of the Mona Lisa, MacCraw and Lopez were the only remaining members of their party. On the bridge, they managed to raise the Red Horse, learning that not only had Smith stolen their only Pelican, but a Shiva-class nuclear missile was being prepared to be fired at the Mona Lisa. The captain of the Red Horse then told Lopez that there were two escape pods left on the lower deck, leaving out that the pods were only meant for single occupants.

As MacCraw and Lopez defended the pods, Corpsman Ngoc Benti arrived with Clarence and two new additions; a prisoner named Patrick Rimmer and his Sangheili companion, nicknamed "Henry". Clarence, under strict orders from ONI Section III to not let anything but the Marines leave the ship, executed Rimmer. Henry, maddened with grief, began to strike at Clarence with his cricket bat until Benti, already heavily wounded on the way and showing signs of infection, sacrificed her life by pushing both herself and Clarence into the oncoming Flood horde. MacCraw then escaped in one of the escape pods, leaving both Henry and Lopez to fend for themselves.

Trivia

MacCraw is the only member of Lopez's squad to escape the Mona Lisa, and along with "John Doe" and Major John Smith is one of the only three people to be on the Mona Lisa during the outbreak and survive.

Gallery

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  MacCraw wearing his Marine BDU.

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  Lopez and MacCraw being pursued by the Flood shortly before reaching the bridge.

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  Lopez and MacCraw on the bridge of the Mona Lisa.

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  MacCraw and Lopez fire upon a horde of Flood as they make a run for the escape pods.

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  MacCraw holding his combat knife.

List of appearances

• Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe
  • The Mona Lisa (First appearance)