Ponder

"Someday we will win, no matter what it takes."

— Ponder's vow to Tartarus

Captain Ponder was a UNSC Marine Corps Field Commander on Harvest in command of the Colonial Militia. He used to be the CO of 9th Marine expeditionary force, 21st division in the 1st Batallion fighting the Insurection. Demoted after losing an arm from a frag grenade in a botched operation involving Insurrectionist terrorists, he was reassigned to a Colonial Militia training unit and outfit, alongside Staff Sergeant Nolan Byrne and reassigned Staff Sergeant Avery Johnson. He was seriously wounded in The Battle of Harvest by the Jiralhanae Chieftain Maccabeus whom was using the Fist of Rukt, a gravity hammer, and as such volunteered for a suicide mission in which he would give a fake AI processor to the Jiralhanae, claiming it was one of their prized "Oracles" in an attempt to buy time for the citizens of Harvest to escape before it was completely glassed. Tartarus impaled him on a Spiker's two front bayonets, severing Ponder's spine and paralyzing him. His death bought time for the colonists of Harvest to evacuate, potentially saving thousands of lives. It should be noted that although he had a prosthetic arm, he did not like it and opted to leave it off whenever possible. He was also fond of Sweet William Cigars.

Trivia

• It is theorized that this is how Sergeant Johnson picked up his habit and liking of smoking, particularly of Sweet William Cigars, perhaps as a distant memento and token to Ponder every time he lights one.
• Ponder's prosthetic arm still allowed him to use weapons, as demonstrated in Contact Harvest, when he went to the shooting range and "was shooting nice, tight groups" into targets.
• Ponder describes himself as a "church man" and compares the sound of a MAC gun firing to a church bell on a Sunday morning.