Thomas Lasky

Lasky redirects here. For his mother, see Lasky (colonel). For his brother, see Cadmon Lasky.

"There's a soldier inside of you Thomas. I can see it. Everyone can see it. You need to see it; I know your brother did."

— Colonel Mehaffey

Captain Thomas J. Lasky is a senior officer of the UNSC Navy who served throughout the Human-Covenant War and later the conflict with the Forerunner Prometheans.^[1] Since at least 2552, then-commander Lasky served as Captain Andrew Del Rio's executive officer aboard the UNSC Infinity until July 2557,^[2] when Del Rio was relieved of command and was advanced to her captain just prior to the Promethean assault on Earth.^[3]

Biography

Childhood and education

Lasky as a cadet at Corbulo Academy.

Thomas Lasky was born on August 15th, 2512^{[note 1]} to Colonel Lasky, his mother, in Tricode Village, Mare Erythraeum, Mars and grew up on New Harmony.^[4] He began his officer training as a freshman cadet in Corbulo Academy of Military Science on Circinius IV sometime preceding spring 2526, months after hostilities between the United Nations Space Command and the Covenant began. The existence of the aliens was covered up by the Office of Naval Intelligence at the time, however, and the cadets continued to train to fight human rebels. Organized into Hastati Squad, a freshman unit in the class of 2529, Lasky originally began as a team leader during field exercises.^[5]

During his time at the school, he regularly exchanged video messages with his brother Cadmon, a former student of Corbulo Academy then serving as an ODST fighting in the front lines of the Insurrection. Enjoying a close friendship with his brother, Thomas was deeply struck when Cadmon was killed, starting to express doubt about the sensibility of the UNSC waging war against the Insurrectionists and viewing his training with cynicism, failing to take the exercises seriously anymore. As there were no remains their mother felt Thomas should not leave school to attend his brother's funeral. Meanwhile, Lasky continued to replay his brother's messages in his spare time.^[5]^[6]

Lasky's reputation suffered at his constant disregard for the orders of his superiors and displaying a lack of proficient knowledge of infantry tactics. He was subsequently relieved of his duties as team leader, which then fell to squadmate Walter Vickers. Despite this, he continued to ignore orders and continued to lead Hastati in receiving low combat scores. Lasky's sympathy for the Insurrectionist cause earned him a great deal of denigration from the rest of the squad. Worse, his health declined rapidly during the school's mandatory acclimation to cryosleep; he suffered from large blisters and a persistent cough.

Chyler Silva: "Look, you want people to change, you want this war to end?"

Thomas Lasky: "Yeah, of course."

Chyler Silva: "Then you're going to need people to follow you."

— Silva and Lasky exchanging words following Mehaffey's lecture on Hannibal.

While at Corbulo Academy, Lasky would often retreat to brood near the Academy's space elevator.

His classmates were unrelenting in their provocation of Thomas, affirming their distaste for the freshman who did not live up to the example set by his brother. Days prior to the end of the 2525-2526 school year, Lasky and Vickers were singled out by their squad leader, Senior Cadet April Orenski, in response to Hastati's disciplinary physical training. Frustrated by the verbal and physical harassment he had received from Vickers, Lasky assaulted his squadmate in the school's mess hall. Senior cadets and underclassmen alike watched the altercation without intervening. Lasky mildly injured Vickers and stopped only to acknowledge Colonel Mehaffey's presence. The professor took advantage of this quarrel in her mentorship of Lasky, hoping he would embrace the warrior culture of the UNSC and inspire him to become a better leader.^[6]

Mehaffey's efforts dawned on the young cadet and he volunteered to lead Hastati moments prior to the start of their final combat exercise, a contest of Capture the Flag. While waiting for Zuma Squad to approach their flag's location, Lasky had organized Hastati into cover in a tight formation adjacent their flag, an apparently senseless maneuver. Lasky ordered his men to remove their helmets as they contained IFF transponders that were detectable by the enemy's motion sensors. With Zuma converging on Hastati's flag, Lasky positioned his squad in a formation reminiscent of the pincer movement, a tactic utilized to great effect by Hannibal at Cannae in 216 BCE, taught to the freshman cadets only a day before the exercise by Colonel Mehaffey. The enemy soon realized that Lasky had funneled them into a trap and they were swiftly dispatched by two sections of Hastati cadets. The two Hastati elements continued to press in on Zuma's flag with ease, eliminating or capturing all enemy cadets, suffering no casualties of their own in the process. An emboldened Lasky, charging towards Zuma's flag, finally succumbed to his ailing health and collapsed meters away from completing the objective.^[6]

Examination by Doctor Hughes of the academy's medical staff revealed that Lasky's condition was an allergic reaction to the cryo drug cytoprethaline. As cytoprethaline is vital for cryosleep to prevent damage to cells, Lasky was judged to be unfit for UNSC service and was given the option of a medical discharge. Cadet Chyler Silva approached Thomas about his decision to leave. Silva told Lasky that she would miss him and the two shared a kiss.^[7]

Human-Covenant War

Main article: Battle of Circinius IV

Cadets Lasky and Silva face a Zealot's energy sword.

Before Lasky had decided whether he would accept his voluntary discharge, Circinius IV was attacked by the Covenant. The Covenant completely overwhelmed the academy's Marine garrison within minutes, forcing Lasky and his fellow cadets into combat.^[7] Much of Hastati Squad was killed early in the assault, with Lasky, Silva, Orenski, and Michael Sullivan eventually becoming among the only survivors on the entire planet.

The attack on the academy prompted one of the first deployments of SPARTAN-II supersoldiers in the war; Blue Team, led by Master Chief Petty Officer John-117, rescued the cadets. John killed the Sangheili Zealot that had been pursuing the squad and escorted them outside to General Black's Warthog to escape to a Pelican extraction point. Lasky drove the Warthog out of the combat zone.^[8]

During their escape on one of the academy's access roads, Silva was killed by a stray shot from a Kig-Yar's needler. Silva's death drove Lasky to despair, though he quickly became emboldened by her sacrifice. After the squad had run out of ammunition, the Spartan planned to distract a pursuing Hunter while the cadets escaped; however, Lasky sprinted ahead, drawing the Hunter's fire in an almost suicidal maneuver. John killed the Hunter while it focused on Lasky. After the group escaped on the Pelican, the Chief commended Lasky for his valor and gave him a shard of the Hunter's armor as a keepsake, which he wore on a chain for over thirty years along with Cadmon's and Chyler's dog tags.^[9]

Some time after the battle, Lasky was commissioned into the UNSC Navy and qualified himself as a Naval aviator, flying fighter craft. Lasky was later retrained as a ship warfare officer.^[10]

Post-war

By the end of the war, Lasky had risen to the rank of commander and had been appointed as the executive officer of the UNSC Infinity, the most powerful vessel in the Fleet. He was present aboard Infinity during Fleet Admiral Lord Hood and Admiral Parangosky's inspection of the ship and the subsequent trial deployment on Sanghelios to test the ship's capabilities in the guise of assisting the Arbiter and his forces in the ongoing Sangheili civil war in early 2553.^[11]

Expedition on Requiem

Main article: Requiem campaign

Commander Lasky, John-117, Cortana and Captain Del Rio on the bridge of the Infinity.

When Infinity began its operations on Requiem, Lasky, along with Sarah Palmer, a few marines and SPARTAN-IVs went out to recon the area. When they were pinned down, he sent out a distress signal that was answered by the very same Spartan that saved his life back on Circinius IV 31 years before; John-117, the Master Chief. After ridding the Infinity of Promethean and Covenant forces, Lasky briefed John and Cortana on the Infinity's mission to locate the other Halos.^[12] Lasky then led a "blowthrough op" to shut down the particle cannons protecting the gravity well generator that was preventing Infinity from escaping Requiem. Lasky commanded a Mammoth through the battlefield, but was ultimately left behind when the badly damaged Mammoth could go no further and the Master Chief decided to go on alone.^[13]

When Captain Del Rio decided to flee Requiem rather than trying to stop the Didact, Lasky supported the Chief in trying to convince him otherwise and only reluctantly tried to take Cortana when ordered to do so. Later, after the Master Chief defied Del Rio's orders to go after the Didact by himself, Lasky was ordered to stop him at all costs. Obsensably in case the Chief had already left, Lasky had a Pelican gunship prepared for full combat pursuit, but really with the intention of giving it to the Master Chief. After informing him of the fact and wishing him good luck, Lasky left him be.^[14]

Upon return to Earth, Lasky passed on the Master Chief's warning and as a result of Del Rio's cowardice and Lasky's support of the Master Chief, Del Rio was removed from command and Lasky was promoted to Captain to replace him. When the Didact's ship, Mantle's Approach arrived, Lasky led the Home Fleet against the ship and was contacted by the Master Chief in a Broadsword fighter on the outer hull of the Didact's ship. After being informed that the fighter was equipped with a nuclear weapon, Lasky supported the Master Chief's efforts to board the ship, using Infinity's MAC gun to blast a hole in the enemy ship once the Chief took down Mantle's Approach's point-defense guns. After the Spartan destroyed the ship, Lasky dispatched a Pelican to search the wreckage for him. The Pelican rescued the Chief and Lasky tried unsuccessfully to console him over the death of Cortana.^[3]

Return to Requiem

Main article: Human-Promethean war

Captain Lasky with Commander Palmer.

Six months after the initial battle in Requiem, Lasky was sent to Requiem again as the Captain of Infinity to deploy and provide support to the ground forces sent onto the surface.^[15] Later, Fireteam Crimson brought a Forerunner artifact onboard which started draining power from the ship. After Commander Palmer managed to temporarily deactivate the artifact, Lasky joined Dr. Glassman and Palmer to inspect it. When the artifact suddenly began to absorb the doctor, Lasky attempted to save Glassman, but was getting pulled in as well. Commander Palmer tackled him, and they both watched as Glassman was disintegrated and pulled inside.^[16] Sometime later, Lasky brought in Dr. Catherine Halsey, matriarch of the SPARTAN-IIs and engineer of the Infinity's engines in order to study the artifact in Glassman's absence, much to Palmer's dismay.^[17]

Lasky went over a debriefing with Sarah Palmer about Fireteam Castle's demise at the hands of the Covenant and found that Jul 'Mdama was on Requiem. He sent Crimson to take him down, only to fail, but they managed to retrieve a strange device that he was in possession of.^[18] An analysis by Dr. Halsey revealed the artifact to be the AI matrix of a Promethean Knight, filled with human memories. Lasky admitted to Halsey that the UNSC was aware of the Knights having been created from ancient humans; however, the memories in the device were far more recent, originating from a resident of New Phoenix Composed in the Didact's attack six months prior. Furthermore, the artifact retrieved by Crimson earlier on was somehow linked to the attack. Lasky and Palmer accompanied Halsey as she examined the artifact, but they became suspicious of who she was communicating with. After inspecting Halsey's data pad, Lasky ordered Palmer to take Halsey into custody.^[19]

Later, Halsey managed to override Roland's control and found out everything that was kept from her, including the return of John-117. Despite her fury, she contacted Jul 'Mdama and attempted to meet him, only for Roland to retake control of himself and contact Lasky. When he arrived, he decided to keep her in a cryo chamber rather than a cell. In response, Halsey slapped him, scolding him for not telling her that John was alive. The two were interrupted, however, when Promethean forces gained access to the interior of Infinity. Fending off the Prometheans with his Marines, Captain Lasky picked up Halsey and attempted to escort her to safety.^[20] As the attack on the Infinity dwindled down, he went to the bridge with Halsey and Palmer, where he attempted to get away from Requiem to prevent more Promethean forces from teleporting to the ship. At that moment, a Promethean Knight translocated above them, knocking Palmer down and swiftly capturing Halsey, taking her away and revealing the purpose of the intrusion aboard the Infinity.

After the incident, Lasky contacted Admiral Serin Osman, Commander-in-Chief of ONI. She told him that she had been recommended to either relocate Halsey or keep her imprisoned, but instead chose neither, and told Lasky to carry out Parangosky's orders to kill Doctor Halsey.^[21] However, Lasky did not see the execution of a civilian as necessary and ordered Palmer - who was gearing up to finish the job - to stand down but to no avail. In an attempt to thwart the assassination, Lasky requested the assistance of Fireteam Majestic to rescue Doctor Halsey from Copernicus Base. Both Majestic and Palmer ultimately failed in their respective missions, as Halsey was eventually abducted by Jul 'Mdama who took her with him as he left Requiem.^[22]

Later, Lasky was present as Dr. Glassman outlined a plan to free Infinity from the slipspace conduit system anchoring the ship to Requiem when multiple Covenant ships began to exit the shield world. Lasky quickly ordered the crew to battlestations, but Roland informed him that the Covenant were not attacking - instead, they were leaving Requiem, which had been set on a collision course with the system's star by Jul 'Mdama, pulling the still anchored Infinity along with it. Fireteams Majestic and Crimson were dispatched to take out two artifacts keeping them attached to Requiem and eventually succeeded. Once the ship was free and Crimson and Majestic were aboard, Lasky ordered Lt. James to move Infinity away from Requiem. Infinity made an immediate jump into slipspace, narrowly escaping the supernova generated by Requiem's collision with its sun. After exiting slipspace, Lasky informed the crew they made it and congratulated them. Later, he discussed sending Majestic to rescue Halsey with Commander Palmer, which she saw as an attempt to stop her. They entered a lab where Dr. Glassman was studying the half of the Janus Key given to Thorne. Glassman informed them that while the artifact seemed inert, it was in fact incomplete and they were only seeing half of it.^[23]

Personality

On several occasions throughout his career, Lasky has disregarded the orders of a superior if he feels that the order is either morally wrong or tactically incorrect, and will instead do what he feels is right. This actually got him promoted when he supported the Master Chief against his commanding officer.

During his time at Corbulo Academy, he was known for his renegade attitude as an "Innie sympathizer" and was initially shunned universally by his squadmates and other classmates alike. Lasky was not hesitant whatsoever to express his views on the ongoing conflict with the colonies, even with the ardent anti-rebel stance held by the majority of Corbulo Academy's staff and cadet corps. This constant display of pacifism and sympathy towards the Insurrectionist cause did not hamper his enthusiasm to lead his team into combat; however, he preferred to use tactics that would force the enemy to capitulate rather than be killed. Many believed that Thomas would not live up to the level of excellence set by his brother Cadmon, by then a Marine junior officer in the Orbital Drop Shock Troopers, nor the expectations of his estranged mother to, at the very least, graduate from the academy. At the conclusion of his freshman year from 2525 to 2526, however, lingering doubts about his competency as a future officer were alleviated.

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Relationships

As the growing Insurrection in the Outer Colonies demanded the effort of millions of military personnel, Lasky rarely saw his mother and their relationship faltered because of it. He still maintained a very close relation with his older brother Cadmon, even following in his footsteps with acceptance for schooling at Corbulo Academy. Thomas and his brother Cadmon, both seeming to be avid chess players, maintained an ongoing game through video messages while the two were at Corbulo and on Jericho VII, respectively.

Lasky with Chyler Silva before the Covenant invasion.

The hawkish Walter Vickers aggressively despised Lasky, lashing out at him with verbal abuse and eventually resorting to public physical altercations. Junjie Chen, a Terran, blamed his failing scores in combat exercises on the incompetence of his classmate. Her parents both being very high ranking officers from Reach, Dimah Tchakova expressed her disdain for Lasky because of his pacifism and beliefs on the war. He was not without more tolerant contemporaries however. Michael Sullivan found common ground with Lasky, generally not caring for Lasky's reputation as he harbored no ill feelings towards the Insurrectionists and lacked any blind ambition within the UNSC. April Orenski, a senior cadet in the class of 2526, was Lasky's squad leader whom he seemingly viewed as an antagonistic figure. She led her subordinates with an austere style and instilled responsibility through reasonably harsh discipline; Orenski repeatedly shot Lasky at point blank range with training rounds for ignoring orders and made him give her his meal following a squad-wide punishment for their failures in quick response drills. Lasky was granted responsibility of leading Hastati upon request and though appearing to be reserved for a brief moment about his ability, she warmed up to the situation knowing that it would strengthen him. After he led Hastati Squad to victory in its last exercise of the 2526 term, his relationships with his classmates became much less strained.^[24]

Lasky ultimately found support at Corbulo in Chyler Silva, a colonist accustomed to the horrors of the war, attempting to influence her friend in becoming a successful cadet at the academy. This support and friendship eventually turned into romance.^[7] Lasky was devastated by her death in the Battle of Circinius IV, and kept her dog tags for over thirty years afterwards.^[9]

Academy professor Colonel K. L. Mehaffey, who had previously served under his mother, began to distantly mentor Lasky, motivating him relentlessly in becoming a successful soldier. Whilst he earned positive reinforcement by superior officers such as Mehaffey and Orenski, headmaster General Black held a mild bitterness towards the young Lasky. Black often singled him out and invariably used the example of his older brother, the well regarded Cadmon, to force Thomas to exceed his benchmarks set at Corbulo Academy.

Production notes

Lasky is the main protagonist of Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn and is mainly portrayed by Australian actor Tom Green; stuntman Anthony Moyer served as Green's double. Canadian actor Ty Olsson appears as the older Thomas Lasky in the contemporary scenes aboard Infinity;^[25] Olsson also served as the basis for Lasky's motion-capture animation in Halo 4's campaign and Spartan Ops modes.^[26] Darren O'Hare voices Lasky in the campaign and Spartan Ops; his voice was dubbed over Olsson's during the contemporary scenes in Forward Unto Dawn.^[25] Lasky's birthmarks are consistently represented on all four portrayals of the character, but his contemporary hairstyle differs between Olsson's portrayal in Forward Unto Dawn and his in-game incarnation; while Olsson wears a short military cut similar to Green as young Lasky, the character has noticeably longer hair in-game. Lasky's in-game and Spartan Ops models are based on Jonathan Aube, who bears a clear resemblance to Green, albeit aged three decades; Olsson's facial structure is noticeably different from the other portrayals.

Gallery

A portrait of a young Lasky as a cadet at Corbulo Academy.
Cadet Lasky wearing his CAMS training coveralls on his cryo-suit.
Cadet Lasky in Corbulo Academy training gear.
Cadet Lasky wielding an MA5D assault rifle.
Lasky attacks Walter Vickers in Corbulo's mess hall.
Commander Lasky reviewing Cortana's distress signal.
Full-body portrait of Commander Lasky.
CDR Lasky conversing with John-117 aboard Infinity.
A Marine, John-117, Palmer, and Lasky converse.
Lasky and John-117 converse aboard Infinity after the Didact's attack.
Captain Lasky overseeing Infinity's second expedition to Requiem.
Captain Lasky escorted by UNSC Marines.
Captain Lasky carrying an M45D Tactical Shotgun.
Lasky and Osman (on screen) - 2.jpg

Captain Lasky contacting Admiral Serin Osman, CINCONI.
Concept art of Thomas Lasky in his duty uniform in Halo 4.