Specter Battalion

''This article is about Specter Battalion. For the small, 8-12 man squad, see Specter Squadron.''

The creation of Specter Battalion was merely an appointment of five soldiers to work in special operations missions. It began as an elite anti-rebellion unit to be used in the Outer Colonies. The discovery of enemies like the Covenant and the Flood suddenly changed venues for this unit. An increase in missions also meant a the growth of a squad into a battalion.

= History =

A Sergeant Jeremy Cooper, only 29 or so, was given the opportunity to select several Marines due to his apparent leadership on the battlefield. His unusually high standards greatly narrowed the selection, and each of the five "generations" of the small squad were been hand-picked. The unit was initially named Specter Squadron. Cooper jokingly said that the Specters seemed to swoop down on their enemies with sudden and precise strokes, as "squadrons" are in fact aerial or cavalry units. The error was never correct and has stuck with the Specters ever since.

The Specters used distinct stealth techniques. Jeremy Cooper's own assenting nature in close quarters combat was transferred to the Specters.

One distinct mission of the squad involved the Outer Colony Victoria. Rebels held military camps, and the Specters were given the task of infiltration. The mission was a remarkable success, but the mystery surrounding the colony meant that no one would ever know of the incident for years.

As the missions grew more intense and complex, there became need for more Marines. Disliking a large squad to command, Cooper requested that he extend the Specter program. His request granted, Jeremy drafted Marines and trained them to be Specter Marines. The squad slowly grew into a platoon. Now a lieutenant, Jeremy was able to run a more effective group of well-trained Marines.

Initially, Specter Squadron was under direct control of the UNSC. Cooper regularly gave the impression that the squad was independent of any one controller. The Specters were given missions by both the UNSC and ONI, making the squad a joint special operations unit. It was unusual for ONI to be so fond of a UNSC unit, but the silent assassinations and stealth seemed to somehow appeal to the shady NavSpecWar officials.

Battle of Reach
By around 2550, the Specters had grown to around 150 Specters, including both men and women as pilots, officers, Marines, and other miscellaneous occupations in the Specter hierarchy.

WIP
This article is a Work In Progress and is being updated by Scypher.