Merlin-D032

Merlin-D032, born Merlin Ljang-Boyd, is a Delta Company commando, on-and-off lover of fellow Spartan Andra-D054, and owner of the starship Ambrose's Refuge.
Described as a mid-level performer compared to Spartans of similar capability, his personnel file appears unremarkable but noted his great capacity for empathy and a tendency towards injury and accidents. He specialized in intelligence/support roles as the scout and spotter for former Ferret Team Boson. Merlin focused on rounding out his skillset after Boson's dissolution, becoming a general capabilities Spartan operator.
As the orphaned son of government contractors, Merlin grew up in a sheltered home, later government orphanage, and missed the many horrors of the Covenant War. He graduated from Spartan training with average scores before being fashioned as a . Stationed on Earth in support of Internal Investigations Unit 419, he participated in several high-profile missions in North and South America. Following desertion of his Boson teammates, he and Andra-D054 joined the assassination unit, VIOLET-III during the border war with the Imperium of Clarity and Operation: RUNIT DOME.
Stranded at the start of the , Merlin found himself caught up in the Oyster Point Bug War and the race to capture the Silent Garden. Disturbed by his experience with technologies, Merlin took some respite at the before joining Fireteam Stallion.
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==Career Service Vitae==
{| class="unsccv" style="padding:0px; border-radius: 0 0.5em 0 0.5em;"		
;Merlin-D032 
;Petty Officer Third Class
NAME: Ljang-Boyd, Merlin
SPARTAN #: D032
----
UNIT: VIOLET-III - Team Boson
ROLE: Intelligence/Support
ENLISTMENT DATE: ██████████
LOCATION: ██████████
----
GENDER: Male
BIRTHPLACE: Ballast
BIRTH DATE: 23 October ████
BLOOD TYPE: A POS
HEIGHT: 193 centimeters, 6 ft 4 in 
WEIGHT: 106 kilograms, 234 lb 
;Assessment
A war orphan from Ballast, Merlin Ljang-Boyd or "Merlin-D032" is a SPARTAN-III graduate of Delta Company and former member of defunct Team Boson. His parents were ONI contractors killed in separate wartime incidents; their deaths folded him into the ONI post-mortem care via lottery that also allowed his easy acquisition into the post-Onyx SPARTAN-III program. His performance and character fail to standout among peers and for observers, however, general opinions suggest him to be of a likeable personality and reliable enough as a deputy in a small Spartan team. His fraternization with Andra-D054 aside, he seems an individual just in need of the right motivation. Accident-prone to a notable degree.
:Further file addendum suspended due to CREATED activity.~
;Service History
*SPARTAN-III Delta Company
**Marcus-D005 Accident
**VIOLET-III reassessment
*Internal InvestigationsUnit 419
**Operation: YOSEMITE
**New Phoenix security operations
**Operation: UNDESIRABLES
**Operation: BROOD PARASITE
**Eternal Flame Hijacking Incident
*Imperium of Clarity border conflict
**Battle of Montak
**Battle of Bineb II
**Incursion on Soul Ascension
**Invasion of Iradu
*Created Uprising
**Operation: RUNIT DOME
**Oyster Point Bug War
**Silent Garden Race
**Battle of Franconia
**Task Force Phoenix reassignment
**Battle of Gilboan Citadel
**Avery Johnson Military Academy
===Earned Ranks ===
Insignia	Rank 	Date	Circumstance
 	Petty Officer Third Class(E-4)	2557	SPARTAN-III Delta Company graduation.
 	Ensign (O-1) 	2560	De facto field-commission validated without OCS process.
===Short Biography===
===Parental Backgrounds===
====Rebecka Boyd====
Rebecka Boyd: A Russo-Alaskan immigrant to Ballast born in the 2507, Rebecka moved out to the colonies in pursuit of more exciting career prospects after graduating from the St. Petersburg University of Humanities and Social Sciences with graduate degrees in Information Warfare and Public Policy. She joined the Office of Naval Intelligence, Section II in 2529 as a public relations analyst specializing in counter-Insurrectionist messaging but transitioned into general public relations as an AI-enabled wartime propagandist.
Rebecka married Cedric Ljang, a Ballast native in 2543, after a fruitful but distant workplace relationship. Rebecka gave birth to her only son, Merlin Ljang-Boyd in 2545 but was rarely home to raise him. She moved to Paris IV to be closer to the frontlines and job requirements for war perceptions analysis and public engagement. While working on projects alongside Doctor Reyna Zhou-Romero, her facility was attacked in the Covenant invasion of Paris IV in 2549. She died trying to escape an Elite incursion team through an evacuation tunnel.
She left a few choice words with Dr. Romero, asking her fellow co-worker to look after her orphaned son. Her final request potentially spurned on Merlin's eventual Spartanhood.
====Cedric Ljang====
Cedrick Ljang: A Ballast native from a generational family of fishermen and fish farmers tracing their lineage back to Han-Mongol expats in Eastern Africa. Cedrick was born in late 2503, spending his youth close to the sea. Rather than continue as part of the family business he pursued a adventurous future in the stars, becoming a UNSC Marine and later a infantry officer through the Reach Naval Officers Academy. 
Rarely staying in one place and rarely home on Ballast, he found enjoyment as a war tourist, taking volunteer postings close to the front in the final years of the Insurrection. The lack of predictability with the onset Covenant invasion in 2525 and after made him take a hard look at his career path as he felt a great fear of dying during naval transits. He transitioned into the private sector as part of ONI Security in 2530, starting work on ONI ground facilities before finding a place in shipboard security for the ONI Prowler Corps.
By 2535, he served on ONI prowlers as head of security. While no fault of his own, the Covenant Navy's fleet developed poaching capabilities against ONI prowlers and by late-Covenant war could detect stealth vessels even under the best of cloaked conditions. During the Covenant's second invasion of Arcadia, Cedrick and the crew of the UNSC Black Widow were atomized by a plasma torpedo. He was declared deceased on September 10, 2549.
==Gallery==
==Character Traits==
===Personality===
===Physical Description===
Merlin is a youthful-looking Spartan of below-average stature capable of blending in with the normal human population, his estimated growth spurt cutting off a half-foot beneath Spartan-IVs. His physicality can be a positive or negative attribute depending on circumstances but is likely a consequence of his genetics and response to Project CRYSANTHEMUM cocktails, or possibly inconsistent use of growth hormones during early Spartan-III training. His height along with most of Team Boson benefitted during undercover operations on Earth and again for Merlin while hiding among the ranks of BDS during the Oyster Point Bug War.
Physically, Merlin has an unassuming appearance with intermingled genetic traits from both east and west Eurasia. With black hair and brown eyes, he rarely stands out. His hair often borders on breaking grooming regulations, appearing like a bedhead or short mop due to lack of maintenance. However, Merlin is capable of cleaning up and avoids growing out his short stubble. He has a somewhat babyish facial complexion much like other new Spartans though many Delta Company graduates were given growth hormones following recruitment.
His most striking feature are the many recent, healing scars left from accidents and combat but reinforce his accident-prone reputation. His friends on occasion also reference his larger ears after a comment from Shima-D011 said they would "bring him good fortune." Merlin also has a basic athletic build lacking talent for any particular sports or athletic feats. He underperformed among his fellow Spartans pre- and post-augmentation but could hold his own.
Even in Mjolnir power armor, his speed as a supersoldier is often outmatched by underdog opponents like Simon-G294, a shorter and older SPARTAN-III known for using poorly-maintained SPI armor. Merlin favored Mark V-Bravo Mjolnir armor after his graduation, even after access to GEN2 and GEN3 iterations though he worked within the technological advancements of the times.
===Equipment===
DT_Merlin_Interceptor_Mjolnir.png|Merlin-D032's peacetime GEN2 Mjolnir power armor equipped with the Interceptor-class body and Secrets-class VISR.
DT Merlin-D032 Enterprise.png|Merlin-D032's BDS GEN2 Mjolnir Buccaneer [E] armor, used in Halo: Lonely Frontier and Halo: Heaven and Earth.
DT Merlin VK78 Goggles.png|Merlin-D032's legacy Mark V [B] Mjolnir power armor after returning to the UNSC in 2560.
===Personal Effects===
*"Classical Adventure Novels: Brought up under safe conditions compared to most Spartan trainees, Merlin obsessed over reading fiction and adventuring. Becoming a Spartan and everything following was his adventure, but he always made room for reading. His trunk often contained print novels raided from starship libraries and planet side book sales.
*"Derived Katar": A Sangheili-style push dagger Merlin acquired during his visit to Rio de Janeiro's Low Benefaction camp. At first considered a collectible, he kept the weapon on his person even in the field and progressively saw greater use after greater exposure to alien cultures on the frontier.
*"Master Chief Action Figurine": A child at heart, Merlin and his friends in Team Boson acquired children's products during their stay in New Phoenix in an attempt to somewhat reclaim their lost childhoods. He kept a Master Chief figurine as a desk display, remembering and continuing to worship the mythological propaganda of Spartans despite being one.
*"Pax River Poster": Merlin's time at the Patuxent River Military Academy taught him to appreciate and contextualize his life as a Spartan compared to regular military and civilians. The school left a lasting impression, offering him a chance to enjoy himself in a military environment he lacked through Spartan training. He added a school poster to his personal effects, remembering fonder times when Team Boson was mostly innocent and whole.
*"Photographs": Laminated copies of Merlin's favorite images. One of Team Boson during post-augmentation, long-range reconnaissance patrol-training. Another team photo in Rio de Janeiro during an undercover operation months before the Spartan team disbanded.
*"St. Petersburg Collegiate Ring": The St. Petersburg University graduation ring of Rebecka Boyd, Merlin's mother. Lacking any distinct stones, the interior of the ring is styled coincidentally like a Halo ring. A particular memento Merlin kept safe after his mother's death and took with him everywhere. Buried in his late mother's garden, hidden in a grove of trees near Camp Ambrose, worn beneath his armor and through cryostasis, and strapped to his trunk while on voyage. It was among the only personal items he managed to keep from his trunk after his final stay aboard the UNSC Infinity.
===Nicknames and Callsigns===
*"Bozo-Two": A twist on his role as deputy of Spartan Team Boson, so-called Boson-2. SPARTAN-III Delta Company referred to Boson as "Bozos" as part of their unique in-culture.
*"Dee-Thirty-Two": Merlin's Spartan tag generated a dozen short-hand nicknames over the course of his career. Also fit for use with some UNSC three-letter designations (D32).
*"MRLN/D032": Merlin's TEAMCOM four-letter designation.
*"Lucky/Lucky Charm: Merlin's Create-era nickname among Spartan-IVs at the Avery Johnson Military Academy and after due to his seemingly odd ability to cause and attract trouble but escape with only minor damage to himself.
*"Merlin Patel": Merlin's cover name while in brief attendance at the Patuxent River Military Academy. Masquerading as a senior year cadet, he helped probe a potential Insurrectionist plot and revealed a promising, former Delta Company non-recruit.
*"Orphan 1-5": Team Boson's radio designation during their stay in New Phoenix and supporting Internal Investigations Unit 419. Assigned by an ill-meaning UNSC Army colonel aware of Team Boson's true nature. It became a unappreciated inside joke for Unit 419 towards Team Boson.
*"Pisshead": A uncontextualized Spartan-IV nickname given to Merlin based on his Delta Company compatriots referring to him as "Showerhead."
*"Showerhead": Following a series of pranks and mishaps involving the Camp Ambrose plumbing system, members of Team Anion assigned Merlin a nickname analogous with "idiot." Showerhead was later adopted by the rest of SPARTAN-III Delta Company.
===Quotes===
==Relationships==
===Family Figures===
*Cedric Ljang:
*Rebecka Boyd:
*Reyna Zhou-Romero:
===Team Boson===
*Daniele-D003:
*Andra-D054:
*Roxanne-D107:
*Zach-D111:
*Shizuko-D081:
===Commanding Officers===
*Jefferson Korn:
*Kyser Duceppe:
*Markko Kallas:
*Derek Frendsen:
*Ryder Kedar:
===Delta Company===
*Team Anion:
*Team Entropy:
===Other Spartans===
*Callum-B042:
*Cassandra-G006:
*Joshua-G024:
*Amy-G094:
*Simon-G294:
===Artificial Life===
*Althea:
*:
==See Also==
===Notable Links===
*Andra-D054
*Althea
*Callum-B042
*Team Boson
*Delta Company
===Literary Appearances===
*DT 2020: Christmas In A Graveyard 
*RP: Imperium 
**Counting Tiles 
*Halo: Lonely Frontier 
*Halo: Heaven and Earth 
**Halo: Heaven and Earth/Book One: New Heaven 
**Halo: Heaven and Earth/Book Two: New Earth 
**Halo: Heaven and Earth/Book Three: Heaven and Earth 
**Heaven and Earth Interlude: To The Mat 
**Heaven and Earth Interlude: His Name Was Lieutenant 
*Laconian Crossroads 
**DT 2021: Academy Days of Change 
*Happy Safari 
*Survival of the Fittest: Season Seven 
Category:SPARTAN
Category:Delta Company
Category:SPARTAN-IIIs
Category:Males