Marcus Locke

Marcus Frederick Locke (: 56722-29811-ML)  was a  in the during the Insurrection and . He was the second captain of the UNSC Alexander where he replaced Wolfgang Franklin after the latter turned traitor and joined the Insurrection.
He was also the field mentor to James T. Avery who founded and led the Alpha-Zulu Corps. Locke and his ship were killed during the Battle ofEarth on October 24, 2552 while defending the colony from a massive Covenant invasion. 
== Early Years ==
Marcus Locke was born on the inner colony world of Langton within the small city Johannesburg. Growing up, Marcus was constantly one to provide for his family being the oldest of 7 and the son of a widower. Marcus took on a series of odd jobs mainly from retail to waiting tables even to underaged police work which earned him little pay, but it was still enough for his family. 
When Marcus turned 18 he quickly enlisted with the UNSC Navy in order to earn a higher pay for his family. 
== Insurrection ==
After Locke finished his basic training he was sent to the UNSC Aggressor for his first assignment. While on deployment, Locke was able to stubble upon a small group of crewmen who were speaking of a mutiny against the entire ship. One of the Insurgents spotted Locke, and thinking on pure instincts, Locke convinced the group he agreed with them and wanted to help. 
When the mutiny began the bridge was captured and some hostages being taken. As the mutineers were explaining their demands, Locke held up the Insurgent leader at gunpoint, placing his magnum at the back on his neck. Locke reviled himself to be loyal to the UNSC and asked if the captain and bridge crew were alright after taking the Insurgents captive. As a result, Locke earn the position of a bridge crewmen onboard the Aggressor and the captain made a note to Admiral Maria Katsenberg of Locke's heroism and actions. 
Locke was reassigned to be apart of the recently finished ship, the UNSC Alexander as a navigations and communications officer. Locke was then introduced to Wolfgang Franklin and the two began their work as part of the 51st Fleet. Once the ship was commissioned, the entered slip-space with the rest of the fleet and set a course for the colony world, Mykeyo. 
=== Mission to Mykeyo ===
After a week in slip-space, the 51st Fleet arrived at the colony world, Mykeyo. The Alexander was tasked with linking with two other ships to investigate a local disturbance nearby one of Mykeyo's four moons. The the three ships arrived they were ambushed by an Insurrections destroyer which was able to throw one of the frigates off guard and destroyed. Franklin and his crew used rotary guns and several archer pod missiles to combat the destroyer. However, another Insurrectionist ship came to the location and a warning beacon was dropped by the Alexander. After the beacon was dropped, the ship was then boarded and attacked by Insurgents. 
Franklin and his local troops prepared for combat. As the ship was boarded, reinforcements from the 51st arrived. However, the Insurgents were able to swiftly break into the bridge and attacked the local crew and officers. Though a small firefight broke out, the Insurgents proved to be equal match for the UNSC. ODST forces moved to the bridge location but were stopped by the captain and killed by Insurgents. Wolfgang then reviled himself to be an Insurrectionist along with several others onboard the ship. Their task was to get the ship to conduct an attack on the 51st Fleet. 
Upon hearing this, Locke and several other bridge crew members opened fire at all Insurrectionist and swiftly began to kill the remaining Insurgents. Locke contacted Katsenberg and informed her of the attack. Marcus then continued to lead the bridge crew and chased the Insurgents back to their destroyer. 
However, before Franklin was able to board his new ship, he was cut off by Katsenberg and a squad of soldiers arresting the local Insurgents and stopping them in their path and protected the entire 51st Fleet.
=== Promotion ===
After the Insurrection crew and Franklin were arrested or killed, both Katsenberg and the UNSC Navy High Command agreed to reform and remake the crew of the Alexander. Katsenberg informed High Command about Locke's courage and leadership and thus, he was promoted to Captain of the Alexander. Along with his promotion, Locke also received a new crew and new hands to combat forces opposing the UEG and UNSC.
== Human-Covenant War ==
During a regular patrol in 2525 around Neptune, Locke was ordered to return to Titan to regroup with the 51st Fleet and receive new orders and recruits. When Locke asked about the assignment, he and his fleet learned about the Covenant and were quickly deployed to Harvest.
==== Harvest Campaign ====
In 2531, the UNSC Alexander attacked the Covenant fleet orbiting Harvest. As the ship attacked, their navigational lieutenant, Hardy, was knockout and thus acting on pure instinct, James T. Avery took up Hardy's position and navigated the ship's way through a Covenant barrage of fire. As James flew the ship, the weapons officers opened fire and destroyed the majority of ships surrounding the planet, causing the Covenant to retreat.
Afterwards, James was then optioned a promotion for his acts which he declined stating "I didn't do anything but my duty. If that is why I get promoted then we all should be admirals". Returning to Earth, both Captain Locke and Vice Admiral Cole agreed and James was ordered to take the promotion as Locke needed another lieutenant and advisor.
=== Battle of Lotus ===
On June 2nd, 2531, Locke, Avery and the Alexander crew arrived to reinforce the local defenses of Lotus against the Covenant. Avery and Locke had orders to send troops to both the orbital defense platform and local forces on the planet. However, James denied the order and sent troops directly to the planet's surface, not due to rash behavior but rather that he realized the Covenant were about to break through into the line. 
Locke concurred and the Alexander's main force went to the planet were they were engaged by Covenant forces minutes after they landed and caught them off guard. Avery then had the Alexander use its main port guns to the city of the deployment. Locke had the city evacuated and just as a corvette flew underneath, Avery let fire and the corvette was gunned down and crashed into the city below. James then turned the ship to an incoming strike force and engaged them via MAC rounds and fighters he had placed on the station months ago. 
Locke then had a frigate the UNSC Defender's Crest deployed and placed Avery in its command. With his own ship, Avery moved it towards a clearing the planet's defenses and had all guns prepare to fire. Within minutes a Covenant convoy came through with the Crest gunning them down and destroyed the resources needed. The Alexander's main attack force was also able to make a cruiser retreat to the outer atmosphere with Avery giving chase. Just before the cruiser was able to make it to slip-space, Avery personally piloted a Longsword and placed a tracker on the ship's hull. 
Avery had recommended to Locke that the ship be tracked, but Avery was placed on leave for disobeying orders and was ordered to return to Mars and await future deployment.
=== Battle of Sigmus-6 ===
In July 2532, Locke and his ship were deployed to Sigmus-6 to assist in evacuation efforts while other UNSC ships held the Covenant at bay. However, as the evacuation went under way, Locke noticed Covenant breakthrough in the UNSC line and saw an incoming cruiser towards his area. Locke had ordered the commander of the UNSC Rockefeller to join him on charging the cruiser. 
The two frigates were instantly fired upon by the incoming Covenant ship, resulting in heavy fire being taken. Locke deployed his Longswords and remaining two pelicans to further combat the Covenant.
Both ships fired their MAC cannons together and released all possible archer pod missiles to eliminate the Covenant's shields. Once the shields were weakened, Longswords were able to lead off the main firing allowing the two frigates to attack the cruiser. However, another cruiser came from slip-space and rammed through the Rockefeller, destroying it. Locke and his new A.I, Sienna were able to escape the wreckage of both ships and regrouped with a UNSC force. 
While waiting, the remaining ships of the 51 Fleet emerged and assisted Locke and the last defending ships in combat agains the fleet. While firing at the current fleet, Sienna picked up Covenant corvette entering the surface below. Locke informed Katsenberg who ordered him to track and stop the ship. The Alexander moved to track the ship and noticed it was deploying troops. Locke did the same to combat ground forces while he had the rotary guns and nukes primed and ready to attack the Covenant ships. 
While his ground forces were struggling to achieve victory, Locke released one of his nukes at a local Covenant staging area equipped with AA guns. While the Alexander suffered heavy damage, ground forces were able to make their way to the area and cut the Covenant off. However, despite this achievement, Covenant forces were able to punch through the UNSC lines and entered the planet and began to glass it. Locke, realizing that the situation was hopeless and thus, left the planet alerting the UNSC that the planet fell. 
=== Battle of Himita ===
Deployed with Battlegroup 9, Locke was rejoined by Avery and sent to deployed but was under constant close watch as the ship was deployed to engage a small Covenant fleet. However, Avery was deployed on the front lines and led a ground assault towards a Covenant stronghold. Avery and his team would easily overtake the stronghold's defenses with the cover provided by the ships and slipped inside to secure the area. Once inside, Avery copied, and destroyed Covenant data and reported directly to Locke without question. 
However, Avery's team was boxed in by Covenant and just before he was killed, Orange Team was able to save his life. This was Avery's first hand at seeing the Spartan's courage. Meeting Aidan-007, Avery was given command and the group took to the skies after steeling a Covenant phantom and spirits and began to eliminate outside guns of opposing Covenant ground stations and even on a few ships. However, due to overwhelming Covenant forces, all UNSC personnel were ordered to full back. 
==== Operation: ONE, TWO PUNCH ====
For his loyalty and courage, James was given his position on the bridge again in which he and Locke led Battlegroup 6 to attack New Boston in Operation: ONE, TWO PUNCH. Avery once again proved his tactical prowess over the Covenant by outmaneuvering several of their fighters and even some plasma torpedoes. Eventually, Battlegroup 6 was able to recapture New Boston, just as another fleet came in and Aidan ordered a full retreat. Locke and Avery made the decision for the crew to leave the system and thus, the UNSC lost Himita. 
=== Battle at Hiro Topa ===
In early 2541, James was then given the title of Commander and first officer of the Alexander. The ship was stationed at the research station Hiro Topa near the Bellator Asteroid Field. Scouts located a Covenant convoy and assault fleet inbound on the station. Locke gave Avery command of the Alexander while he advise from the rear. 
Avery and the Alexander went into the astroid field and was approached by a few Covenant scouts which the crew was easily able to eliminate. While inside the field, Avery was able to locate the Covenant fleet and used the asteroids for cover. The asteroids gave the ship enough cover to slip behind the fleet and fired at the engines rendering all the ships immobile. Afterwards, Avery deployed fighters to mop up the rest of the Covenant incoming attack while he fire the MAC gun directly towards the main reactor core of one of the cruisers he had stropped. However, James instead hit the slip-space drive and teleported almost the entire fleet into oblivion. 
After the drive teleported the ships, Avery gunned it toward the main carrier and fired everything left directly into the fuel chambers and engines thus having the ship heavily damaged with the station finishing it off. This earned James the rank of Captain and his own ship to govern over.
=== Battle of Earth ===
Little is known about the Alexander's involvement within the Battle of Earth. The ship was known to have deployed Orange Team into New Mombasa in order to combat against Covenant forces. While the ship was moving through the area, they came under fire from Covenant AA guns defending several Covenant LZ's. With Spartan assistance, the Alexander was able to punch through and bombard stationed Covenant forces. 
Later on, the Alexander and Guardrail would be reassigned with Orange and Purple Team to defend London from invading Covenant forces. While in the defense, the Guardrail was captured and hijacked by brutes and crashed into the Alexander, sending it into the ground as a ball of fire, killing everyone.
== Psych-Interviews ==
=== Personality ===
Marcus Locke was usually described as someone who valued hard work, and intelligence above anything else in life. He was known as an adventure by his mother and quiet the opportunist, usually taking on any job he thought could benefit himself and his family. He was also one to care for those close to him, mainly his family as his entire military career was based on keeping them stable and in good care until his siblings could go to work for his dying mother. 
His opportunistic nature would lead Marcus to take on chances and work harder and smarter at those jobs into order to provide, giving Marcus a "Jack of all trades" gift. His odd jobs allowed him to have skills in map reading, investigation, strategy, patience, time management, gabbling, hand-to-hand and a good aim. This paired with his military training allowed Marcus to become a serous threat on the battlefield. 
Locke was also one to be compassionate about people around him, especially when he became a captain. Unlike many other commanders, Locke would walk the halls and begin random conversations with crew members and soldiers in order to have a personal connection to everyone under his command. Because of this, it built up a closer trust between commander and soldier.
=== Physical Appearance ===
Marcus Locke was a tall man who has clearly physically aged throughout the years. In his youth, he had black hair and a fairly large beard with blue eyes. Since the 2540's his hair has now grayed and his large beard is gone, replaced with a few simple whiskers scatter along his face. He also has a large scar from his bottom right eye down to his upper lip. 
He supports a strong build and has remained in a healthy state despite his aging body and constant stress of command. He wears a modified war uniform that is blue and black rather than white and gray. He has several medals and pins along his uniform and two large epaulettes on both his shoulders. He wears a pair of navy blue dress pants with a personal hostler on his right thigh. He wears a pair of black dress shoes to complete his attire. 
=== Relationships ===
==== Unnamed Family Members ====
Though his family life is relatively unknown, Marcus appears devoted to his family as his own reasoning behind joining the navy was to provide for them.
==== Wolfgang Franklin ====
Marcus' original CO, Locke originally held Franklin in high regards but was stopped when he learned of Wolfgang's betrayal of the UNSC. 
==== James T. Avery ====
Being James' first CO, Marcus Locke was a friend of James' and held high respect for each. The two were known as some of the greatest naval commanders in the early and late years of the war. Marcus held James' family at high regards as well and respected each of them. In return, James trusted Locke until his death and the two continued their friendship until James' death.
== Quotes ==
== Confirmed Kills ==
Least to Greatest
Humans: 25
Grunts: 44
Jackals: 62
Elites: 113
Total: 244 Total KillsCategory:BEN THE BESTverse