Maxwell Drake

Maxwell Patrick "Max" Drake (: 32245-19517-MD) was a  in the  in the  during the . He was the leader of the Alpha-2 unit and severed alongside several fellow ODSTs. He was killed during the Battle of Draymen in 2550 by being stabbed in the heart by an elite. 
== Early Years ==
Maxwell Drake was born in ,  on September 14, 2503 during the height of the Insurrection. He was influenced by propaganda against the insurgence that he decided it best to enlist within the UNSC marine corps to save his planet and her colonies. 
== Insurrection ==
=== Mission to Draymen ===
Deployed to the colony of Draymen, Drake was sent with a small squad to investigate the disappearance of a comm tower transmission.  The team landed and moved through the territory outside the town of Tyrant to the comm station.  Once the team finally arrived at the station, they were attacked by Insurrectionist.  
The team cleared the main gateway and Drake led the charge inside the station.  While most insurgents survived the brief attack, many were injured and too wounded to move.  As such, while three members of the team tended to the wounded, Drake and two more would continue through to get the communication building back under UNSC control.  
The trio would enter the main control center and take command after killing or wounding some of the Insurgents.  Afterwards, Drake was attack by an Insurgent and stabbed in the bicep.  Drake threw the insurgent over his shoulder and the two enter a heated fist fight.  Drake was almost killed but was saved by his fellow sqaudmates who shot the insurgent.  The Insurgent was killed and Drake was patched up and extracted with the rest of his team.  
== Human-Covenant War ==
Drake was promoted to Sergeant Major at the start of the Human-Covenant War and placed on a squad known as Alpha-2 under the command of Captain Kim and with Richard Bradley.  
=== Battle of New Sweden ===
Deployed to the colony world of New Sweden, the squad was sent in to assist with civilian evacuations from New Gothenburg. The three dropped into combat and began to escort civilians towards a SinoViet tower for an evac crew to pick them up. While moving through, the team encountered several Covenant patrols and armament stationed, mainly wraiths and some ghosts. After pushing through the Covenant lines, the escorted civilians were able to escape while the ODSTs held the area.
Once reinforcements arrived, the three were tasked with defending an evac center from Covenant ground forces. While the evacuation went under way, and ships were able to escape, the front lines seemed trivial. However, as the last few evac shuttles took off, Covenant corvettes fired upon them, forcing the last ships to crash. One was close enough for Rick to run to and try to help, but due to the weight, the ship sunk into the water, bringing all who couldn't escape.
Drake and the rest of Alpha-2 were sent into the city to regain control of a defense bunker. Moving across the shores, the team reached the bunker and joined local UNSC attacking forces. The team was able to break through and reestablish the AA guns located there and brought down the floating ships.
Later, the team was confirmed to be in Gotland, New Sweden to join in an attack force located their against a Covenant spire. The operation was later confirmed to have failed due to overwhelming Covenant forces. The planet was later loss to the Covenant and all remaining UNSC personnel evacuated.
=== Family Man ===
In 2528, Drake got married to a woman named Eileen and in 2530, had his first child with her.  They named their son, Christopher.  Max was also given a promotion to a 2nd Lieutenant and was placed as Kim’s number-two on Alpha-2.  Max was eventually redeployed to the war in late 2530, a few months after Chris was born.
=== Battle of New Rustenburg ===
Alpha-2 was sent to the colony of New Rustenburg to halt a Covenant invasion.  The squad was joined by two new ODSTs due to the reassignment of Bradley.  The team landed in the city of Bojanala to clear out a Covenant drone hive and secure an ONI building located there.  Upon landing at the ONI building, the team got to work and began to clear out the local Covenant forces.  
After receiving some help from local army and navy forces, the teams were successful in pushing back the Covenant in the area.  Drake was given a small squad of army soldiers and ordered to secure the surrounding blocks to get a total fix on the area.  Drake and his team rode in a scorpion and were able to recapture a small square and destroy a phantom passing over.  
After around two blocks were secured by Drake and his team, additional army and marine troops landed in the area for support.  Drake was recalled back to the ONI building to secure the interior and to assist in destroying the drone hive located under the base.  
Going into the tunnels beneath the city, Alpha-2 found a large drone hive.  Both Drake and Kim agreed on planting explosives to destroy the hive quickly and thus the unit moved silently through the caves and planted bombs everywhere.  However, a patrol squad led by an Elite Ultra found the team and awoke the hive.  The team fought off the drones, grunts, jackals and the two elite minors attacking them.  Due to the large force, there was no choice and the bombs were detonated, destroying a great deal of the caves.  
However, the patrol squads were still active and Kim ordered a retreat while the explosives were still going off.  Drake and his squad mates got onto the elevator and began to go up.  Before Kim made it to the elevator, he was stabbed by the ultra and died.  Thankfully, Drake was able to detonate the final few explosives and killed the last few members of the Covenant.  
==== Battle of Bojanala ====
After clearing out the drone hive underground, the UNSC returned their efforts to the city's streets. Drake was given command of Alpha-2 and ordered to assist on Nelson Street. Upon reaching the front, Drake could see the carnage unfold as the UNSC was being decimated. While Cpl. Noah and two other members of the squad assisted ground forces, Drake and Sergeant Major Fhajad snuck through some buildings and were able to slip past enemy lines. 
The two ODSTs opened fire and began to attack the Covenant from above, killing at least a squadron before they were discovered. While Fhajad kept firing, Drake covered the two from elites and grunts sent to kill them. Drake sent coordinates to the rest of his squad and told them where to go to assist. Within a few moments, Alpha-2 was reunited and the team continued to beat down on the Covenant forces below. 
However, the Covenant deployed a wraith to the battle and was able to pin the squad down due to sheer fire power. As such, the team had to retreat to keep the Covenant at bay and returned to the ground. As the fighting continued, Noah was shot and wounded, resulting in Drake constant covering him until some of the team could escort him to safety. As Drake, Fhajad and two others defended off the street, additional UNSC forces arrived and were able to escort Noah to safety and to UNSC command. Drake and his team kept fighting off the Covenant which were still raining down upon them. 
A demolitions squad soon arrived and had a fresh supply of rockets. Drake took one and fired at the now two wraiths and destroyed them both. The UNSC was able to push ahead and recapture the street and link with a large UNSC charge. The entire line formed at Rally Point Foxtrot and began to coordinate bombings and other attacks. 
Drake and his team lead a demolition run into the Covenant's territory to attack an Covenant LZ. The team infiltrated a small nature preserve and began to attack. While going through the area, local wildlife (Female lions) joined in the attack and instinctively killed grunts. However, elites killed the animals which only benefitted Drake and his team as that caused a distraction in order to kill off the rest of the aliens. 
The team kept moving through the reserve and came across the LZ and opened fire. While the team faced some resistance, they were able to capture the site and move through the city. Naval forces arrived at the city within a day or so and were able to clear the city and get Alpha-2 off world. 
=== Battle of Elyisum ===
====Operation: Ground Pound ====
After the necessary data was collected and the military base secured by Alpha-4, the team along with several other UNSC squads and attack teams deployed into the city to retake it from the Covenant forces.  Alpha-4 was sent in along with Alpha-2 and Delta-1 to retake the local park and boardwalk along with it.  Rick, Sis and Pillar led a charge into the area with Delta-1 while Sam, Hugh and Zoe stayed with Alpha-2 to give covering fire.  
Afterwards, Drake along with Hugh and Zoe joined the charge and used several trees as cover while Sam and Alpha-2 slipped past the Covenant and boxed them in.  After the park was cleared, Rick and Hugh retook the boardwalk and set up an LZ for UNSC forces.  Once the area was cleared, the team moved through the city while the other ODST units were redeployed to the front lines.  Alpha-4 then proceeded to move through the rest of the sector in warthogs until being stopped by a Covenant roadblock.  While Rick, Sis, Sam and Hugh led a diversion while Pillar and Zoe took out the main defenses and destroyed the blockade.
Moving through the destroyed city, the team began to move into the Grandees Hotel and proceeded up the tower and killed several Covenant along the way.  The team then found other ODST units and civilians captured by Sangheili forces.  The team cleared the floor and rescued the group and proceeded onto the executive floor.  The team cleared the pad and floor and called in an evac crew.  Once the falcons came, Rick, Zoe and Pillar entered falcon 77-C with the rest of the team in falcon-78-C.  While the team escorted the pelican away from the building, additional UNSC units secured the tower.  The team got the pelican to the starport and returned to the city and gave Alpha-2 some needed air support. 
The squad continued onward until 78-C was shot down and crashed on a nearby rooftop.  While Rick and the pilot covered the down falcon, Zoe and Pillar tried to save their crashed teammates.  The two were able to get Sam and Sis out but Hugh was killed on impact and his injuries to server to let him move.  The team then cleared the roof and moved Sam and Sis to the building inside to give them medical care.   
Sam and Sis were given care and got right back into the fight after they saved Rick from an inbound elite.  The team then buried Hugh and proceeded through the city and linked with a squad of army soldiers clearing a strip mall.  Afterwards, the army troopers were picked by a pelican and Alpha-4 were as well picked up by a separate pelican and brought to High Comm.   
Drake and his team were extracted from the planet and redeployed else where.  
=== Battle of Kau Kawana ===
Deployed to the tropical colony of Kau Kawana, Alpha-2 was sent in to secure a UNSC ship from an Insurgence group. The team landed by the debris of the UNSC Florence and moved into the debris. While moving through the ship, Insurgents attacked the team and which they were quickly over ran. While Drake, Fhajad and another squad mate survived, Noah and another were killed by the Insurrectionist. 
Drake was able to retrieve the dog tags and the team retreated deeper into the ship's debris. The team found an old ODST station and were able to restock on weapons and ammunition. Once they were reenforced, the team went out and attacked the Insurgents and were able to clear out through knowledge of the ship's layout. Fhajad was able hack into Insurgent communications and learn the leader's location. 
Drake and the team moved towards the location and entered the bridge and opened fire. The leader was arrested and the team was able to be extracted along with the insurgent leader. 
=== Second Child ===
In 2545, Max got leave yet again and was able to reconnect with his wife and son. In the later month, Eileen got pregnant with a daughter, Cassandra. 
=== Battle of Draymen ===
Alpha-2 was sent to Draymen once again to halt a Covenant assault. Alpha-2 was dropped by pelican with Colonel Ford to rendezvous with Charlie Team. Drake caught word that Charlie had suffered heavy losses but were able to hold off the Covenant for some time thanks to Alexa Matthews and Gabriella Gordon. Though the two were congratulated for their courage, Gordon felt a void and saw it as her fault the others were killed. Drake then had Charlie severe with him to get the blame off of Gordon who was promoted to squad leader by Matthews' request.
==== Siege of East Garrison ====
After the devastation of the Covenant supply lines, they attacked the nearby city of East Garrison, a large military deployment area. Alpha-2 and Charlie Team were deployed to assist with the defenses. Charlie Team was sent ahead to scout out the nature reserve that they landed in. Gordon and Matthews were able to find a small Covenant outpost and decided to attack. 
The two successfully cleared the station and reported to Alpha-2 and the group moved up. The teams then encountered marines and with the help of Gordon and her squad along with Alpha-2, the marines then moved up, and a convoy began with Gordon leading the charge. During the fight to retake the main courtyard, Drake was shot by an elite zealot and was later stabbed by it, killing him. Gordon then shot and killed the Zealot and continued to push forward with her team.
== Psych-Interviews ==
=== Personality ===
Maxwell Drake was described as a heroic, and determined soldier. He is a no-nonsense marine on the battlefield who cared deeply for the lives of his troops. Drake believed in pushing his soldiers to their limit in training, in order to give them a better chance of surviving real combat. Drake was known to have a little gung-ho role inside the battlefield.
He was also known to hold those closest to him in high regard, mainly his squad and his family. He also holds his children in high regard and wife. He has stated that his family is what he fights for and as such, keeps a photo of them wherever possible and asks for leaves to see them. 
Drake was also considered to be a hero in many's eyes, leading fellow soldiers into the fray, always thinking about their safety and how to defeat the enemy. Due to this, many consider Drake to be a true blooded solider. 
=== Physical Appearance ===
Maxwell Drake was described as a tall (6 foot 2 inches) human male with brown hair and brown eyes. During Drake's career, he at one point grew longer hair which reached down to his shoulders. He also grew out a beard in his later years of combat. Drake would eventually cut his hair after the battle of Elyisum before his leave to visit his family on Earth. 
Drake was also considered to be well built, even playing some sports on leave or not in the battlefield. He known for having a bit of a rugged look to him and to have some scars along his arms due to the multiple explosions around him. Drake would also have some custom ODST armor having a personal emblem on the chest and a skull painted on the hud, similar to Emile-A239. 
=== Relationships ===
==== Family ====
Max had a strong relationship with his family. He was highly supportive and caring about his children and was considered to be an inspiration for his son, Christopher who joined the UNSC after his death. Max would often write letters or have video calls to his family. However, he did not have a good relationship with his brother-in-law, Kevin, mainly due to career choice. 
Despite this, Max still was able to get along well with his family and constantly shows his support to them until his death. 
==== Richard Bradley ====
Max and Rick were close friends from Alpha-2 days. Their squads later assisted one another from time to time.
==== Logan Fhajad ====
Max and Logan held a good friendship with one another with both holding strong brother like bond with all. Logan would go on and praise Max especially to his son whom he severed alongside. 
==== Alpha-Two ====
Max was the leader of Alpha-2 for nearly thirty years. As such he held a strong bond with the unit and the team was disbanded due to his death, 
== Quotes ==
== Confirmed Kills ==
Least to Greatest
Humans: 29
Engineers: 37
Brutes: 120
Drones: 242
Elites: 281
Jackals: 352
Grunts: 629
Total Kills: 1,690 KillsCategory:BEN THE BESTverse
Category:ODST