Jacob Weller

"We thought that this war would be our rite of passage. How wrong we were."--Jacob WellerJacob Weller was a soldier in the UNSC marine corps. Born on New Venice in 2501, Jacob grew up in a majorly Catholic town. He would become a member of the New Venice Junior Church and School Program (NVJCSP) at an early age, touring the world in a small transport shuttle. They would sing for the elderly, lead sermons for towns that had no church, and even help at soup kitchens, all in 15 years. He gained an above average education, graduating in the middle of his class.
He was then put into the position of junior priest his hometown of Speranza's church, a unique position only able to be filled by graduates of the NVJCSP. He was admired by the children of the town due to his kindness, often handing out small chocolate bars after the church closed to well behaved children. When the Human-Covenant War, he volunteered to join the marines, against his parents wishes.
He served from 2527 to 2530, when he suffered a major injury to his legs. He returned to his hometown and would volunteer for work in the church once again. He currently serves as the current Catholic ambassador to the New Venice Religious Union. 
== Biography ==
=== Early Life ===
Jacob Weller was born on December 4th, 2501 in the small town of Speranza on the colony of New Venice. Both of his parents were devout Catholics, with his father having been a former priest. Jacob was brought to a church every Sunday, like many Catholics, but he was also unknowingly placed into the God's Children Program. This program was supposed to make it easier to determine in what young child was right to be enrolled in the NVJSCP. Luckily, Jacob was one of the children chosen.
==== New Venice Junior Church and School Program ====
Jacob spent fifteen years in the NVJCSP. He would tour the planet of New Venice, participating in community service throughout the world. For young Jacob, this was his first sight of the outside world. He had seen the poorer areas, and the luxurious areas such as Città del Vaticano (Vatican City). He had obtained an above average education during these fifteen years, being slightly ahead of public schools.
==== Junior Priest ====
He would become a junior priest shortly after returning to Speranza. Despite being in middle of his class in terms of education, he had a large amount of faith. He had helped the priest with younger children and confessions, earning a lot of respect from both the priest and the public. He had also given young children who had been well behaved chocolate bars after they were set to leave, most likely to keep them coming and well behaved. 
=== UNSC Service ===
Jacob Weller volunteered a few months after the news of the attack on Harvest reached New Venice. Both of his parents did not want him to go to war, stating that he shouldn't risk his life because of his pride. Although Jacob had agreed with them, New Venice had been drafting heavily and he believed that he would've been drafted anyways. He graduated from Point Francis Military Academy on December 10th, 2527, six days after his 26th birthday.
==== 2527 ====
Weller was placed on patrol duty in and around Fort San Patrizio for the entirety of his service during 2527. He had listened to soldiers' war stories, how the Covenant wiped the floor with them. These stories kept him up at night, worrying about a raid that could end up wiping out the entire colony. He was placed on a pelican on New Year's Eve and would eventually be stationed on the Spirit of Fire.
==== 2528 ====
Weller was dropped onto Harvest, the first colony to be attacked by the Covenant. He was shocked at the size of the warzone, the dead bodies strewn all round him. He spent most of his time reading the last rites of the dying men who were mortally wounded. He did kill many Covenant troops during his time during the Harvest Campaign before being evacuated by medevac from the planet in 2529, when he was shot in the back with a needler.
==== 2529 ====
Weller recovered from his wounds in early 2529 and would patrol the corridors of the Spirit of Fire. He would watch the fires on Harvest, being so tall that they could be seen from outer space.
==== 2530 ====
Weller would be deployed on Harvest two years after his near-death experience. He would be placed on the frontlines again, killing more Covenant troops. He would be wounded after four months when a plasma grenade latched onto his legs. It exploded, severing his legs. This ended his military career, and he was sent back to Speranza in a few months.
=== Return and Marriage ===
When Jacob returned, his parents were beyond relief. They forgave him for disobeying them, just happy that he returned. He then married a young woman by the name of Sarah Lawrence. She had also worked at the Speranza town church when she finished her time at NVJCSP. The two moved in together at a small house just off of the beautiful Porto Lake.
The two would have three children. Over time, Jacob spent less time with them due to him rejoining the Speranza Church. He eventually was allowed to become a priest at the New Venice High Church, which moved his family from the small house to Città del Vaticano. He was then sworn in as the Catholic ambassador to the New Venice Religious Union in 2554.
=== New Venice Religious Union ===
Jacob was the youngest ambassador in the NVRU, only being 54 at the time. He was able to diffuse tensions between other ambassadors, especially the Judaists and the Muslims. He was considered the greatest of them all, even been considered good enough to become pope. He was outvoted by John Goh, a veteran of the Human-Covenant War who served for the full 27 years.
He continues to hold this position and continues to push Catholicism on his grandchildren with his wife and children. Even at the old age of 75, he refuses to retire. He has made several statements regarding this, making it clear that he'll retire whenever he feels like he can't go on anymore.
== Additional Information ==
=== Personality ===
Jacob Weller is, and always has been, a quiet man. He shows his fellow ambassadors the utmost respect like he did to his fellow soldiers on Harvest. He is able to defuse arguments with the other ambassadors, especially the Muslim and Judaism ambassadors. Weller has also always been good with children, having been noted to be extremely friendly when he speaks and interacts with them.
=== Appearance ===
Jacob Weller is a large Caucasian male. He is quite athletic for his age and is also covered in many scars. He still has a scar on his back from the time when he was shot. Despite being a devout Catholic, he has a small tattoo on his upper right arm reading, "My Brothers".