Headhunters (TPF)

The title itself was rare to see within the Beta-5 Division. Over 1,000 candidates were given a chance to become a SPARTAN-III supersoldier. At the height of its program, there were only 17 operational and had a casualty rate of 100%. They were the ones who went where no one went, with impossible odds, and were never heard from again.
Samuel-B256 knew he was joining an elite group of individuals when he relocated on Onyx for Headhunter training. His training and knowledge prepared him for missions the UNSC needed him to accomplish. Graduation slotted Sam and his partner as one of the most valuable assets coming out Beta Company.
Sent behind enemy lines with no support, Headhunters became the individuals who helped stalled the Human-Covenant War. Beta Company was argued to be one of the top Headhunter classes based on statistics. Their success in the field reflected their training, targets were actioned, and the Covenant was forced to allocate more resources to defend occupied territory. Other successes came from taking out the Insurrectionists wanting to collaborate with the Covenant.
The one area Headhunters became famous was their Covenant operations. They were always suicidal, and handlers were expected to never see the Headhunters again. Despite the grim reality, teams were successful in sabotaging crucial Covenant infrastructure, assassinating leadership, and dealing significant blows to Covenant morale. For a group of highly trained orphans who refused to quit, they helped the UNSC in many ways.
Following the destruction of Beta Company during Operation: TORPEDO, the Beta Headhunters worked to honor the legacy of those who fell in battle. The most common sign the Covenant recognized was a Beta carved into beheaded leaders. Others included leaving the SPARTAN tags of fallen comrades to using the blood of an enemy to paint a Beta.
Sam figured he was the last surviving Headhunter of Beta Company by the end of the Human-Covenant War. Everyone else he knew was most likely Missing in Action, like his partner Mathilda-B080. Roland and Jonah never came back. Sam never saw them after graduation.
The good news Sam found was the restructuring of the Headhunters under Spartan Operations. Headhunters became a tour or two with seasoned personnel and less risky missions for the SPARTAN-IIIs and IVs. There wasn’t such a suicidal aspect to a mission of a Headhunter following the end of the Human-Covenant War.
Yet, the Office of Naval Intelligence kept a small group of individuals and teams to carry out near suicidal missions. It was needed to keep the UNSC safe, especially after the location of Earth being revealed. For all of the Headhunters who never came back, they gave ONI an opportunity to strike the heart of the enemy. Total mission success came at total annihilation of a Headhunter team, but they were bound to save countless lives.
The dangers of being a Headhunter reminded Sam of Mathilda and his faults. Everything had a price when it came to playing with death. Sam rejoined the Headhunters to memorialize their success, honor their sacrifice, and remind the Covenant splinter groups the Headhunters were always watching them.
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