Jerome Brandt

Jerome Brandt (service number 28319-44304-JB) is a former Orbital Drop Shock Trooper. He served as the Heavy Weapons Specialist on Fireteam Wolf during the Human-Covenant War, Created Conflict, and Battle of Zeta Halo.
==Biography==
===Early Life===
Jerome was born in 2522 in the city of Pirth, on the human colony Arcadia, to an unknown mother. For whatever reason, Jerome was placed in the custody of his fraternal grandmother, Olivia Brandt, shortly thereafter.
Jerome was a quiet and passive boy by nature, even as he grew to stand head and shoulders taller than his classmates-- and not soon after, his teachers too. After an incident where Jerome had shoved and accidentally injured another student who had provoked him, Olivia warned Jerome to be wary of his size and strength, and to never solve his problems with violence.
Olivia struggled to raise and care for the child alone, her husband having long since passed, and was forced to take up a second job in order to provide. Although, she made every attempt to hide the household's financial situation from him, and instill in Jerome a strict sense of right and wrong.
The two were among those fortunate enough to survive the Covenant attack on Arcadia in 2531. However, with no money to afford passage to another world, there was no choice but to remain and rebuild what little they could.
As Olivia had been struggling even before the Covenant attack, the aftermath led to her having to sell the house her husband and her had lived in for thirty years, and move herself and Jerome into a small apartment downtown.
While still in high school, Jerome acquired a job as a dock worker in order to alleviate the burden placed on his grandmother. When even that did not do much to improve their situation, Jerome met with a UNSC recruiter, and enlisted in the Marine Corps. 
He had never seen his grandmother as angry she had been on the day he had told her, and Jerome was forced to plead his case late into the night. Jerome argued that serving in the UNSC would see all his basic amenities, such as food and shelter, provided for, and he would be able to send his grandmother every last paycheck. Eliminating a mouth to feed, and fattening her wallet to boot. 
Eventually, Olivia relented. Perhaps because she, like many others, feared that Arcadia's days were numbered. That the Covenant would come again, and finish what they started. Better to let Jerome go, and have a chance to survive, than to keep him shackled to a doomed world.
On the night before Jerome was set to leave for basic training, Olivia asked him if he wanted to know more about his parents. Jerome declined.
===Early Service===
Due to his size and strength, Jerome Brandt served primarily as an operator of infantry support weapons, such as the M41 SPNKr or M247 General Purpose Machine Gun. While Jerome was initially terrified of the prospect of fighting monstrous aliens, when push came to shove, Jerome proved himself a capable enough Marine. Though the nature of the war meant that Jerome could rarely do much to impact events beyond protecting the man or woman next to him.
When some other members of his units grew frustrated at their perceived powerlessness, the notion was made that they should try out for the Orbital Drop Shock Troopers. Jerome was more or less strong armed into participating-- and thanks to his impressive physicality, intelligence, and perseverance, he passed where others from his unit had failed. And even those that had succeeded along with Jerome did not make it to their second year as an ODST.
===Late War and Post War Years===
Jerome was eventually assigned to the 14th Shock Troops Battalion, and served with Fireteam Wolf while Staff Sergeant Michael Harris was the leader. It was with Wolf that Jerome met Davien Calson, Allison Lloyd, and later Staff Sergeant Scott Edwards when the latter replaced Michael Harris as the lead following the Battle of Skopje.
While the others initially regarded their new Staff Sergeant with distrust, Jerome was the first to truly warm to Edwards, growing to trust and value the man's opinion like a boy would his father. In stark contrast to the deceased Harris, who Jerome feared. When Edwards nearly drowned attempting to save Lloyd during the Battle for Zanzibar Island in 2552, it was Jerome who pulled them both out of the water, and performed CPR on the unresponsive Staff Sergeant.
In 2549, what Olivia feared came to pass, and the Covenant returned to Arcadia. She did not survive this second invasion, nor did Arcadia itself. His Staff Sergeant was the first to break the news, and the first to offer his condolences. As a result, when the war finally drew to a close, Jerome had no home to return to. Nobody waiting for him on the outside. As far as he was concerned, Wolf was the only family he had left. A conclusion not unique to Jerome, as the other members remained as well, for one reason or another.
In the years that followed, Jerome and Fireteam Wolf, along with a dozen other ODST teams, were assigned to the Eclipse-class Prowler, the UNSC Zephyr. The Zephyr's mission was to eliminate or undermine various threats to the still-recovering UEG as discreetly as necessary, to ensure that the UEG retained political deniability. These efforts included, but were not limited to, such actions as assassinating would-be Covenant Remnant leaders before their sect grew out of control, raiding and recovering illegal stockpiles of UNSC or Covenant contraband, and the capture of certain Insurrectionist VIPs.
At some point before 2557, the Zephyr received a distress call from Keplar Base, on the glassed world of Paris-IV. Jerome, along with the rest of Wolf, were sent to investigate Keplar, and discovered evidence that pointed towards the meteorological research station having been attacked by Covenant Remnant. Jerome's impressive strength was on full display when he tackled a Brute Stalker, saving Lloyd and Edwards in the process. The feat was partially thanks to the semi-powered, post-war ODST BDU Wolf wore, which augmented their natural strength, though nowhere near as much as proper Spartan MJOLNIR armor.
Following the New Phoenix Incident in 2557, Jerome was interviewed by one Agent Reynolds, and was given the opportunity to join the SPARTAN-IV Program in preparation for the Requiem Campaign. Jerome declined, his decision strongly influenced by the fact that the rest of Wolf would not be receiving the same offer.
===Zeta Halo===
In 2559, Fireteam Wolf had since been assigned to the UNSC Molon Labe, a repurposed Anlace-class frigate that carried several Spartan Fireteams in addition to a company of ODSTs. The Molon Labe was among those that accompanied the UNSC Infinity to Zeta Halo, and was subsequently destroyed.
Fireteam Wolf escaped the burning wreckage of the frigate in their drop pods, though the team was separated as they were forced to employ evasive maneuvers during the drop. Jerome's pod crashed into the ocean, forcing the trooper to break loose and swim to shore. It was there that Jerome ran into one Private First Class Murphy, who was being accosted by a Jackal and a Grunt. Even empty-handed, Jerome dispatched the two aliens, though there was little he could do for the mortally wounded Murphy.
Jerome attempted to carry the man to where he believed the rest of his unit was holding position, but Murphy succumbed to his wounds. The trooper took the time to bury the man, which led to him being captured by Banished forces, and later transported to the Downfall of Spirit, a Banished prison facility.
==Personality==
While Jerome may often voice or show signs of worry and concern, the big man is fiercely loyal to a fault, and perhaps the deadliest member of Wolf on the rare occasion that his anger is roused. Otherwise, he is a rather passive individual, in perhaps stark contrast to what one would expect of a Helljumper. Though this does mean that he is the quickest to follow Edwards' orders, and the least likely to commit any act of insubordination.
Jerome and Davien Calson have developed a close friendship over the years, though to an outsider, it looks a lot like Davien boldly leading the way, while Jerome sheepishly follows behind to make sure his friend doesn't get into too much trouble.
While perhaps not as close, Lloyd and Jerome still hold a deep respect for each other, with Lloyd offering to help Jerome complete his education, considering he had dropped out of high school to enlist. While not nearly the genius Lloyd is, Jerome is still an intelligent man, and is eager to learn. A fact Lloyd appreciates in turn, having much to teach, but few people with enough interest to humor her.
==Appearance==
As noted several times, Jerome is a large man, standing a head taller than the rest of Wolf. He is broad of shoulder, with arms thick with muscle. Ever since joining the ODSTs, he keeps his head shaved and waxed, making him appear naturally bald. With the luck of having been granted permission to leave his facial hair be, Jerome enjoys a wiry black beard.
Being the neat and tidy one, Jerome's equipment is polished to a near mirror sheen, just like his head.
==Equipment==
Jerome prefers to dress for the worst-case scenario, opting for heavy plating and extra ammunition when possible. As Wolf's Heavy Weapons Specialist, Jerome brings the big guns, whether they're for eliminating enemy armor or keeping the foe humble with an unending stream of suppressive fire. To this end, the M41B SPNKr and M247 GPMG are essential ingredients in his loadout, even if the combined weight of such equipment would be staggering for any other trooper to handle. On missions that require a more deft touch, Jerome employs the more conventional MA5D assault rifle, optimized for long-range suppression. There is a standard issued combat knife somewhere among his kit to be sure, but with his strength, Jerome finds that the butt of his firearm is more than sufficient in close quarters.
In his DAYBREAK Exoframe, Jerome is made all the mightier, allowing him to stash greater amounts of ammunition than ever before and wield heavy weaponry previously thought only usable by Spartans or entire weapon crews.
==Gallery==
File:Brandt0919Helmet.png|Brandt in his DAYBREAK Exoframe armor, customized for heavy weapon specialists.
File:Brandtwiki.jpg|Jerome in his late-war ODST battledress
Category:AlphaBenson
Category:Characters
Category:ODST