Felix Costel

Felix Nicolau Costel, Ph.D., was a , biologist, geneticist, political theorist, and wanted terrorist. Also known as "GENESTEALER" by the and "ZALMOXIS" by the Theban Intelligence Service, Costel became infamous for his radical academic pieces and his work in illegal . Throughout his career, Costel worked with several insurrectionist organisations in an attempt to create an army of clones to sustain a war of attrition against the . His attempts fueled several violent revolts, including on in 2536 and on in 2554. A wanted man for most of his life, Costel was finally killed on Olduvai in 2557 during an operation carried out by the Theban Defence Forces. 
==Biography==
===Early Life and Education===
Costel was born April 23, 2498, on the of . Both of his parents were engineers, with his mother leading the colonial civil engineering department. From a young age, he displayed a gift for academics; he graduated from secondary school at the age of 15, and received a bachelor's degree in biological science and genetics from Willemstad University at 18. He continued his graduate studies at Willemstad, with a particular focus on cancer treatment and organ cloning. 
It would also be around this time that he became increasingly politically aware. He had grown up and lived through the height of the Insurrection and, while physically detached from the conflict, he became deeply concerned over UNSC actions in the Outer Colonies and the increasing ferocity of war. The mounting death toll of , on top of the millions dead in prior conflicts and attacks, spurred him to pen his first political piece, On the Escalation of War in the Colonies, published in 2518, in which he argued that it was morally and economically necessary for the Outer Colonies to be granted their political independence. 
In the meantime, he continued his studies, completing his doctoral thesis in 2523. However, rather than focus his attention on his post-academic career, he continued to argue publicly against Operation: TREBUCHET, writing a series of publications attempting to prove that the UNSC, mathematically, could not win the war. These efforts would lead to his frequent censoring by ONI and, eventually, even an assassination attempt. As the death toll of Operation: TREBUCHET exceeded one million in 2524, it would be the attempt on his life that convinced Costel to flee Luyten. With the aid of a contact, he was successfully transported offworld and to , where he was provided a lab and team of assistants. 
===Early Projects===
For the next decade, Costel would work under URF supervision to perfect his cloning process, with the URF in turn providing him necessary support. During this time, the URF conducted a number of risky raids against UNSC research facilities, and even some installations, at the behest of Costel. By the 2530s, some of these raids would even include flash cloned soldiers of Costel's own design. 
Costel's goal with clones was that they be able to be grown quickly and cheaply enough to provide a constant and efficient pool of soldiers to effectively wage a war of attrition against the UNSC, while also ensuring that they were long-lived enough so as to live longer than a few weeks or months. The vast majority of his early tests also produced clones that were emotionally and intellectually stunted, and Costel struggled to alter this outcome in particular. By 2536, despite his protests that his work was not yet ready to be deployed in large numbers, recent political events on the colony of led the URF's leadership to force Costel's clones into action.
===Second Mamore Insurrection===
Costel was personally transported to Mamore in order to oversee the URF's operations on the colony, but was given only a little direct oversight. URF leadership chose to deploy Costel's flash cloned soldiers en masse to supplement their efforts in support of Mamore's native population. 
Nearly half a million of these soldiers were sent to the planet in December of 2536. Early efforts proved successful; the numbers and expendability of the clones permitted the URF to make assaults that were larger more daring than they would otherwise, and many UNSC positions were quickly overrun. 
However, problems arose with the clones' compliance. URF personnel placed in command of flash cloned units complained of their reluctance to obey direct orders, and of their lack of discrimination during combat. A number of friendly fire incidents occurred as fighting continued, and, worse still, instances of violence against the civilian population. In one case, an entire town was almost completely wiped out as URF officers hopelessly tried to reign in the clones. Not only did this antagonise Mamore's population, but it also gave the UNSC an easy propaganda win as images from Mamore were carefully broadcasted across human space.
The UNSC, terrified of the URF's development of clone soldiers, quickly launched a swift and aggressive response to the fighting on Mamore. was deployed to the world alongside other forces and proved to be extremely effective in countering Costel's flash cloned troops. By May of 2537, the URF withdrew their remaining forces from the planet. Costel himself barely escaped Mamore, as SPARTAN-IIIs nearly killed him in the process. Two dozen of his own creations were killed while delaying UNSC forces long enough for Costel to be extracted under heavy small arms fire. 
Costel levied heavy criticism towards the URF leadership. Despite the failures on Mamore, the flash clones did demonstrate significant potential, as evidenced by their early success. Costel was given the resources to continue his developments, but now with significantly more control over when and how they were deployed.
===Draco III Assault===
===Defection to NCA and Death===
==Personality and Traits==
==Appearances==
*After Action Report; Operation: GAMBIT, 23.6.52