Locus

"You keep trying to play yourself off as some sort of weapon, that you don't care about anyone or anything, but the fact that you're trying so hard to understand me, breaks your entire act. No matter how hard you may want to be, you're not a machine. You're a murderer, but you hide behind the idea in your head because you're too afraid to take responsibility for what you've done."

- Washington's assessment of Locus in Fed vs. New

Locus is a dangerous mercenary who first appears in S.O.S. and is seen listening in on Washington's distress call for help. Felix originally states that he intends to kidnap the Reds and Blues for the Federal Army of Chorus and prevent anyone to help them escape the planet Chorus. However, his true affiliation is with the Space Pirates who take command under their superior named Control. Locus serves as a main antagonist in Season 11 and Season 12.

Overview
Locus' overall concept could be considered to be a combination of several antagonists from the past. He's shown to speak little and is threatening like the Meta, is intellectual like the Director, has a cruel sense of humor like Omega, and is a sociopath like Sigma. However, he has great respect to those he believes deserve it. Locus is comparable to a popular mercenary, Deathstroke from DC Comics, as they are skilled mercenaries with respect for their targets.

When the planet Chorus went into a civil war between the New Republic and the Federal Army of Chorus, Locus joined the Federal Army and made it his goal to continue the war for as long as possible in order to kill the people of Chorus. Upon learning that the Blood Gulch Crew, which many believed to be some of the greatest military soldiers in the galaxy, crash landed on Chorus, Locus was ordered to capture them and have them use their skills for his superiors. Locus intends to complete his missions by any means necessary, including killing innocent bystanders or sacrificing his own men.

Origins
Before becoming involved in the Chorus Civil War, Locus was enlisted into the UNSC, where he met and developed a rivalry with Felix. While fighting in the Great War, Locus and his squad became involved in one of the worst battles in UNSC history. In order to survive, Locus and Felix were forced to band together and fight side by side. After the war ended, however, the two were unable to return to civilian life and were later hired by an unknown superior to eradicate the people of the planet Chorus. With the help of other mercenaries, Locus and Felix joined the Federal Army of Chorus and the New Republic respectively, and together, the mercs escalated the events of the war in order to complete their mission.

Capturing the Reds and Blues
In his first appearance, Locus discovers Washington's call for help after the Reds and Blues are left stranded on Chorus, but doesn't respond. Locus later arrives at the teams' location and begins spying on them, remarking the situation they're in as unfortunate before cloaking himself. Later on, Locus kills the pilot that dropped off Doc, Donut, and Lopez and reports in to 'Control', stating that his objective is complete and that he's returning to Crash Site Bravo.

Back at the crash site, Locus once again spies on the teams, but soon turns his sights on Felix. When the latter notices him, Locus activates his cloaking and returns to F.A.C. Outpost 22. He gathers four of his men back to Crash Site Bravo, where they proceed to attack the Blues. But when his men are killed by Tucker and Freckles, Locus attempts to shoot Wash in the head, but Felix intercepts and blocks the blow with a Hardlight Shield. Locus then injures Felix and orders the Blood Gulch Crew to come with him, but they refuse. After Locus threatens them, Wash orders Freckles to fire upon him, but Locus disappears before being hit.

Afterwards, Locus returns to the crash site, accompanied by many more Federal soldiers, and engages the group. During the battle, Locus uses a Sticky Detonator to destroy the Blue Team's tank, and later fires at a plasma grenade behind Donut, knocking the latter unconscious. As the Reds and Blues retaliate, Locus fires several blasts from his Railgun towards Wash and Sarge, incapacitating them. As New Republic reinforcements arrive, Locus attempts to stop Felix, Simmons, Grif, Tucker, and Caboose from escaping into the caves, but fails when Wash has Freckles seal off the entrance by collapsing the tunnel's roof.

Despite this, Locus manages to incapacitate Wash afterwards and the Feds take the four back to F.A.C. Outpost 37. After the battle, Locus communicates with a superior (soon revealed to be Carolina), whose voice is distorted, and informs her about a crate he recovered. He then asks if keeping Sarge, Donut, and Washington alive was the best course of action, but Carolina challenges him, asking if he feels threatened by them. When he responds negatively, Carolina reaffirms for him to obey orders before stating that she would see him soon.

True Intentions
Later on, General Doyle convinces Wash, Sarge, Donut, and Lopez to join the Federal Army, where Locus reveals to them that his raid on their base was fully calculated and choreographed, as his orders were to apprehend them. He then gives Wash a storage unit containing Freckles' "heart and mind," before leaving. Several weeks later, Locus returns to F.A.C. Outpost 22, where he kills a disguised Cunningham. He then discovers Felix, Tucker, and Palomo at the compound, but they escape after detonating the last C-4 charges. Afterwards, Locus radios Jackson and his team to act as escorts to the Reds and Blues, but the group reunite with their friends and learn the truth about the war.

As a result, Locus and his mercenaries kill numerous Federal soldiers at F.A.C. Outpost 37 and surround the Blood Gulch Crew. When Felix arrives, he reveals his true loyalties and, despite Locus' protests, explains to the Reds and Blues that he and Locus were hired to clear Chorus of its residents, and used them to help fan the fire. Once Carolina reveals herself, Locus attempts to kill the Reds and Blues, but the former uses a Teleportation Cube to escape with her friends. With them gone, Locus and Felix argue over the Blood Gulch Crew's escape and Carolina's infiltration of their operation without them knowing, until they are called up by Control.

Control orders the two to return to their respective armies and inform them that the Reds and Blues are dead, which Locus agrees to. As the Federal Army prepare for battle against the New Republic at Armonia, Locus informs Doyle that he is leaving to intercept Felix, and will return to "take care" of him. In actuality, Locus joins Felix at Radio Jammer Station 1C in contacting the Reds and Blues, where the two offer the group a first-class trip off Chorus. Although the Blood Gulch Crew express their distrust, Locus assures them that they will keep their word and gives them one hour to make their decision.

However, the crew instead execute a sneak attack on the mercenaries at the radio jammer station, where Locus battles Wash one-on-one. He questions why he continues to fight for the Reds and Blues, stating that he used to be a true soldier. Wash dismisses this and describes Locus as a coward for hiding behind his "soldier" ideology, prompting Locus to attack him. After the other Reds and Blues disable the radio jammer, Epsilon sends Felix's recorded words to the Feds and Rebels at Armonia, who finally learn secret behind the Pirates' involvement in the war. Because of this, Locus and Felix teleport away, with Locus vowing that they will return.

Going to War
With their plans now exposed, Control scolds the two mercs for their failure and suggests the Space Pirates go to war on the planet. However, the Blood Gulch Crew intercept their transmission and acknowledge Control's true identity: Chairman Malcom Hargrove. They then accept the Chairman's declaration of war.

Personality
Locus is portrayed as a quiet and cold individual who is shown to be serious about his objectives. According to Felix, "[Locus] is so far off the deep end he prefers to go by the name of his armor instead of the name he was born with." Locus also seems to enjoy his occupation and is quite sadistic, as he treats his attack on the Reds and Blues with amusement and makes a morbid joke when he kills the pilot. He also remorselessly sent a team of four soldiers to their deaths just to test the Reds and Blues.

Despite this, he's shown to have respect to those he considers the "real deal," like the Reds and Blues. Locus is also cunning, as he's shown to outsmart several characters. Along with this, Locus is quite perceptive, such as in Lost But Not Forgotten, where he clearly becomes suspicious of his "superior" when the latter orders him to not execute the captured Reds and Blues. However, his cruelty, dark tone, and skills show that he should be considered a deadly threat to anyone.

In The Federal Army of Chorus much more of his personality traits are seen. He seemingly displays a cynical/realist perspective on life, bearing the viewpoint that soldiers aren't meant to care for anyone or anything other then completing the objective to how they see fit. He also appears to have a certain curiosity on Washington's development as a soldier, in that Wash still values his friends and yet, like Locus, is a professional soldier. He also denies claims of "insanity" simply stating that he is a soldier and is merely doing what is expected of him.

Relationships
Locus is often seen as a merciless and cold individual, which causes others to often see him as an enemy or terrifying. Despite his anti-social like behavior, Locus has developed quite a few unique relationships with specific characters.

Felix
Beginning during their time in the UNSC, Locus and Felix have grown a rivalry with each other and never got along. However, the two mercenaries have been shown to work very well together, as they were able to continue Chorus' civil war, allude the people they work for, and complete certain tasks and missions convincingly, though they still have their differences.

Despite their partnership, the two mercenaries continue to yell at one another and seem to have little respect for each other as well. For example, while Locus prefers to be quick and efficient in his missions, Felix prefers to be dramatic and toys with his victims, causing tension between the two. Often times, Locus is usually the one to get Felix focused on the task at hand and finds many of Felix's decisions to be rash and naive.

Control
Locus is shown to be very loyal to Control, and describes him as "a man of business." Even during times where the space pirates' plans appear to be in jeopardy, Control is shown to always have a back-up plan. Due to this, Locus sees Control as a source of guidance, commonly asking his superior about what their next move should be and appears to trust his judgement. For example, when the Feds and rebels learn of the pirates' involvement in the civil war during Fed vs. New, Locus, rather than retaliate against the Blood Gulch Crew, follows Control's protocol and retreats with Felix.

Doyle
According to Doyle, Locus was instrumental in several victories of the Federal Army, and evidently, Locus also inspired the troops under Doyle's command, as he attempted to keep Locus at the capital during Out of the Frying Pan. Locus doesn't display much interaction beyond telling Doyle his plans, although Doyle appears to be genuinely terrified of him, as he describes Locus as a dog that he cannot control. After Doyle learns the truth of the space pirates' involvement in the civil war, he loses all trust in Locus.

Washington
Locus appears to have a fixation on Wash, generally addressing him most of the time in The Federal Army of Chorus, in addition to a journal entry that focuses exclusively on Wash's status. Locus is demonstrated to have a considerable amount of knowledge of Wash's personal history, accurately recounting his betrayal of the Blood Gulch Crew to save himself, and how he was one of the few survivors of Project Freelancer without going into hiding. The main reason for Locus's borderline obsession with Washington appears to be Wash's compassion for the Reds and Blues, and how he believes that Wash was once a greater man before joining the crew. Locus sees his loyalty to the simulation troopers as a weakness and is confused as to why he decides to fight for them.

Carolina
In Lost But Not Forgotten, Carolina posed as Control in order to convince Locus not to kill the captured Reds and Blues, but Locus becomes suspicious of his "superior". Based on the fact she rescued the Blood Gulch Crew from his team in Cloak and Dagger and their battle in Fed vs. New, Locus seems to dislike Carolina.

"Unfortunate."
In Long Live the King, Locus spoke for the first time after finding the Blood Gulch Crew, only saying the group's predicament is "Unfortunate." Since then, Locus often uses the word to describe a situation or his views on a subject. For example, Locus uses the same quote in his journal entry after learning Washington and the captured Reds will recover from their injuries, and when the Blood Gulch Crew is confused when his team of Space Pirates attack F.A.C. Outpost 37 in Cloak and Dagger.

Ideology
First introduced in The Federal Army of Chorus, Locus acknowledges that he is a soldier, after a wounded Washington calls him a monster. He later questions why the latter places his life on the line for the Reds and Blues, and believes that a soldier should not mourn the fallen or the injured. Locus also describes himself as a professional, stating that he completes his missions at all costs, does what is expected of him, and does not question orders.

Washington, on the other hand, believes Locus merely lies to himself, using his "soldier" ideology as an excuse or label to cope with the amoral atrocities he's committed. This assessment is implied to have some truth to it as Locus uncharacteristically loses his composure and tackles Washington in a fit of frustration, moments after Washington called him out.

Weaponry
Locus has been shown to have skills with several weapons. His skills with the sniper rifle are superb, as he would have killed Washington if Felix didn't interfere and snipes a plasma grenade near Donut to injure him. In Fire, Locus is shown to use the Railgun very effectively, as he quickly incapacitates Washington and Sarge with it. Along with this, Locus has been seen to use a shotgun, a pistol, a SAW, a Sticky Detonator, and an Incineration Cannon in battle. Based on his consistent appearances with the SAW, it can be theorized this is his preferred weapon.

Combat
Locus has proven himself to be a deadly combatant, being responsible for incapacitating most of the members of the Reds and Blues during the battle at Crash Site Bravo and is shown to be skilled in close range combat, as he executes three rebel soldiers as he approaches the remaining members of the Blood Gulch teams. Along with this, Locus often incorporates his active camouflage in combat situations and his own attack strategies. Instead of engaging the enemy head on or in a firefight, he will cloak himself and wait for the precise opportunity to strike.

It also seems that many within both the New Republic and Federal Army of Chorus fear him, as when Felix mentions Locus to 'headquarters', the operator is clearly scared. In Fed vs. New, Locus also shows skill in martial arts, being able to hold his own against both Carolina and Washington in hand-to-hand combat. Locus was able to incapacitate Carolina with Felix's aid before taking Wash on his own, which he defeated before he and Felix were forced to retreat.

Intelligence
Locus is shown to be very calculative, allowing him to make the best choices that specifically benefit himself. For example, Locus stops a pilot to prevent others of learning the location of the crash site and instead of immediately attacking the Reds and Blues, he observes them from a distance and wisely sends in a team of soldiers as cannon fodder in Neighborhood Watch in order for him to know about the Reds' and Blues' skills. It was also revealed later on that Locus is bilinguistic, knowing both English and Spanish.

Unlike Felix, Locus doesn't underestimate the Blood Gulch Crew, especially Washington, as he brings four additional mercs to Radio Jammer Station 1C, knowing if the Reds and Blues disable it to contact the Chorus armies, their entire mission will be a failure.

Leadership
Using his skills and the fear others have of him, Locus is shown to be a excellent leader. In Season 11, Locus commands a large group of Federal Army soldiers and leads a successful attack at Crash Site Bravo, resulting with the remaining Blood Gulch soldiers to retreat. Despite being the leader of the Federal Army, Doyle often seeks Locus' opinion on how to lead his army. Along with this, interactions with the Space Pirates show they follow his orders just as much, if not more, than Control. For example, in Self Assessment, Jackson's team change their plan after Locus contacts them, despite Control giving them different orders just moments before. In Fed vs. New, the Space Pirates immediately ask him what they should do when the Chorus armies learn the truth about their plans.

Kills
With no remorse, Locus has killed the Dropship Pilot using a shotgun and pistol. It's also implied he killed other individuals prior to Worst Laid Plans, as an unknown corpse is seen near the Fueling Station. In Fire, he kills several New Republic soldiers when the teams attempt to escape. In Hit and Run, he manages to kill a distracted Cunningham via a point-blank shotgun blast and in Cloak and Dagger, he kills several Federal soldiers with a Binary Rifle. It is also implied that he killed the first two leaders of the New Republic.

Trivia

 * Locus' armor in Halo 4 consists of a Locus helmet (hence his name), Infiltrator torso, Engineer left and right shoulders, and Outer-Plated arms and legs.
 * Locus appears at Crash Site Bravo (and speaks for the first time) in the tenth episode of Season 11, similar to the tradition where Tex makes a bold appearance in the tenth episode of several seasons. Along with this, he is shown to have Active Camouflage, an armor enhancement that Tex also possessed.
 * Before his name was revealed, many fans of the series called Locus 3G, which stood for Green Gray Guy. This relates with his armor color, as sage is a shade of green and steel is a shade of gray.
 * It is revealed in Ready…Aim… that Locus doesn't use his real name, but rather a name based on his armor (specifically his helmet). This is similar to Freelancers using their assigned state name rather than their real names.
 * As revealed in the episode The Federal Army of Chorus, Locus is bilingual in both English and Spanish, as he is able to understand Lopez.
 * Locus might be a reference to Darth Vader from the Star Wars franchise as both characters have dark voices, dark colored armor, forsook their birth name, are incredibly skilled fighters, serve as the primary villains of their stories although they are not in charge of the antagonistic faction and commanded numerous white armored soldiers. Additionally, Locus can be compared to Boba Fett given both are skilled mercenaries fighting for the antagonists of their respective franchises.
 * Locus' voice helmet filter is noticeably different from other characters, as it is less compressed and more deep and acoustic sounding, adding to his menacing persona.
 * As stated before, Locus draws comparisons from other main antagonists, such as Omega and Meta. Like Omega, Locus' voice has a deep bass and he finds pleasure in violence. Like the Meta, Locus is very calm, stoic and often uses the cloaking armor enhancement.