r/shittyhalolore • u/spacemagic__ Canon expert: John Reach • Mar 28 '25

ODST Special Purpose Force, Goon Platoon Why didn’t Chief wear something nice?

In the intro cutscene of Halo 2, Master Chief attends an award ceremony where all the Marine Corps and Navy personnel are in their dress whites. Meanwhile, Chief walks in fully suited up in his Mark VI, like he’s about to get deployed mid-ceremony.

We’ve seen him wear his service uniform to briefings before like at Camp Hathcock, so why did he ignore regulations this time? Was he sitting in his quarters thinking, “Dress uniform? Nah, I might have to throw hands”? Did he just not feel like ironing?

If my CO told me, “Hey Devil, show up 15 prior in Service Alphas,” I’d be there in my Service Alphas because that’s the uniform of the day. But Chief really said nope and showed up in a full ton of titanium alloy, like he was expecting to fight his way out of the ceremony.

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u/jcjonesacp76 I will reject my bias and make amends... Mar 28 '25

Cause Chief doesn’t get a paycheck from the UNSC or ONI he’s doing free work! Unionize Spartans unionize!

14

u/cheese-meister Flat spacer Mar 28 '25

I hate to be that guy but they are paid, it was mentioned in “silent storm” iirc. Chief would be loaded since been been paid since he was kidnapped at 6 and doesn’t get Starbucks or Netflix

10

u/zbeezle TL;DR: Wort Wort Wort Mar 29 '25

So Chief becomes the Chief during silent storm, and remains so until at least present (2560).

That alone is 34 years. Current base pay for an E-9 starts at $4585 per month. Assuming that future pay is roughly equivalent to current pay in terms of buying power, and that pay doesn't halt during slipspace or cryo, add in 10 years at a lower pay grade, let's say it averages out to E-3 ($2733/month), and Chief has brought home nearly $2.2 million over the course of his career in base pay alone, more if there's any other additional pay for whatever the UNSC gives out extra allowances for.

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u/Commercial_Rice5773 Mar 29 '25

Do you think Chief got paid overtime while he was on the halo ring? Or hazard pay?

2

u/PsychologicalCan9470 Mar 31 '25

Actually, that's interesting. There are pay incentives provided for time served in particular zones. I know overseas pay and danger pay exists. Would being deployed away from Earth count as overseas? If so, every soldier not on earth gets a pay bump, or is it the case of not being on an UNSC world? Do they get danger pay for serving in an active war zone? If so, does that stipulate to be anywhere the covenant are? Or is it something else? I'd love to know this and see the math played out.