Kate Stalling

Kate Stalling, employing the alias Codename: JAEGER, was an operative from the Office of Naval Intelligence asset recovery team.

Zeta Halo project
Kate Stalling was a member of the second exploratory expedition force sent from the United Nations Space Command to Installation 07 circa 2558. Stalling's mission was to retrieve Forerunner artifacts of critical importance. Her research on the ring led to the discovery of the Conspectus network hubs, the ring's data storehouse that contained its system protocols, event logs, maintenance, communications, and defensive systems.

Battle for Zeta Halo
On December 12, 2559, the Banished launched an assault on Installation 07. At some point in the battle, Stalling was captured by the Banished, leaving her unable to respond to communications from Codename: POINTER. For months, her captors, the Sangheili Blademaster Jega 'Rdomnai and the Jiralhanae Bloodstar Gorian, tortured Stalling. They stole her research and took her to multiple excavation sites in search of the Conspectus network hubs, then eventually abandoned her in a cave at an excavation site. Unable to move due to her legs being broken from torture, Stalling drew a map to a Conspectus network hub on the cave wall.

On March 4, 2560, Stalling’s mutilated form was discovered by Spartan-IV Tomas Horvath of Fireteam Intrepid from. The Spartan was tracking Gorian’s activity on the ring before his AI detected Stalling's life signature. Stalling told Horvath of the Conspectus network and the names of her captors, including Gorian, who had an encounter with Horvath during the opening stages of battle.

Although Horvath initially refused to perform a mercy kill on Stalling, Stalling insisted and was eventually given one of Horvath's M6 sidearm. Horvath helped Stalling hold the pistol to her chin, and she waited for Horvath to leave the cave before pulling the trigger. Afterwards, Horvath returned to record the map and carried Stalling's body out of the cave, where he buried it in a place overlooking a body of water. Horvath vowed to locate the Conspectus network hub and send the ring's location to the UNSC, so Stalling's sacrifice would not be in vain.

List of appearances

 * Halo Infinite
 * Halo: The Rubicon Protocol