Nina Kovan

Nina Kovan is a SPARTAN-IV supersoldier of Fireteam Shadow in the United Nations Space Command.

Early life
For her entire military career, Kovan was considered an exemplary marksman. Eventually, when knowledge of the heroic Spartan super-soldiers like Linda-058 began to be more widely known, Kovan became obsessed with the study of the Spartan's records and methods, hoping to glean anything she could apply to her own battlefield approach. When offered the opportunity to become a Spartan herself, Kovan jumped at the chance, eager to follow in the footsteps of her heroes. At some point, Kovan was assigned to ANVIL Station, testing the HIVEMIND-class Mjolnir.

Requiem
In February 2558, Kovan and the rest of Fireteam Shadow assisted Fireteam Crimson in protecting the science team at "The Refuge". While Crimson defended the facility from the Covenant ground forces, Fireteam Shadow infiltrated Panom’s Canticle, the Covenant that was deploying the Covenant forces. In spite of heavy resistance, the team overloaded the ship's power core, destroying the cruiser and halted the Covenant's attack.

Installation 07
On December 12, 2559, Spartan Nina Kovan was onboard when it was ambushed by Banished forces upon arrival at Installation 07. As the Infinity fell to the Banished assault, Captain Thomas Lasky was evacuated from the ship, and Spartan Hudson Griffin ordered all Spartans to evacuate. Kovan left the ship on a drop pod, and she entered the ring's stratosphere, she adjusted her drop pod trajectory for a deployment of Banished Phantoms in an attempt to board one. Kovan successfully took control of a Phantom and landed on the ring's surface, where she provided sniper overwatch for members of Fireteam Taurus as they attacked a Banished anti-air artillery.

By December 19, Kovan and Stone, seemingly the only survivors of Fireteam Shadow, have regrouped, along with five marines. The group rendezvoused with other UNSC forces at the wreckage of, which had been found by Spartan Vedrana Makovich and designated as a UNSC base of operations.

On January 20, 2560, Kovan conducted a recon sweep deep inside Banished-occupied territory. She observed that Banished forces were only unified under Escharum, with internal competition among its members. She reported her findings to Griffin, and suggested that an attempt on Banished War Chief Escharum's life may fragment the Banished leadership. On January 23, Spartan Griffin, the de facto leader at the crash site, led Spartans Panago, Malik, and Sarkar in an assassination mission on Escharum. Kovan was among the Spartans that remained to defend the Reverie. However, the assassination on Escharum failed. Griffin sent an encrypted message to the Reverie on January 31 before he was captured and handed over to Chak 'Lok for torture. In his message, Griffin warned the Reverie of an impending Banished assault.

Under the combined leadership of Bertold Vettel and counsel of Makovich, the UNSC forces at the Reverie braced for the Banished's attack. Despite the preparations, the Banished assault under Chieftain Tremonius forced the UNSC forces to retreat from the Reverie on February 2. The UNSC forces scattered into the valley.

Kovan herself survived the battle, escaping the Reverie together with First Lieutenant TJ Murphy, Ensign Isaiah Cameron, Erik Bender and Robin Dimik. For the following three months, Kovan and her group stayed on the run from the Banished, conducting guerrilla attacks on enemy outposts and patrols with little to no success, incapable of turning the tide of the wider battle while what remained of the UNSC was being slowly wiped out day after day.

At the end of April, Kovan and her group reunited with Bonita Stone. Having observed a a fleet of Banished transports, including one from Escharum's personal fleet, heading towards the Reverie site. The group decided to follow them, in the hope to have a chance to take the War Chief out.

Once at the Reverie site, now converted in a Banished outpost, Stone scouted the area and found out that the combat medic Lucas Browning, now a prisoner of war, had been brought to the outpost. After that, Stone and Kovan waited nightfall, intending to take a chance to free Browning.

Personality and description
Nina Kovan has glacial blue eyes and blond hair that she generally has cut above her ears. However, during the Battle for Zeta Halo, months of staying on the move resulted in her hair growing long enough to touch her shoulders, at which point it was described as wavy. Kovan was nicknamed "The Stoic" due to her lack of external emotion and often expressionless face. Kovan was also known for her stealth, capable of avoiding detection even by other Spartans.

Equipment
During the Requiem Campaign, Spartan Kovan wore the Mjolnir GEN2 GUNGNIR. During Operation: VERTICAL UMBRAGE, Kovan used the Selene's Lance, a variant of the M6/E Spartan Laser, and a sniper rifle.

During the Battle for Zeta Halo, she wore the Mjolnir GEN3 Mark VII armor, employing the Stormfall helmet, the UA/Faunus shoulder pads, and UA/Type SA knee pads. However, the months of constant battle severely damaged her armor, rendering many of Kovan's systems inoperable and in need of repair. Up until it was lost during the Banished assault on the Mortal Reverie, Kovan used a custom sniper rig called "Abbey Lime." After this, she often carried a standard SRS99-S5 AM sniper rifle.

Production notes

 * Kovan's Mark VII armor coating, Wild Kovan, is available in Halo Infinite multiplayer. The coating can be unlocked by accessing the Mjolnir Armory locker north of FOB Delta.
 * In Halo Infinite, Nina Kovan is voiced by Sarah Elmaleh, who also voices 117649 Despondent Pyre.
 * Nina Kovan, along with Tomas Horvath, were set to be killed in the Halo Infinite audio logs. Kelly Gay, while writing Halo: The Rubicon Protocol, discussed with 343 Industries to cut the audio logs that depicted their deaths, allowing Gay to expand on the fates of the two Spartans in the novel.

List of appearances

 * Halo Infinite
 * Halo: The Rubicon Protocol
 * Vertical Umbrage