Naiya Ray

For the UNSC officer, see Ray (UNSC officer).

Naiya Ray is a SPARTAN-IV supersoldier stationed aboard and the only surviving member of Fireteam Jackknife following the Battle of Ealen IV.

Biography
Prior to her transferring into Spartan branch, Naiya Ray served for four years as a signals intelligence (SIGINT) specialist.

Ealen IV
In March 2558, Ray and the rest of Fireteam Jackknife, along with Fireteam Bailey and Paul DeMarco of Fireteam Majestic, were assigned to escort and provide security Fleet Admiral Lord Terrence Hood and Kaidon Thel 'Vadam on a diplomatic mission to Ealen IV. While Hood and 'Vadam were negotiating with the Jiralhanae Chieftain Lydus, Covenant mercenaries led by Vata 'Gajat attacked the delegates. Commander Sarah Palmer ordered the Spartans to clear the chamber and help the delegates evacuate. When their evacuation ship was destroyed, they escorted the delegates to a nearby parts depot. Once everyone was inside, DeMarco sealed the depot to halt the oncoming Covenant forces. With communications to their ships having been blocked, they were left without any reinforcements.

Inside the plasma facility, Captain Thomas Lasky ordered Palmer and the protection detail to escort the delegation to a fortified redoubt. Palmer tasked Ray to escort Infinity's captain and utilize her SIGINT background to re-establish communications. As they searched the facility, hoping to find the old Covenant network and utilize the facility's transponders to triangulate the source of a jammer, Lasky and Ray were attacked by a Sangheili Warrior. Upon eliminating the Elite, Ray discovered that the Covenant network itself was responsible for the jamming and knew she could track the source of its power. After securing a pair of Type-26 Banshees, they observed several Covenant aircraft approach the redoubt.

Ray and Lasky attacked a Covenant base where the source of the Covenant jamming signal was originating. Ray threw a plasma battery at the power source and shot it destroying the reactor. With the communications interference cleared, Lasky informed the Infinity of the Covenant's attack. The fleets in orbit were able to drive Vata 'Gajat's forces into retreat. The delegation was saved but at the cost of a handful of Spartans' lives. During the battle, Vladimir Scruggs revealed himself as a turncoat and had killed the other two members of their fireteam. Following his death at the hands of Palmer, Ray was left as the last living member of Fireteam Jackknife.

Unearthing the mole
After the incident on Ealen IV, Ray was half informed she would be departing Infinity with Captain Lasky. Once off Infinity, Lasky briefed Ray about his intention to find an investigative journalist, Petra Janecek, to help them flush out the UNSC mole who gave away their location on Ealen IV. On March 10, they arrived in Castiglione, the capital of Escala III. When Ray expressed concern about meeting Lasky's contact in the outer colonies, Lasky reassured her and asked that they call one another by their first names, only to realize he did not know Ray's first name. Ray revealed her name to be Naiya and the two then rendezvoused with Janecek. The trio went to a boardwalk where Lasky and Petra caught up on old times. Lasky asked Naiya if she could give him and Petra a few minutes alone to keep her from hearing anything that could implicate her to their scheme.

Petra, Lasky, and Naiya then traveled to the Sangheili colony of Karava. There, she was about to engage a fight against a local Sangheili called 'Lordan, but Petra killed him. After the altercation, they entered a bar in the port city of Kor Delban where they met with Zef 'Trahl, Petra's contact. Zef informed them about Vata 'Gajat and his human collaborator, Captain Daniel Clayton. When Petra and Naiya asked Lasky why Clayton would betray the UNSC, Lasky informed them that Clayton was the son of the renowned Captain James Cutter.

Three days later, Naiya and Lasky returned to Infinity near Oth Lodon. During their time away, Infinity had been lured into a trap by Captain Clayton and attacked by the New Colonial Alliance. Infinity was saved by the Spartans who captured Clayton and killed Vata 'Gajat. Arriving onboard the ship, Commander Palmer told Ray to head to S-Deck for Roland's debriefings.

Bioweapon
On May 9, 2558, she and Spartan Gabriel Thorne were assigned a secret mission to capture an agent of Jul 'Mdama in possession of a mysterious bioweapon. The Spartans went down to the planet Ven III and encountered a small number of Kig-Yar but no organized resistance. As they explored the surface of the planet, they lost communications with Infinity due to a jamming field. Ray and Thorne proceeded to a Covenant structure where they were ambushed by the Sangheili agent and a contingent of Kig-Yar. During the skirmish, the Sangheili incapacitated Thorne and escaped with him. As Ray pursued Thorne's captor inside the planet's tunnels, she discovered a massive Kig-Yar pirate stronghold deep below the surface of the planet with black market arms dealers and slavers. After finding the Sangheili and a Kig-Yar carrying Thorne into a hangar bay, she was ambushed by a Kig-Yar and lost communications with Infinity.

Personality and traits
Naiya Ray is a determined and efficient soldier. Formerly a member of Fireteam Jackknife, she began to operate on "off-the-book" missions for the UNSC Defense Force under the command of Captain Thomas Lasky. She enjoyed her career as a Spartan and even joked that her investigation mission with Lasky and Petra Janecek was essentially a paid vacation. During the search for the mole within the UNSC, Ray felt uncomfortable visiting remote worlds in civilian clothes with no weapons. She is often relaxed and often makes jokes while in dangerous situations. Ray's combat skills had gained her the respect of Commander Sarah Palmer, who even tasked her with escorting Lasky on Ealen IV. She was specially skilled with communication technologies. Ray's missions with Captain Lasky led to the development of a close friendship between the two. Lasky trusted Ray with high priority missions and tasks. Ray had also developed a friendship with Spartan Gabriel Thorne.

Equipment
Ray wears the Infiltrator variant of the MJOLNIR GEN2 armor, and carries an MA5D assault rifle. Her armor is painted blue with a yellow trim.

Trivia
Ray's first name suggests that she is of Arabic ancestry.

List of appearances

 * Halo: Escalation