Veronica Clayton

"I don’t care what you think of me–or what Hood thinks of me–this process is important because you are too important and it’s my job to help make sure that you–all of you–are in prime working order and that there are no cracks in your armor–metaphorically speaking."

- Doctor Veronica Clayton, to Fred-104

Veronica Clayton, Ph.D. was a human internal investigator and psychiatrist employed by Captain Damien Hogarth towards the end of the Human-Covenant War, until her death at the beginning of the Battle for Earth in October 2552.

Biography
Following Blue Team's return to Earth from Operation: FIRST STRIKE, Captain Damien Hogarth of the Office of Naval Intelligence received approval from the UNSC Security Council to conduct full psychological evaluations on the members of Spartan-IIs to ensure the continued stability of the program. Hogarth had Clayton conduct her evaluations of the Spartans on Cairo Station above Earth. For reasons undefined, Sergeant Major Avery Johnson was also included in these sessions, as he had participated alongside the Spartans in FIRST STRIKE. On October 19, 2552, during her session with Johnson, Clayton questioned the sergeant about the smart AI Cortana's state, believing she had been corrupted by a Covenant associated intelligence. However, Johnson proved to be uncooperative during his interview. She later examined Frederic-104 on the following day, during the opening stages of the Battle for Earth, looking for signs of emotional instability following the Fall of Reach. However, the Spartan was reluctant to participate in the evaluation, wanting to aid in the defense of Earth. Clayton appeared somewhat hostile to Fred's decision to abandon Red Team's Pelican during the Fall of Reach, which ultimately resulted in the deaths of four Spartan-IIs. Because of this hostility, Fred began to wonder if Clayton was evaluating or interrogating him.

The evaluation was ended when Fleet Admiral Terrence Hood—who had not authorized the evaluation—had military police escort Clayton away and ordered Fred to rejoin Blue Team to aid in the defense of Earth. Clayton believed her evaluations were largely unsuccessful, due to obfuscation and interference from Hood and his staff. While returning to Sydney, Clayton's taxi was destroyed by the Covenant during their initial wave of attack. However, her evaluations made it back to Beta-5 Division in Sydney.

List of appearances

 * Halo: First Strike
 * Adjunct