SPARTAN-062

Summary
A Spartan character named Maria in the Halo Graphic Novel. She tests out the new MJOLNIR Mark VI battle armor in Songnam, Korea against a squad of ODSTs before it is sent up to Cario Station for the Master Chief. She mentions that she had retired to start a family.

In the Halo novel "The Fall of Reach" just as the remaining 30 Spartans are informed of their new mission to bring a prophet to Earth for talks on ending the Human-Covenant war, it is said that out of their 37 (sometimes mentioned either 36 or 37) that there had only been 3 KIA and 1 SPARTAN too wounded to continue active duty. Since the release of the Halo Graphic Novel, it is widley assumed that Maria is the wounded Spartan mentioned in Halo: The Fall of Reach, but other evidence indicates that Cassandra may be that wounded Spartan.

She says to the senior officer at Songnam that "Once John gets a hold of this armor, we'll all start sleeping a little better at night." It's obvious she had some previous encounter with the Master Chief, but it was not mentioned in any previous books or games.

In the Halo Graphic Novel it is also mentioned that she is in the Reserves which makes it possible that now the Covenant have invaded Earth she may return to the Spartan project and fight in future books.

Inconsistency
It is odd for ONI to allow a Spartan, a genetically altered extremely classified military operative, to live a civilian life. Despite the fact that most augmented SPARTAN-II subjects have a repressed sexual drive, she has quoted having children whom are likely to have excellent physical properties like their mother, but without the augmentations, and could reveal the Spartan program to the public. It is also possible that her children could be recruited into the Spartan-III Project. Also, the idea that she retired may just be a cover story for people that have read the HGN but not the full novels.