Linda-058: Difference between revisions

{{Character infobox

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{{Quote|I spotted for a class-II back on [[2539|'39]]. 0058. You know her? She was an absolute beast with the sniper.|A SPARTAN-IV remarks about Linda's capability.}}<ref>'''Halo 4''' Campaign, level ''[[Shutdown]]''</ref>

==Biography==

===Childhood and conscription===

{{Quote|Every candidate has exceeded the selection criteria... and ''my'' expectations: superior strength and speed coupled with dazzling intellects and remarkable cognitive absorption rates. In another time, each could have been the next [[Wikipedia:Alexander the Great|Alexander]], [[Wikipedia:Cleopatra VII|Cleopatra]], [[Wikipedia:Hannibal|Hannibal]], or [[Wikipedia:Genghis Khan|Genghis Khan]]. One girl (Number 058) engineered her own intelligence network at school to spy on the teachers!|Doctor Halsey records her delight at the abilities of the selected children, and Linda in particular, in [[Dr. Halsey's personal journal|her journal]].}}{{Ref/Reuse|HJ91517}}

Linda Pravdin was born on [[2511#March|March 19, 2511]] on the [[Outer Colonies|outer colony]] world of [[Verent]].<ref name="WaypointLinda-058">[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/characters/linda-058 '''Halo Waypoint''' - ''Linda-058'']</ref> There, she was taken care of by her mother.{{Ref/Reuse|HLW1}}{{Ref/Reuse|HTFOR3}} As a child, Linda engineered her own intelligence network at school to spy on the teachers.<ref name="HJ91517">''[[Dr. Halsey's personal journal]]'', ''September 15, 2517''</ref> She was the very first child identified as a candidate for [[Spartan-II Program|Project: SPARTAN-II]].{{Ref/Reuse|WaypointLinda-058}} Ultimately, she was numbered the fifty-eighth of one-hundred and fifty children of similar age that had been selected based on specific genetic markers for inclusion in the Spartan-II program, which only had facilities and funding for half that number.{{Ref/Reuse|WaypointLinda-058}}<ref name="HTFOR2">''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]'', ''Chapter 2''</ref> She was screened by members of Doctor [[Catherine Halsey]]'s team at some point between July and September of [[2517]] and by September 23 of that year she had been abducted by the [[Office of Naval Intelligence]], rushed through [[slipspace]] to [[Reach]].<ref name="HTFOR3">''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]'', ''Chapter 3''</ref><ref name="HJ72117">''[[Dr. Halsey's personal journal]]'', ''July 21, 2517''</ref> She was stolen from her bed while she had been sleeping and a [[Flash cloning|flash clone]] was used to take her place.<ref name="HFORBC">''[[Halo: Fall of Reach]]'', ''[[Halo: Fall of Reach - Boot Camp|Boot Camp]]''</ref><ref name="HTFOR25">''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]'', ''Chapter 25''</ref> Once awoken from [[cryostasis]] shortly before 2300 hours on September 23, Linda and seventy-four other children were led into an amphitheater through four sets of double doors, each accompanied by a [[UNSC Navy|naval]] drill instructor.{{Ref/Reuse|HTFOR3}} There, at around 2300 hours, far below the ground within [[Reach FLEETCOM Military Complex|a FLEETCOM military complex]], Catherine Halsey informed them that per [[Naval Code 45812]], they were thereby conscripted into SPARTAN-II. She explained that they had been called upon to serve and that they would be the protectors of Earth and all its colonies. Halsey told them they could not return to their parents and that from this moment on, the complex on Reach would be their home and their fellow trainees would be their family. And through the training that lay ahead of them would be difficult, she expressed her full confidence in their ability to overcome it. With that said, she told them to rest and that they would begin the next day. [[Chief Petty Officer]] [[Franklin Mendez]] had the children escorted to their barracks, fed, and put to bed.{{Ref/Reuse|HTFOR3}}

At around 0530 hours the next morning Linda and the other children were roused awake by Chief Mendez and dozens of other drill instructors.<ref name="HTFOR4">''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]'', ''Chapter 4''</ref> Mendez addressed them all, saying they were to shower at the barracks aft and then return to their cots to dress. Linda stripped down and joined the other children on a conveyor to be washed in lukewarm soapy water and then rinsed in an icy cold spray. A trunk at the foot of her cot held underwear, thick socks, combat boots, and a matching set of gray sweats with "LINDA-058" stenciled on the chest. Once everyone was clothed, Mendez marched them outside and had them form five rows of fifteen children each. From there, they were ordered through a series of calisthenics which included one-hundred each of jumping jacks, sit-ups, deep squats, knee bends, and leg lifts. After the leg lifts the kids were finally given a respite in the form of water. Following the short break, Mendez ordered them to join him on a run. They jogged through the military compound, past more barracks, along a river, and over a bridge, finally coming to a stop in the courtyard of a naval officers' academy. There Linda and the others met [[Déjà]], a [[Dumb AI|so-called "dumb" A.I.]] who had been given the job of continuing the trainees' formal education. Within the building, Linda and the others were served crackers and milk and treated to a history lesson concerning the [[Wikipedia:Battle of Thermopylae|Battle of Thermopylae]]. After the lesson the trainees were told they were heading for the playground, but this turned into a two-mile run to a forest of twenty-meter-tall wooden poles, rope cargo nets and bridges, knotted climbing ropes, pulleys, and baskets. Mendez had them form three lines and declared that each row of three would be a team. Chief Mendez explained that they would be playing a game called "[[Ring the Bell]]" in which the objective was for every member of each team to ring a brass bell that hung from a slide pole next to the tallest wooden pole. Linda's team managed to avoid finishing last, and so she avoided being penalized with missing out on that night's dinner of roast turkey, gravy and mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, brownies, and ice cream served in the mess hall.{{Ref/Reuse|HTFOR4}}

On [[2519#July|July 12, 2519]], all seventy-five children were transported, via [[D96-TCE Albatross]], to a [[Reach Military Wilderness Training Preserve|military wilderness training preserve]] in the Highland Mountains.{{Ref/Reuse|HTFOR5}} While ''en route'', Chief Mendez explained that each trainee would be dropped off alone in different locations throughout the preserve with only a piece of various maps provided to them. Their goal was simply to reconvene at a designated extraction point, but the last one to arrive would be forced to walk back to base. [[John-117]] sighted a lake and the river which fed it and had [[Samuel-034]] let the others know to use it to meet back up with one another. Dressed in fatigues, a heavy parka, and boots, Linda was dropped off like the rest within a snow-covered forest.{{Ref/Reuse|HTFOR5}} Linda soon met up with John, Sam, [[Kelly-087]], and [[Frederic-104]].<ref name="HTFORTAS">''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach - The Animated Series]]''</ref> Sam decided to carve a mark into a tree that they could remember the location by for years to come.{{Ref/Reuse|HTFORTAS}} They soon after gathered everyone else together in one place.{{Ref/Reuse|HTFOR5}} John told Sam to pick three others to help him scout the area and Linda was chosen, along with [[James-005]] and [[Fhajad-084]]. The four of them took off together into the brush and only returned after John whistled to signify they were ready to move out as one group again, the extraction point's location having been pinpointed as a full day's hike away. At noon the children stopped to stretch and eat berries they had gathered along their journey. It was near sundown when they finally came upon their destination in a meadow where another Albatross dropship sat.{{Ref/Reuse|HTFOR5}} This one was guarded by six men without any uniforms. John was certain that the men wouldn't just let them board peaceably, so he devised a plan wherein the men would be lured into a trap. Once [[Vance|one man]] had been tricked into chasing after Kelly to where Sam was feigning an injury, Linda hit him in the head with a stone before he could use a [[humbler stun device]] on him, knocking the man to the ground.{{Ref/Reuse|HTFORTAS}}{{Ref/Reuse|HTFOR5}} She then dropped down from where she had been perched in a tree as the rest of the children continued to pelt the man.{{Ref/Reuse|HTFORTAS}}{{Ref/Reuse|HTFOR5}} Their efforts left Sam's would-be aggressor bloody and barely conscious.{{Ref/Reuse|HTFOR5}} This basic strategy was repeated, but the second time the remaining five men were set upon at once by the trainees, who assaulted them with rocks, fists, and boots.{{Ref/Reuse|HTFOR5}} John opened a link to [[Déjà]] within the dropship and asked if she could teach him to fly it.{{Ref/Reuse|HTFOR5}} Déjà responded by saying he was in no way authorized to do so, but that she could take control of it herself if he gave her access. One all seventy-four others were aboard, Déjà lifted them off the ground and returned them home.{{Ref/Reuse|HTFOR5}}

===Facing Tango Company===

{{Quote|no=four|q1=Make sure the guys guarding the flag are removed.|John-117|q2=Count on it.|Linda-058|q3=After we get the flag, Red Team will get out of there. Watch for targets of opportunity and cover us. We rendezvous at the LZ and hopefully nobody finds us before then.|John-117|q4=You'll be in good hands.|Linda-058|Linda affirms her confidence in her abilities.}}{{Ref/Reuse|HFS17}}

===ASTER===

On [[2524#August|August 22, 2524]], the Spartan-II candidates were rerouted during a training exercise  to the opposite side of [[Reach]] from which they normally trained.{{Ref/Reuse|DHPJA22}} This was done at the behest of interested parties in ONI who wished to observe them firsthand.<ref name="DHPJA22">''[[Dr. Halsey's personal journal]]'', ''August 22, 2524''</ref> At some point after the trainees had began to physically mature, an incident in which one of them, [[Margaret-053]], was blinded during a beating meted out by four other teens, caused Chief Mendez to replace everyone's mess hall time with a period of fasting until [[Red Team|the perpetrators]] were identified.<ref name="HBL4">''[[Halo: Blood Line]]'', ''[[Halo: Blood Line Issue 4|Issue #4]]''</ref> It was not uncommon at this time for two trainees to [[martial arts|spar]] one another with [[pugil stick]]s while trying to balance on floating logs while the rest watched.<ref name="HBL3">''[[Halo: Blood Line]]'', ''[[Halo: Blood Line Issue 3|Issue #3]]''</ref> On [[2525#March|March 9 of 2525]] Linda and the other Spartan-II candidates were transported to [[Medical Facility Endurance]] in orbit over [[Reach]] in order to undergo a series of invasive procedures designed to physically, chemically, and genetically augment their bodies.{{Ref/Reuse|HTFORTAS}}<ref name="HTFOR6">''[[The Fall of Reach]]'', ''Chapter 6''</ref><ref name="H5GL">''[[Halo 5: Guardians]]'', John-117's loadout</ref> The procedures began with the administration of an intravenous [[Drugs|sedative]] and the lasering of incision vectors onto each teen's body.{{Ref/Reuse|HTFOR6}} The various augmentations, under the purview of [[Project ASTER|Project: ASTER]], were carried out the following day.<ref name="DHPJA1">''[[Dr. Halsey's personal journal]]'', ''April 1, 2525''</ref>{{Ref/Reuse|HOSFM83}} With the assistance of surgeons, biotechnicians, and automated robotic machinery, the surgical procedures Linda endured included occipital capillary reversals, the carbide ceramic ossification of her bones, the insertion of a catalytic [[Wikipedia:thyroid gland|thyroid implant]], injections to enhance muscle strength and endurance, and the fibrification of neural dendrites to make them superconductive.{{Ref/Reuse|HTFOR6}} She also was treated with [[Wikipedia:Gene therapy|gene therapy]] and underwent [[Wikipedia:Transgene|transgenic hybridization]].<ref name="HOSFM83">''[[Halo: Official Spartan Field Manual]]'', ''page 83''</ref> When the procedures had been completed, only thirty-three of the teenagers had ostensibly been augmented successfully.{{Ref/Reuse|HTFOR6}} As far as Linda was made aware, twelve others had been injured during the operations so severely that they would be unfit to be Spartans and the remaining thirty had died.{{Ref/Reuse|HTFOR6}} The truth, conversely, was that those pronounced dead were in fact cryogenically preserved in the hopes that they could be revived later, and some of those that were crippled would go on to be rehabilitated and join the ranks of [[Spartan-II]]s in the future.<ref name="DHPJM10">''[[Dr. Halsey's personal journal]]'', ''January 7, 2535''</ref><ref name="HW2PLA130">''[[Halo Wars 2]]'', [[Phoenix Logs|phoenix logs]], [[Phoenix Logs#Alice-130|Alice-130]]</ref> But at midnight at the start of [[2525#March|March 30]], Linda had been made to believe that forty-two of her fellow trainees had become casualties.{{Ref/Reuse|HTFOR6}} The thirty-three to have officially come through the procedures unharmed and the twelve to have been grievously injured both gathered together at that point within the missile launch bays of the {{UNSCShip|Atlas}}, an {{Class|Epoch|heavy carrier}} heading for the [[Lambda Serpentis system]].{{Ref/Reuse|HTFOR6}}<ref name="CF100">[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/news/sweet-centennial '''Halo Waypoint''' - ''Canon Fodder #100: Sweet Centennial'']</ref> Adorned in black dress uniforms, they bid farewell to what they thought were twenty-nine of their lost brothers and sisters as stainless steel canisters were ejected into space.{{Ref/Reuse|HTFOR6}} Linda and the others saluted in unison. Chief Mendez then commanded two full days of bed rest to be followed by microgravity physical therapy aboard the ''Atlas'' until they had all fully recovered. In the days ahead [[Déjà]] also planned to run the teens through some dropship pilot simulations and to cover some more organic chemistry and complex algebra, as long as they were up to the challenge.{{Ref/Reuse|HTFOR6}} For the next three weeks, Linda and the others were put through a routine of stretching, isometric exercises, and [[Martial arts|light sparring]].<ref name="HTFOR7">''[[The Fall of Reach]]'', ''Chapter 7''</ref> They were also under orders to consume five high-protein meals per day, each followed by mineral and vitamin injections in the ship's medical bay. By April 22, the ''Atlas'' was still patrolling the Lambda Serpentis system.{{Ref/Reuse|HTFOR7}}

===TALON===

===MJOLNIR===

The ''Pioneer'' did not return to [[Reach]] until [[2525#November|November 2 of 2525]].{{Ref/Reuse|HTFORTAS}} John rode a Pelican to the military complex on the surface with the other members of Blue Team and was met by Chief Mendez, who told them they were to assemble in the amphitheater with haste.{{Ref/Reuse|HTFORTAS}} There, at 0600 hours all thirty-three Spartans gathered, in their dress uniforms, to hear from [[Vice Admiral]] [[Michael Stanforth]].{{Ref/Reuse|HTFOR11}} All the Spartans rose and stood at attention when Mendez entered and remained standing until Stanforth gave them permission to be seated. The Admiral informed the teenagers that the [[Outer Colony]] of [[Harvest]] had been [[First Battle of Harvest|annihilated]] some time ago by what appeared to be alien attackers. The adversary responsible called itself "the [[Covenant]]" and had broadcast a message announcing that the destruction of [[humanity]] was the will of its [[Forerunner|god]]s. Stanforth told them that the UNSC had been ordered to full alert and that the largest fleet action in human history was being mobilized in response. And because of the UNSC-wide mobilization, the Spartans' training was to be accelerated to its final phase: [[Mjolnir|Project MJOLNIR]]. The briefing on the new threat and the UNSC's reaction to it concluded, Stanforth then let them all know that Mendez would be leaving them to begin the training of a second class of Spartans. John called for everyone to stand and salute the Chief a final time.<ref name="HTFOR11">''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]'', ''Chapter 11''</ref>

{{Main|Battle of Alpha Corvi II}}

{{Quote|In contact with enemy. Estimated strength approximately one hundred. Well, eighty or so now.|Linda broadcasts her assessment of the Covenant's local numbers, revising her original communique to account for the casualties she'd recently inflicted.}}{{Ref/Reuse|HCD3}}

On [[2525#December|December 3, 2525]], a substantial [[Covenant]] force emerged from [[slipspace]] near [[Alpha Corvi system|Alpha Corvi]] and proceeded to began an attack on the system's [[Alpha Corvi II|second planet]].{{Ref/Reuse|HCD1}} It was at this point that the four remaining [[Spartan-II]] warriors of [[Blue Team]] whom had participated in [[Operation: TALON]] were briefed on the attack while already ''en route'' to the system.{{Ref/Reuse|HCD1}}<ref name="HTFOR9">''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]'', ''Chapter 9''</ref> [[Lieutenant Commander]] [[Yao]] told Linda and the others that they would be dropping on the outskirts of [[Jamshid]] and engaging the Covenant from the rear.{{Ref/Reuse|HCD1}} Their objective was to lessen the pressure on the main UNSC garrison within the city so that a proper counterattack could be prepared. It was also imperative, they were told, that they operate independently of [[Unified Ground Command|Ground Command]] and refrain from having any contact with anyone from the [[UNSC Marine Corps|Marine Corps]] whatsoever. Upon arrival at the planet, Blue Team was redirected to the mining settlement of [[Black Reef]] and ordered to neutralize the invaders there and discover why it was being targeted. During their insertion via a [[D77-TC Pelican]], [[Nora]], an [[A.I.]] on the ''Persian Gate'', introduced the Spartans to various scouting and reconnaissance enhancements their armor was outfitted with for this mission, including prototype [[active camouflage]] technology.{{Ref/Reuse|HCD1}} Linda and Fred were also provided with forearm-housed carbon-fiber blades and Linda was additionally given an [[Jetpack|individual propulsion system]]. Blue Team was set down in a [[Unidentified APC|ground vehicle]] on the beach and immediately began taking fire from [[United Rebel Front]] troops encamped a short distance away.{{Ref/Reuse|HCD1}} John opted to activate his active camouflage and creep up on the small band. After revealing himself, he convinced the URF troops to assist the Spartans in fighting against their common enemy. The rebels drove Covenant forces toward Blue Team's position and they unloaded on the aliens with [[BR55 battle rifle]]s when the distance between them closed. Linda questioned the necessity of working with the rebels so John reminded her that Halsey hoped they could gather intelligence regarding what the Covenant was doing on the planet, and that the humans who lived there could help with that. The [[Sangheili]] and [[Kig-Yar]] that remained escaped into the mouth of a tunnel that led deep into the mines beneath the reef's bedrock. John was determined to pursue them. [[Whitaker]], the insurrectionist forces' commander, informed him that though the mine was an expansive mess of tunnels, it only had the one entry and exit, meaning the enemy was trapped within it.{{Ref/Reuse|HCD1}} Yao soon let Blue Team know that a host of new dropships were inbound. Most of them were heading for Jamshid, but three Spirits would reach Black Reef in just three minutes. Whitaker volunteered to hold the mine entrance with his people so the Spartans could pursue the Covenant forces that had vanished within. Linda again questioned John's willingness to trust their newfound allies, and this time he stressed that they had every reason to continue aiding them, given that it was their planet under attack.{{Ref/Reuse|HCD1}}

After emerging from beneath the waves, Nora made contact with the Spartans and informed them that the ground action in their immediate area was making it impossible for the Pelican ''[[Tango 807]]'' to extract them safely.{{Ref/Reuse|HCD3}} In clearing a spot for it to land, Blue Team suddenly found themselves aided by Whitaker and a small group of other surviving rebels, with a few of them having even managed to hijack Blue Team's ground vehicle and now bring it to bear against the Covenant. The Spartans and URF allies all made their way to ''Tango 807'' once it landed in order to escape the doomed planet, but only Linda, John, Kelly, and Fred were permitted aboard. Once they were back aboard the ''Persian Gate'' John confronted Lieutenant Commander Yao about abandoning Whitaker and the others. He was incensed that though the rebels had fought for them, they had not done the same for them. Yao told him that was enough and stormed off. Halsey reminded John that keeping his team alive was all that had mattered in the end, and also then asked him if he had been able to see [[Forerunner|what]] the Covenant had been looking for under Black Reef. The ''Persian Gate'' soon [[slipspace|slipped]] away from Alpha Corvi II before it could be destroyed along with it.{{Ref/Reuse|HCD3}}

{{Main|Skirmish over Netherop}}

===SILENT STORM===

{{Main|Operation: SILENT STORM}}

{{Expand-section}}

During the first decade of the war, Blue Team fought on dozens of besieged worlds, buying time for orderly UNSC withdrawals and civilian evacuations and leading strikes deep into the heart of enemy forces to destroy key ships and eliminate Covenant commanders.<ref name="HOSFM57">''[[Halo: Official Spartan Field Manual]]'', ''page 57''</ref> During these first ten years a handful of victories were secured by Spartans even after orbital superiority was lost at colonies under attack.<ref name="HOSFM82">''[[Halo: Official Spartan Field Manual]]'', ''page 82''</ref>

In mid-[[2530]], Linda and the three other members of [[Blue Team]] successfully assaulted the [[United Rebel Front]]'s [[Station Jefferson]] in the [[Eridanus system|Eridanus]] [[asteroid]] belt.{{Ref/Reuse|HGOO1}} They dealt another blow to the rebels at some point between then and the last few months of the year when they boarded the URF [[destroyer]] ''[[Origami]]'' and completed a mission which removed the ship from the Front's possession. This campaign against the Front then led to Linda, John, Kelly, and Fred carrying out a mission to halt the manufacturing of highly-powerful explosives at one of its dedicated facilities in October or November of [[2530]].{{Ref/Reuse|HGOO1}} At two points between then and the advent of May in [[2531]], the four-Spartan team deployed against pockets of the URF that  existed on two of the [[UEG]]'s core worlds: [[Earth]] and [[Reach]]. On Earth, they were deployed to deal with a rebel element in [[Aranuka|Micronesia]], and on [[Reach]], they put an end to a saboteur cell.{{Ref/Reuse|HGOO1}}

===Camp New Hope===

On [[2531|May 1, 2531]], [[Blue Team]], then consisting of Linda, Kelly, Fred, John, and [[Kurt-051]], had [[Operation: SMOKING ACES|infiltrated]] a URF military base on [[Victoria]], [[Camp New Hope]]. However, the Insurrectionists successfully ambushed Linda, Kelly, Fred, and John using an [[antigravity plate]] which disabled the Spartans.<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''page 35''</ref> Before the rebels could interrogate the Spartans, Kurt freed Blue Team using an [[M12 Warthog]] and [[Asteroidea anti-personnel mine]]s. However, the rescue resulted in the death of the high-ranking rebel leader [[Howard Graves|General Howard Graves]].<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''page 41''</ref>

===Fallen Walls===

Linda was present at [[Jericho VII]] in [[2535]] for [[Battle of Jericho VII|Operation: FALLEN WALLS]].

===Draco III===

{{Quote|Everyone else might have cheered at the images of humanity's superheroes diving in and kicking some Covenant ass, but all I could think about was how useless it was to pin our hopes on a few handfuls of super-soldiers who couldn't possibly be everywhere we needed them to be.|Edward Buck recalls his reaction to watching footage of the Spartans taking back Draco III.}}{{Ref/Reuse|HNB2}}

On [[2545#January|January 10, 2545]], the Covenant began a brutal assault on the colony world of [[Draco III]].<ref name="JS1/10/45">[[Jessica Shea]] on Twitter 01/10/2545 [https://twitter.com/bsangel/status/686229527857504259]</ref> Its defenses were overwhelmed in a short amount of time and the Covenant began to land forces on the surface.<ref name="HNB2">''[[Halo: New Blood]]'', ''Chapter 2''</ref> The majority of the [[Spartan-II]]s, including Linda and [[John-117]], were directed to reinforce the colonists.{{Ref/Reuse|HTFOR20}} Before arriving, the Spartans were shown footage of a massacre on the surface which had been relayed to them via satellite linkup. Linda and the others could only watch as [[human]]s were herded together and then torn apart by ravenous [[Unggoy]] and [[Kig-Yar]]. By the time the Spartans finally made it to Draco III, there was nobody left to rescue. Despite being too late to save the victims, Linda and the others made sure that they were avenged.<ref name="HTFOR20">''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]'', ''Chapter 20''</ref> Their retaliation resulted in the deaths of every Covenant soldier on the planet and footage of it was broadcast to the public in order to boost morale.{{Ref/Reuse|HNB2}}<ref name="Enc300">''[[Halo Encyclopedia (2009 edition)]]'', ''page 300''</ref>

===OCEAN BREAKER===

She was also at [[Sigma Octanus IV]] during the [[Battle of Sigma Octanus IV]]. She was designated as Green-One, leading SPARTAN-II [[Green Team]] into the suburbs around [[Côte d'Azur]].<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''page 203'' (2010 edition)</ref> Her team scouted out the residential section of the city and found no survivors. Green Team helped escort the twenty civilian survivors that [[Red Team]] (led by [[Joshua-029]]) had found and was able to successfully evacuate them before [[Blue Team]] detonated a [[HAVOK tactical nuclear weapon|HAVOK nuclear warhead]] in the heart of the city, destroying tens of thousands of [[Covenant]] forces stationed there. Linda was given strategic control of the evacuation.<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''page 213'' (2010 edition)</ref> Linda and her team then dusted off in a [[D77-TC Pelican]] which docked with the {{UNSCShip|Leviathan}} and returned to [[Reach]] for debriefing.<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''page 240'' (2010 edition)</ref>

===Fall of Reach===

{{Main|Fall of Reach}}

[[File:HFoR - Blue Team on Gamma Station.jpg|thumb|250px|Linda, John, and James fighting on Gamma Station.]]

===Installation 04===

{{Main|Battle of Installation 04}}

===Operation: FIRST STRIKE===

{{Main|Operation: FIRST STRIKE}}

{{Quote|Now I know what you have to do to get a couple of days' R-and-R in this outfit.|Linda, after being resuscitated from clinical death aboard {{UNSCShip|Gettysburg}}<ref name="fs268">'''Halo: First Strike''', ''page 268'' (2003 edition); ''page 322'' (2010 edition)</ref>}}

As John, Will, and Fred evacuated, Linda, with some of her best and potent shooting skills, managed to shoot [[seven]] Sangheili pilots right out of their airborne [[Type-26 Banshee]] fliers one-handed and hanging upside-down from a cable.<ref>'''Halo: First Strike''', ''pages 318-320'' (2003 edition); ''pages 381-383'' (2010 edition)</ref> She refused to give up her position to make sure her three comrades got out alive, even at the expense of her own life, until John ordered her to let him rescue her over the [[COM]]. She then sent the Spartan-derived [[Oly Oly Oxen Free]] over the COM and uploaded a NAV marker with her location to John's [[Heads-up display|HUD]]. It turned out that she was actually hiding in broad daylight, but angled so that the sun would not reflect off of her suit, thus providing an undetectable cover from which she eliminated the Banshees.<ref>'''Halo: First Strike''', ''page 322'' (2003 edition); ''page 386'' (2010 edition)</ref>

Using the ''Bloodied Spirit'', Linda and the other SPARTAN-IIs traveled to the planet [[Onyx]] at the request of Dr. Catherine Halsey. Linda arrived with Fred-104 and Will-043 in a crash landing on the surface.<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''page 234''</ref> There, she met [[Kelly-087]], [[Catherine Halsey|Dr. Halsey]], [[Kurt-051|Lieutenant Commander Kurt Ambrose]] (a Spartan she had thought dead for twenty-one years) and many [[SPARTAN-III program|Spartan-III]]s — most notably [[Holly-G003|Holly]], [[Ash-G099|Ash]], and [[Dante-G188|Dante]].<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''page 254''</ref> There they were assaulted by multiple [[Onyx Sentinel]]s. The Sentinels attacked in groups of three, one watching and reporting Spartan tactics to the other Sentinels at three thousand meters in the air, and the other two attacking at close range. Linda was able to shoot the overwatch Sentinel out of the sky with aid from two [[M41 rocket launcher]]s.<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''page 262''</ref>

[[Slipspace translocation|Translocating]] to another section of Onyx, they found Spartan-III [[Team Katana]], who were trapped in Forerunner [[slipspace field pod]]s. As such, the Spartans were unable to resuscitate them and fled to [[Core room antechamber|a chamber]] within Onyx's core, taking Team Katana with them, whilst being pursued by a [[Joyous Exultation Covenant|Covenant]] army under command of [[Fleet Master]] [[Voro Nar 'Mantakree]].<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''page 350''</ref> The Covenant forces assaulted the small group of Spartan-IIs and Spartan-IIIs, who were holding their ground at a [[slipspace portal]] in the center of the core room. Linda was able to kill many Sangheili and Unggoy, but they were quickly being overwhelmed, and Kurt ordered a retreat into the slipspace rift while he stayed behind to make sure the Covenant did not follow them inside. Linda's final act during that battle was to shoot two Sangheili out of their Banshees before retreating through.<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''pages 366-368''</ref>

After another victim had been discovered in the caves, Linda, Kelly, Tom, and Lucy were tasked with escorting the GMoP team and the bagged victim back to the village of [[Wendosa]], while the rest of Blue Team continued to search for the ancilla.<ref>'''Halo: Last Light''', ''page 146'' (Google Play edition)</ref> Upon arriving at Wendosa on [[2553#July|July 4, 2553]], the Spartans attempted to deliver the victim to a [[Pelican]] [[dropship]] for extraction. However, the four Spartans were spotted by members of the [[Keepers of the One Freedom]], a radical [[Covenant remnants|Covenant sect]] that had traveled to Gao in search for the ancilla. The cult's [[Jiralhanae]] leader, [[Castor]], believed that the bagged victim aboard the Pelican was actually the ancilla and ordered his forces to attack Wendosa to retrieve the AI.<ref>'''Halo: Last Light''', ''pages 134-136'' (Google Play edition)</ref><ref>'''Halo: Last Light''', ''pages 141-142'' (Google Play edition)</ref> As the Keepers of the One Freedom attacked the village, Linda and the other Spartans helped [[Charlie Company (Gao)|Charlie Company]] defend the rest of the research battalion. While the [[company]] took a defensive position in [[Hotel Wendosa]], Linda and the Spartans formed a skirmish ring around the hotel, attempting to disrupt enemy formations and prevent a Jiralhanae charge.<ref>'''Halo: Last Light''', ''pages 183-185'' (Google Play edition)</ref>

===Post-war operations===

===Gamma Halo===

[[File:Blue Team Escalation1.png|thumb|250px|Linda and the rest of Blue Team onboard a GA-TL1 Longsword.]]

On [[2557|July 26, 2557]], Linda, Kelly, and Fred were reunited with John for a mission to [[Installation 03]] to investigate a recent attack on a UNSC science team as well as Spartan-II [[Black Team]] on the ring. Soon after their arrival Linda found tracks left by a [[Promethean Crawler]]. Fred and Linda found the bodies of Team Black while John and Kelly found the scientists. Shortly after they left the camp they were attacked by [[Promethean Knights]], but managed to fend them off. They continued following the Crawlers' tracks and came to where the [[Composer]] was originally located. They soon found the [[Composer's Abyss]] where they entered a [[slipspace portal|portal]].<ref name="HE8">'''[[Halo: Escalation]]''', ''[[Halo: Escalation Issue 8|Issue #8]]''</ref>

===Argent Moon===

[[File:H5G-Linda GI.jpg|thumb|250px|Linda onboard ''Argent Moon''.]]

{{Quote|no=two|q1=What do we know about the experiments they were doing here?|Linda-058|q2=We don't. And we don't ask.|John-117|The Master Chief and Linda examining dead bodies of ONI personel}}

On October 23, 2558, Linda and the rest of Blue Team were deployed from the {{UNSCShip|Infinity}} on a mission to find and secure ''[[Argent Moon]]'', an ONI research vessel that had been missing for nineteen months. Departing from a [[D79-TC Pelican|Pelican]], Blue Team managed to infiltrate the ''Argent Moon'' by shooting out one of the windows, subsequently causing many Sangheili of [[Jul 'Mdama's Covenant faction]] to be sucked out into the vacuum. Ascertaining that there were no human survivors aboard, Linda and the others fought towards central control, where they planned to disable the gravity and life support systems on the ship in order to kill off the rest of the Covenant. During the mission, John experienced a vision from [[Cortana]] telling him that the [[Domain]] was open, that [[Meridian]] was next, and that the [[Reclaimer|Reclamation]] was about to begin. Upon coming to, he told Blue Team what he had seen. Resolving to deal with it later, they continued onwards according to their original plan. Upon witnessing Covenant vessels exiting slipspace all around the ''Argent Moon'', however, the plan changed to asset denial and it was decided that the ''Argent Moon'' must be destroyed. Blue Team fought to the ship's reactor and disabled its safeties so that it would begin to overheat and detonate. However, the ''Argent Moon'' responded with automatic safeties, moving the reactor to a cooling center where it could be contained. Needing to ensure its overload, Blue Team followed the reactor to the cooling center in vacuum, using Banshees to destroy its coolant pipes. With their interference, the cooling system failed and the reactor began overheating, prepping ''Argent Moon''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s destruction. Blue Team needed to escape, but their Banshees would not escape the explosion in time and their arrival Pelican appeared to have been destroyed. John thus ordered them to the hangar where they could take a [[Winter-class prowler]] and escape into slipspace. Arriving at a hangar, the Spartans found the parked [[prowler]] [[ONI Acrisius|ONI ''Acrisius'']], but needed to recharge its fuel cells. Many more Covenant attacked them while Blue Team defended themselves, waiting for the prowler to prep for launch. With the hangar cleared and the ''Acrisius'' ready, John-117 radioed the UNSC ''Infinity'' and informed them that he would be sending Blue Team to Meridian. However, ''Infinity'' was already aware of Cortana's return and ordered Blue Team back to them while another Spartan team was sent to deal with her. Rejecting their orders, Blue Team chose to go AWOL and evacuated aboard the ''Acrisius'', leaving the ''Argent Moon'' as it exploded.

===Genesis===

[[File:H5G-Blue-03.jpg|thumb|250px|Blue Team confronting Cortana.]]

Upon landing on Genesis, Blue Team came across a series of computer consoles sounding musical tunes of [[Spartan signals|Oly Oly Oxen Free]]. Following the path unlocked by interacting with those consoles, Blue Team battled through stranded Covenant forces before meeting the [[Warden Eternal]]. Shortly after learning of the Warden Eternal's role as Cortana's defender, John demanded to meet her, only for the Warden Eternal to refuse and commence hostilities. Shortly after Blue Team's defeat of the Warden Eternal in battle, Cortana finally revealed herself to them, expressing relief that they made it to Genesis. Upon questioning Cortana on the circumstances of her survival, they learned that the [[Domain]] had saved her; Cortana referred to it as the "fountain of youth" for AIs. Suspicious of Cortana's desire to reunite with them, Blue Team proceeded further into the planet in order to physically locate her. Shortly afterward, Fireteam Osiris caught up with Blue Team. Before the two Spartan teams could team up, Cortana separated them. Blue Team fought an uphill battle through Promethean forces and multiple bodies of the Warden Eternal before physically meeting Cortana. There she revealed to them her plan to use the Guardians as a means of enforcing a forced peace upon the galaxy. Rejecting Cortana's plan, John ordered her to stand down and return to Earth with the team. Cortana refused and sealed Blue Team in a [[Cryptum]], intending to keep them in stasis for 10,000 years. With the aid of [[Exuberant Witness]], Fireteam Osiris narrowly managed to free Blue Team from the Cryptum.

===Reunion===

It only took a few minutes to traverse the portal through slipspace.<ref name="HBB1">''[[Halo: Bad Blood]]'', ''Chapter 1''</ref> When the Pelican emerged, the Spartans found themselves flying through a cavernous cave, which they exited to be faced with a deep [[Sanghelios]] night. Locke was determined to get back to the {{UNSCShip|Infinity}}, and Linda was surprised when he mentioned that Commander [[Sarah Palmer]] might still be on the planet. John apologized for everything that had recently happened but Linda responded by putting a hand on his arm and saying he had only done what he thought was right. She additionally pointed out that he had been backed up by she, Kelly, and Fred every step of the way and that they would do it again if they had to. Locke soon mentioned that if they could get back to the ''Infinity'', Halsey might be able to work out a solution, which caught Linda and the other [[Spartan-II]]s by surprise. Both Locke and Buck explained that they had rescued the doctor from Jul 'Mdama and brought her back to the Infinity and that she had subsequently insisted on accompanying them to Sanghelios.{{Ref/Reuse|HBB1}}

Everyone was awake around an hour before sunrise and all the humans piled into the Pelican.{{Ref/Reuse|HBB1}} Then they were off, soaring through and past the planet's atmosphere on a trip that took them just a few hours. With about twenty minutes until the ''Infinity''{{'}}s projected arrival, Fireteam Osiris broke out a game of [[Wikipedia:Hearts|Hearts]], but Linda and the others declined playing. When ''Infinity'' finally did show up, Kelly landed ''[[India 127]]'' in its fifth portside bay.{{Ref/Reuse|HBB1}} The Spartans were met there by a [[lieutenant]] who announced that Halsey, Locke, Palmer, and John were wanted on the bridge.{{Ref/Reuse|HBB2}} Palmer instructed the rest of them to get cleaned up and to decompress for a bit and soon a team of engineers was scanning and getting readings from their armor. The engineers brought Linda and the others to the ship's assemblage bay so they could then have it removed. The Spartan-IIs had to be taken to a different section than Buck, Tanaka, and Vale due to having slightly different frames.<ref name="HBB2">''[[Halo: Bad Blood]]'', ''Chapter 2''</ref>{{Ref/Note|According to author [[Matt Forbeck]], early drafts of ''[[Halo: Bad Blood]]'' featured the Spartans of [[Blue Team]] being present for the marriage of [[Edward Buck]] and [[Veronica Dare]] aboard the ''Infinity'' near the start of November [[2558]]. Forbeck says [[343 Industries]] asked him to remove them from this scene however, claiming that it was not yet determined whether or not they were still present on the ship at that time.}}<ref name="MFI">[https://soundcloud.com/archiveinstallation/004-matt-forbeck-interview '''The Archive Installation''' - ''Matt Forbeck Interview'']</ref>

===Raid on CASTLE Base===

==Equipment==

==Production notes==

File:Halo5GuardiansDossierLinda.png|Dossier on Linda from the special edition of ''Halo 5: Guardians''.

File:H5G Linda058 Transparent.png|A render of Linda in ''Halo 5: Guardians''.

File:Halo lone wolf.png|Linda on the cover of ''[[Halo: Lone Wolf Issue 1]]''.

File:Halo Lone Wolf 2.jpeg|Linda on the cover of ''[[Halo: Lone Wolf Issue 2]]''.

File:HLW_Linda.png|Linda in ''Halo: Lone Wolf''.

File:HLW_LindaYoung.png|Linda recalling a childhood memory in ''Halo: Lone Wolf''.

</gallery>

*''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach - The Animated Series]]''

*''[[Halo 5: Guardians]]''

*''[[Halo Mythos]]''

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*''[[Halo: Oblivion]]''

*''[[Halo: Shadows of Reach]]''

{{Col-end}}