Linda-058: Difference between revisions

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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}}

The second day of training, [[2552#September|September 25]], began just like the first.{{Ref/Reuse|HTFOR4}} The trainees spent the morning doing calisthenics and in the afternoon reported to Déjà to learn. This day, she taught them about the hunting strategies of [[Wikipedia:Wolf|wolves]] and emphasized the importance of the pack over the individual in accomplishing a challenge, such as taking down a [[Wikipedia:Moose|moose]]. When it came time for the "playground" again, Mendez declared that they were to keep the same teams they had the prior day. The teams had a brief moment to strategize, as the course had been made more complicated as compared to before.{{Ref/Reuse|HTFOR4}} Three days later, on [[2517#September|September 28]], all the trainees were given haircuts.<ref name="DHPJS28">''[[Dr. Halsey's personal journal]]'', ''September 28, 2517''</ref> On [[2518#May|May 24, 2518]], the children were forced at 0920 hours to run through a course while being shot at with [[paint pellet gun]]s.{{Ref/Reuse|HFORBC}} Each trainee that was hit was made to do an exorbitant amount of push-ups.{{Ref/Reuse|HFORBC}} During the first few years of training, Déjà taught Linda and the others [[Wikipedia:Algebra|algebra]], [[Wikipedia:Trigonometry|trigonometry]], and the history of numerous battles and the rulers they happened at the direction of.<ref name="HTFOR5">''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]'', ''Chapter 5''</ref> By mid-[[2519]], Linda had been taught how to string a trip line, fire a rifle, and treat a chest wound.{{Ref/Reuse|HTFOR5}} Much of the Spartans' early training took place at [[Military Reservation 01478-B]], known as "Painland" to the soldiers made to endure exercises there.<ref name="HTFOR27">''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]'', ''Chapter 27''</ref> Linda and the others regularly made covert treks to [[Camp Hathcock]] in the [[Highland Mountains]] to pilfer food and supplies.<ref name="HTFOR24">''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]'', ''Chapter 24''</ref> Training in the Highlands Mountains was split between Painland, facilities within [[CASTLE Base]], and [[Highlands|another location]].<ref name="FS19">''[[Halo: First Strike]]'', ''Chapter 19''</ref><ref name="HRH">''[[Halo: Reach]]'', ''[[Highlands]]''</ref> At these locations, Linda and the others began to be tested against a company of [[Orbital Drop Shock Trooper|orbital drop shock trooper]]s in jungle maneuvers.{{Ref/Novel|Id=HSS7|HSS|Chapter=7}} Amazingly, the children, who averaged around eight years old, often won.{{Ref/Reuse|HSS7}} At some point during their training, Linda and the others accompanied Mendez to the colony of [[Emerald Cove]], where they were given a mission that involved spending time underwater.<ref name="HFS24">''[[Halo: First Strike]]'', ''Chapter 24''</ref> Mendez sabotaged half the air tanks provided to the trainees, and in response they ended up stealing his. Afterwards, they all ditched the Chief for a whole week while they camped on an island with nothing to do but light bonfires, eat [[Wikipedia:Clam|clam]]s and [[Wikipedia:Calamari|calamari]], and surf.{{Ref/Reuse|HFS24}}

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}}

Once the Spartans were returned to Reach, it became evident that the facilities they had used up until that point would no longer be suitable for training.{{Ref/Reuse|HTFOR8}} On the first day back, three trainers were killed during hand-to-hand exercises. On [[2525#September|September 10]] Linda and the thirty-two others were relocated to a [[titanium]] mine that had been used to store [[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor#Armor generations|Mark I powered exoskeleton]]s. The teens were put through a number of exercises against trainers who now wore the exoskeletons for their safety. And though they hadn't left the cavernous room they'd been dropped into, by the next day they had somehow acquired a length of rope and black suits that made completing their objectives easier. In addition, they continually managed to locate hidden cameras to disable them. Halsey visited on the eleventh to observe their progress and got to witness a game of [[Capture the Flag]].<ref name="HTFOR8">''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]'', ''Chapter 8''</ref>

{{Main|Operation: TALON}}

Linda was chosen for the [[SPARTAN-II]]s' [[Assault on Eridanus Secundus|first mission]] in the [[Eridanus system]]; at this point, the Spartans did not yet have their later-trademark [[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/Mark IV|MJOLNIR armor]].<ref>'''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]''', ''page 98'' (2010 edition)</ref> She, along with John-117, Fred-104, Sam-034, and Kelly-087 boarded the ''[[Laden]]'' and traveled to the insurgent asteroid base [[Eridanus Secundus]], where they infiltrated the facility and captured [[Robert Watts|Colonel Robert Watts]], the then-leader of the [[Insurrectionist#Eridanus cell|Eridanus rebels]].<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''page 114'' (2010 edition)</ref>

===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}}

===''Radiant Arrow''===

{{Main|Skirmish over Netherop}}

===SILENT STORM===

Nearing the provided waypoint, the fog had lowered to shoulder-height, allowing the Spartans to discover that the ''Starry Night'' was largely intact, but sat atop a large avalanche about seven hundred meters up the quarry wall. Also, they spotted [[Worthy Silence|an]] [[intrusion corvette]] moving into position over the prowler, seemingly preparing to recover it for study. Realizing the danger, John declared to his teammates that the mission was no longer a rescue mission. Their primary objective was now to deny the Covenant from recovering the prowler and the data stored within. Then, John opened the command channel again and relayed this information to Crowther, who echoed John's concerns and insisted that they could not let the Covenant take possession of the ''Starry Night''. The vessel's [[navigation computer]] and other onboard data devices could reveal the locations of UNSC outposts, entire force deployments, or worse. Crowther asked Nyeto if there was any way that the prowler's [[Fury tactical nuclear weapon|nuclear]] [[self-destruct]] system could be remotely activated, to which the lieutenant commander responded in the affirmative. However, there were only three positions that had access to that ability. The first two were the flight commander and wing commander, both of which were roles held by Captain Ascot, who was either dead or unable to be reached aboard the ''Starry Night''. The final person with the ability to remotely detonate the prowler was the captain of the ''Vanishing Point'', which was holding station two planetary orbits out from Seoba. At that distance, it would take nearly an hour for the request to be sent to the cruiser and for the return signal to arrive. By then, the Covenant might already have retrieved sensitive data from the wrecked prowler. Crowther began to reluctantly order the Spartans to prevent the ''Starry Night''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s capture, but John cut him off, assuring him that they would not fail. The Spartan requested that Task Force Yama assist them by keeping the assaulting corvettes off their backs. Nyeto began to say that their prowlers were not designed for ship-to-ship combat when Crowther interrupted him, promising that they would find a way. Crowther started to tell John to standby for instructions on how to manually activate the prowler's self-destruct, but he reassured the colonel that his Spartans already knew how to activate a [[Nuclear weapon|nuke]].{{Ref/Reuse|HSS14}}

Half of the twelve-Spartan squad was buried under the avalanche, prompting John to give Fred command of the six mobile Spartans, ordering them to board and destroy the ''Starry Night'' as he dug his way out of the ice. Fred gathered Linda and [[Malcolm-059]] as they prepared to board the vessel through the massive breach in its bow. Meanwhile, John was once again demanding Nyeto's support over the command channel, and the available members of Gold and Green Teams were dealing with even more approaching enemy ground vehicles. Once within the ''Starry Night'', Fred's team found five survivors: four ODSTs and a concussed Staff Sergeant Johnson. As Linda got to work manually arming the prowler's [[Fury tactical nuclear weapon]], Fred reported the situation to John, who told Linda to take her time, but warned of an enemy squad preparing to board. She was surprised that he would tell her to take her time with hostiles approaching, but John explained that he did not want to pressure her. Nyeto's support finally arrived in the form of prowler strafing runs which destroyed two nearby intrusion corvettes, but spared the one that was still attempting to recover the ''Starry Night''. When the Covenant boarding party made their move, Fred and the others repelled them with explosive weapons as John distracted the rest outside the ship. Linda had just finished arming the nuke and began dragging Johnson into the ''Starry Night''{{'}}s escape pod when John ordered her to initiate its thirty-second timer immediately. The looming corvette had activated its gravity lift system and was trying to draw the prowler up into its hangar. Linda followed the order and John warned all local Spartans to evacuate the area immediately. Linda, Fred, Malcolm, Johnson, and the ODSTs boarded the prowler's escape pod and launched through Seoba's low gravity while under fire from the corvette's surprised gunners. John informed Crowther and Nyeto of the escape pod and the imminent nuclear explosion. All of the Spartans made it to safety before the detonation, which destroyed both the ''Starry Night'' and the intrusion corvette. Crowther sent prowlers to recover them and the other survivors after the nuke's [[electromagnetic pulse]] had dissipated.{{Ref/Novel|Id=HSS15|HSS|Chapter=15}} Some of the Spartans also assisted in the recovery of a Covenant [[Kelguid|starholo]] from the wreckage of the intrusion corvette. They and the starholo were transported back to the ''Vanishing Point''.{{Ref/Novel|Id=HSS16|HSS|Chapter=16}}

That same day, Linda-058, the other Spartans, Staff Sergeant Johnson, and Dr. Halsey left the [[Kolaqoa system]] aboard the ''Vanishing Point'', with two prowlers serving as escort. On [[2526#March|March 22]], the three ships dropped out of [[slipspace]] near Etalan, spending the next four days observing the logistics fleet's movements and trying to discern which vessels would be the best to target. By [[2526#March|March 26]], the ''Vanishing Point''{{'}}s analysts felt confident that four of the fleet's fifteen vessels were equipment [[freighter]]s carrying spare parts and other materials that would be used to keep the Fleet of Inexorable Obedience operational in the field. At this point, the logistics fleet was seemingly preparing to break from orbit over Etalan, evidenced by the fact that they had begun syncing their orbits and bringing their [[fusion reactor]]s to full power. Since time was running out, Gold and Green Teams were deployed in [[S-14 Baselard]]s to destroy the equipment freighters as Blue Team and Johnson discussed what vessels they should target during the second phase of the attack. The plan called for each of them to pilot one of the Banshees that the Spartans had captured in the over Netherop a few weeks earlier. They would fly the Banshees straight into the hangars of the target vessels, crash the fighters with a HAVOK nuke in the cockpit, and then go [[Extra-vehicular activity|EV]] and await prowler pickup. For the purpose of this mission, Linda, the rest of Blue Team, and Johnson were equipped with an [[M99 Stanchion]] and an [[M41 SPNKR]].{{Ref/Novel|Id=HSS19|HSS|Chapter=19}}

===Zhoist===

{{Expand-section}}

{{Main|Operation: SMOKING ACES}}

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===

{{Main|Battle of Jericho VII}}

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

===Draco III===

{{Main|Battle of Sigma Octanus IV}}

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===

John-117, disheartened over the death of his close teammate, took her to the cryo facilities where they immediately froze Linda's body in a [[cryo chamber]]. The {{UNSCShip|Pillar of Autumn}} then jumped to [[Installation 04]].<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''page 379'' (2010 edition)</ref> As the ship was shot down by Covenant [[Fleet of Particular Justice|forces]], most of the cryo chambers, including Linda's, were ejected as per standard UNSC procedure. She floated above the [[Installation 04|Halo]] for several days until after the destruction of the installation. Linda was then detected by [[Cortana]] and John,{{Ref/Reuse|fs150}} who were in a [[C709 Longsword|Longsword]] fighter.{{Ref/Level|Id=HC|Game=Halo: Combat Evolved|Level=The Maw}}  They picked her and two other cryo pods up, but both of the other occupants had died when their chambers failed.{{Ref/Reuse|fs150}}

===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===

===Reunion===

{{Quote|Palmer's here? On Sanghelios?|Linda reacts to hearing that the commander of the ''Infinity''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s Spartans might be somewhere nearby.}}{{Ref/Reuse|HBB1}}

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

File:HINF Chibi Linda Emblem.png|A ''[[Halo Infinite]]'' multiplayer emblem of Linda.

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