Editing Avery Johnson

{{Status|Canon}}

{{New content|[[Halo: Legacy of Onyx]] and [[Halo: Silent Storm]]}}

{{Center|'''''Johnson''' redirects here. For other uses, see [[Johnson (disambiguation)]].''}}

{{Character infobox

|variant=Human

|homeworld=[[Chicago]], [[United Republic of North America|URNA]], [[Earth]]{{Ref/Reuse|CH37}}

|birth=[[2474#November|November 23, 2474]]{{Ref/Book|Id=Enc22P91|Enc22|Page=91}}

|death=[[2552#December|December 11, 2552]]  

|mass={{Convert|95.5|kg|lb}}{{Ref/Reuse|EVG}}

*[[Sergeant Major]]{{Ref/Reuse|EVG}}

|sn=48789-20114-AJ{{Ref/Reuse|EVG}}

'''Sergeant Major Avery Junior Johnson''' ([[service number|'''SN''']]: 48789-20114-AJ<ref name="GN122>'''[[Halo Graphic Novel]]''', ''[[Halo Graphic Novel, Page 122|Page 122]]''</ref>) was a [[Sergeant Major|senior non-commissioned officer]] of the [[UNSC Marine Corps]] who served during in the fight against the [[Insurrection]] and the [[Human-Covenant War]]. Johnson was a highly trained marine, who also served with various units of the [[UNSC Special Forces|Naval Special Warfare Command]], most notably the highly classified [[ORION Project]], the [[United Nations Space Command|UNSC]]'s first super-soldier program.  

Avery Junior Johnson was born on [[2474#November|November 23, 2474]] on [[Earth]] in the [[United Republic of North America]]'s [[Greater Chicago Industrial Zone]], a sprawling metroplex covering regions that once were part of the [[United States of America|American]] states of [[Wikipedia:Illinois|Illinois]],  [[Wikipedia:Indiana|Indiana]], and [[Wikipedia:Wisconsin|Wisconsin]].{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22P91}}<ref name="CH37">'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 37''</ref> From the time he was six years old, he was raised by his aunt, [[Marcille Johnson|Marcille]], after [[Zone Protective Services|Zone social services]] placed him in her care due to an angry end to his parents' marriage.<ref name="CH42">'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 42''</ref> His father had left his mother so distraught that she could no longer care for herself, let alone an active, six-year-old boy. Marcille's sons were already grown by the time she adopted Avery and consequently he was dressed with many of the worn-out clothes they had worn at his age, which did not always fit due to his tall, broad-shouldered frame. His aunt worked hard to patch and sew so that Avery always looked his best, however, especially for church. Aunt Marcille was [[Evangelical Promessic]] and her religiosity resonated with the young Avery, who accompanied her to church services. Avery's first day of attendance left him with memories he would carry for the remainder of his life: the suffocating pinch of his white, freshly starched oxford shirt, a little paisley tie, argyle socks beneath neatly cuffed tan slacks, and the smell of carnauba wax, liberally applied, to mask the scuffs in his oversized, wingtip shoes. Avery and his aunt lived in a walkup apartment on [[Blackstone Avenue]] for the entirety of Avery's upbringing.

Avery enlisted with the [[United Nations Space Command]] [[UNSC Marine Corps|Marine Corps]] when he was nineteen years old. His aunt bid him farewell by telling him to make her proud and reminding him to always do what was right. He had become convinced that innocent people, like his aunt, were threatened by those involved in the [[Insurrection]], an undeclared civil war between the [[Unified Earth Government]] and disparate groups resisting its authority that had kicked off in earnest in [[2496]].<ref name="CH45">'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 45''</ref> Avery excelled as a marine and often warranted special training and special missions. By the first few years of the twenty-sixth century, he had been handpicked to become part of the [[ORION Project]], a joint effort by the [[Office of Naval Intelligence]] and the [[Colonial Military Authority]] to create [[biological augmentation|biologically augmented]] super-soldiers to quell the [[Insurrectionist]] tide. Avery traveled to the planet [[Reach]] where he underwent a series of bioengineering protocols and grueling physical and mental tests. As part of ORION and [[UNSC Special Forces|NavSpecWar]], he was granted entrance into the [[Naval Special Warfare Sniper School]], where he exceeded the expectations of his superiors. In addition to training as a [[sniper]], he also learned to deploy in [[Drop pod|orbital drops]]<ref>'''[[Halo: Contact Harvest]]''', ''page 350''</ref> and became an accomplished [[Wikipedia:Close quarters combat|close quarters battle]] fighter. In [[2502]], then-Corporal Johnson deployed to [[Harvest]] as part of [[Operation: KALEIDOSCOPE]], a campaign with the goal of assassinating key rebel leaders. On March 13, Avery acquired a position on a rooftop and with the assistance of a spotter, used an [[M99 Stanchion]] rifle to kill [[Jerald Ander]], the leader of the [[Secessionist Union]] on the planet, as a truck carrying him passed by. Johnson was involved in numerous other classified operations against the [[Insurrection]] during his years with ORION. The final of these for the project was [[Operation: TANGLEWOOD]]. Due to unmet expectations and exorbitant costs, the ORION Project was then deactivated in [[2506]]. Johnson was reassigned to a position in the Marine Corps once again. Avery was a leader during many black operations missions over the course of the Insurrection.<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 76''</ref>  

In [[2513]], the UNSC launched [[Operation: TREBUCHET]], an extensive campaign to crush insurrectionists in the [[Outer Colonies]]. As part of this ongoing offensive, then-Staff Sergeant Johnson led [[Alpha Squad|a unit]] of Marines on June 16, [[2524]] during an effort to neutralize the bomb-making capabilities of rebels on [[Tribute]]. Before dawn, the two four-man squads took to the air with [[AV-14 Hornet]]s. At fifty-seven minutes and sixteen seconds into the mission, the hornets crested a line of crumbling hills the marines got their first line-of-sight view of their objective: one of Tribute's struggling industrial settlements; and, somewhere inside the town, a suspected Insurrectionist bomb-shop. The hornets dropped the strike force off on the edge of town and Johnson took point for his squad. He set a brisk pace and led them over a chain-link fence and around piles of plastic crates and pallets until they reached the front of what looked like nothing more than a rundown vehicle repair shop. After signaling their position to Byrne and receiving a similar confirmation, Avery kicked in the thin metal door that led inside. Most of the surprised insurrectionists were unarmed at the moment of the breach and those that were had nothing more than snub-nosed automatic pistols that did little against the marines' body armor. Johnson personally neutralized a triggerman before he could detonate any explosives. The firefight lasted less than ten seconds and resulted in the deaths of twelve insurrectionists. Four others surrendered. Avery attempted to use an [[ARGUS]] device to detect any significant chemical compounds of interest in the vicinity, but the recent firefight made it impossible to nail down the location of any hidden bombs. Johnson relayed this complication to the tactical operations center aboard the {{UNSCShip|Bum Rush}} and received approval from [[Lieutenant Colonel]] [[Aboim]] to extract information from their hostages by any means necessary. Byrne selected one unlucky man and proceeded to break both his legs before he confessed they had been mixing explosives into the synthetic rubber treads of tires. The explosive compound in nearby tires was quickly uploaded to the database of similar materials used by the rebels. Less than a minute later, an [[ARGUS drone]] patrolling one of the highways leading into [[Casbah City]], the planet's capital, identified the compound in skid marks left by a sixteen-wheel hauler. The truck was located as it pulled into the parking lot of a [[Jim Dandy]] roadside diner. More of the explosive was also detected inside the diner. Byrne killed the other three insurrectionists that had surrendered but kept the one who talked as a prisoner, per orders from the operation's ONI representative. He and Avery both led their squads back to the hornets.  

Twenty-eight minutes elapsed during their flight. The craft took up positions behind a smoked-glass, multistory office building across the highway from the Jim Dandy. The drone provided Avery with thermal imaging of the situation. Now armed with a stanchion sniper rifle, he took aim at the man that had been the driver of the truck. He waited for the individual to finish his meal and exit the building before sending a round straight through two of the office building's steel-reinforced, polycrete floors and into him at fifteen thousand meters per second. The target was torn asunder by the shot. The ARGUS was still showing a bomb within the restaurant, so Byrne's team made to land and enter while Avery's continued to provide coverage from above. The source of the reading was a purse near where the man had been sitting. As Byrne was about to retrieve it, the woman to whom it belonged exited one of the diner's bathrooms. Realizing what was happening, she grabbed a young boy to turn him into a human shield and produced a detonator, threatening to use it if the marines did not back off. Avery was ordered to kill the woman from his position, but he hesitated due to the risk he would be putting the child at. Byrne yelled that if Johnson would not take the shot, then he would kill her himself. Johnson affirmed that he was firing, but as he waited for an opening that would minimize the chances of harming the boy, the boy's father lunged at the woman and she detonated the bombs. Both her purse and tires on the truck outside engulfed the diner in fiery explosions that killed everyone inside but Staff Sergeant Byrne. In total, the dead numbered thirty-nine civilians, (including the woman) and three marines.<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 20''</ref><ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 86''</ref>

===Human-Covenant War===

{{References|section}}

After the incident, Johnson came home and found his aunt dead of natural causes,<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 41''</ref> and soon went on a massive drinking binge. He started a brawl with bouncers at a [[Dog and Pony|Chicago club]],<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 44''</ref> and ended up in a gutter until he was found by [[Downs|Lieutenant Downs]], a [[UNSC Marine Corps]] [[Enlistment Officer|recruiter]].<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 47''</ref> He was reassigned to the planet Harvest by [[Jilan al-Cygni]].<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 123''</ref>

Officially, Johnson was reassigned to train the [[Harvest militia|Colonial Militia]] on Harvest, but their actual mission was to create a covert anti-insurgency unit, and to lay an ambush on insurgent forces suspected in the disappearances of DCS freighters around [[Harvest]].

 

 

 

Johnson began training the marines not long after.

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Shortly after this, Gold and Green Teams deployed from Baselards to attack the equipment freighters as planned. Moments later, the freighters began exploding while the Covenant fighters and [[Proselytization network|battlenet]] began to panic. The fourth explosion was so close to the Banshee squadron that they were all—including the Banshees piloted by Johnson and Blue Team—disabled by the [[electromagnetic pulse]]. Since the craft escorting them no longer had the capability to intercept transmissions, Fred-104 exclaimed his disgust at the Banshees' lack of radiation shielding over [[TEAMCOM]]. Johnson spied two of their targeted air-skimmers in an orbit that would have them pass below them shortly, pointing this out to Blue Team. When John revealed that they still planned to board the vessels, Johnson exclaimed that he was crazy. Yet, after some discussion, it was decided that Blue Team would go EV from their derelict Banshees and intercept the air-skimmers as they passed by. John-117 would board the first vessel, Kelly-087 the second, and Fred-104 the third while Linda and Johnson held back to cover them with their M99 Stanchions. John ordered Linda and Johnson to focus on protecting Kelly and Fred, but Johnson refused and told him that he needed to get over his hero complex. Linda explained that she was close enough to Fred and Kelly to cover them most of the way, and Johnson told John that he needed to get over his hero complex. John began to argue, but Johnson stated that he was already committed to the vector he was on and there was no way for him to turn back. As John grew angrier, Linda interjected, informing John that it was her who made the snap decision that Johnson would cover him. Leaving the squadron of adrift Banshees behind, Johnson's HAVOK nuke—which he had left aboard his Banshee—detonated, killing any potential witnesses aboard the other craft and covering their approach.{{Ref/Reuse|HSS20}}

Meanwhile, the ''Vanishing Point''{{'}}s two escort prowlers arrived to recover Gold and Green Teams. Assuming the two vessels were preparing another attack run on the logistics fleet, the Covenant attacked the prowlers and the Baselards accompanying them. As John neared the lead air-skimmer, a number of Banshees moved to intercept him, still out of range of Johnson's M99. Johnson told John to abort his approach, but the Spartan ignored him and got close enough to detonate his nuke, destroying the vessel.{{Ref/Reuse|HSS20}} Fred and Kelly did likewise before Johnson and the rest of Blue Team were recovered by the ''Vanishing Point'' or its escorts.{{Ref/Novel|Id=HSS21|HSS|Chapter=21}}

 

====Respite====

 

When John received a promotion to [[Master Chief Petty Officer]] from Crowther, Johnson was present and stated that he and Crowther had talked the promotion over and both had agreed that it was the best thing for the mission as the unheard of four-rank promotion solidified John's authority over the Black Daggers. Along with Crowther, Johnson cautioned John about "leading from the front" and what could happen if they lost John in combat. Before going their separate ways, John thanked Johnson for showing him how much John didn't learn during Spartan training on [[Reach]] and Johnson promised to help him again anytime.<ref>'''[[Halo: Silent Storm]]''', ''chapter 23''</ref>

 

 

{{Main|Battle of Zhoist}}

During the attack on [[Zhoist]], Johnson was stationed on the [[prowler]] {{UNSCShip|Ghost Song}} with Crowther and waited on the flight deck as backup for Crowther to relieve Hector Nyeto of command when he revealed his true colors. After Nyeto tried to betray Sierra Force to the Covenant, Crowther made his move to relieve Nyeto of his command and arrest him for [[treason]]. However, the entire Ghost Flight turned out to be Insurrectionists loyal to Nyeto and the bridge crew turned on Johnson and Crowther, killing Crowther. Johnson killed the sensor operator, Crowther's killer and fled, single-handedly taking down seven Insurrectionists on board the ''Ghost Song''. However, Nyeto blew the Black Daggers, who were all wearing sealed assault armor, into space. To stop Nyeto's plot, Johnson briefly activated his [[distress beacon]], drawing the Covenant's attention to Nyeto and ultimately forcing the [[Treason|traitor]] to flee into slipspace. Having realized what Johnson was up to, John managed to keep Sierra Force from giving away their position by reacting to the beacon and subsequent Covenant response.<ref>'''[[Halo: Silent Storm]]''', ''chapter 24-25''</ref>

 

Following the betrayal of Nyeto, Johnson was left floating in space, but was rescued alive. The last person rescued alive from libration point three, Johnson had nearly frozen to death because his suit's heaters had failed and had run out of rebreather time resulting in a nearly fatal buildup of CO2 in his system. Wrapped in a space blanket and wearing an oxygen cannula, Johnson shared [[Sweet William cigars]] with John as they, along with the rest of Blue Team, watched the destruction wrought by the successful operation upon the Covenant world of [[Zhoist]]. Every time debris from the [[Ring of Mighty Abundance]] entered the atmosphere, Johnson cheered, particularly when six ships of the [[Fleet of Inexorable Obedience]] were destroyed by the [[octanitrocubane|octas]] carried by Black Daggers who had been taken prisoner upon those ships. Johnson began to reprimand [[Daisy-023]] for acting like succeeding in the operation meant they won the whole war, but stopped himself and left it to John as her rightful commander and praised John's response.<ref>'''Halo: Silent Storm''', ''epilogue''</ref>

 

 

In [[2549]], Johnson participated in the [[Siege of Paris IV|Battle of Paris IV]], where he saved the seven-year-old girl [[Molly Patel]].<ref>'''[[Halo: Legacy of Onyx]]''', ''Chapter 1''</ref>

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[[File:Anniversary Avery.JPG|thumb|left|250px|Sergeant Johnson on the ''Pillar of Autumn'' during the Battle of Installation 04.]]

After coming out of slipspace, the ''Pillar of Autumn'' came across a [[Forerunner]] artifact known as [[Installation 04|Halo]]. The Covenant, cautious not to damage the ring world by firing at the ''Autumn'' in space, began boarding actions to "cleanly" neutralize the ''Autumn'' by [[Naval boarding|boarding]] the ship and wiping out the crew and altering its course away from the Installation, before planting charges and blowing it up. On board, Johnson helped defend the ''Autumn'' from the invading Covenant boarding troops, but like everyone else was forced to abandon ship when [[Captain (Navy)|Captain]] [[Jacob Keyes]] issued the order.

[[File:JohnsonFlood.png|thumb|250px|Johnson was able to escape the Flood thanks to his skill and biological augmentations.]]

Johnson, however, was able to survive the ambush uninfected due to his skill, tenacity and physiological enhancement, though when asked how he survived, he claimed that the Flood had not been able to infect him. Later, a query by the [[Artificial intelligence|AI]] [[Cortana]] into Johnson's medical history claimed that he had a condition known as [[Boren's Syndrome]]. This disease was supposedly contracted while he was stationed at [[Paris IV]]. When the Covenant [[Siege of Paris IV|attacked]] Paris IV, Johnson fought valiantly; during the battle, he repossessed a crate of Covenant [[Anskum-pattern plasma grenade|plasma grenades]] when his troops needed them and used them all against the enemy troops to keep them at bay so his fellow soldiers could evacuate. He received a commendation for bravery, and a twelve-hundred-rad cumulative dose of radiation as an unanticipated "bonus" from all the plasma detonations.<ref>'''[[Halo: First Strike]]''', ''page 244''</ref> Allegedly, the Boren's Syndrome had an unexpected side effect, as it made him effectively immune to infection by the Flood because the radiation scrambled his nervous system so much that Pod infectors could not force a match. This supposedly rendered the Flood unable to control him. However, the Boren's Syndrome story (referred to as the "Paris/BS Spoof"), was a hoax to cover up Johnson's involvement in the ORION Project,{{Ref/Reuse|GN122}}<ref>'''Halo Encyclopedia''', ''page 81''</ref> and his survival from the Flood was solely due to his ability to fight off the parasite before it could infect him thanks to his augmented physique and superior skill, as opposed to an actual immunity.<ref name="Catalog">[https://forums.halowaypoint.com/yaf_postsm2969315_Catalog-Interaction.aspx#post2969315 '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Catalog Interaction - Page 14'' (''"No known biological <nowiki>[scaffolding]</nowiki> augmentation impedes efficacy of parasite conversion process."'')]</ref><ref name="hgn">'''[[Halo Graphic Novel]]''', ''[[Breaking Quarantine]]''</ref>{{Ref/Note|Johnson's supposed biological immunity to the Flood as a result of Boren's Syndrome was originally presented as factual in the novel ''Halo: First Strike''. As stated by [[Joseph Staten]] {{Plain|[http://halostory.bungie.org/staten102204.html here]}}, Bungie disliked the notion of a Flood immunity and established the disease as being fictitious on page 122 of the ''Halo Graphic Novel''. As stated in the introduction to ''[[Breaking Quarantine]]'', the comic was intended to further cement Bungie's original vision for Johnson's escape from the Flood. The comic indicates that he simply fought his way out of the containment facility and did not suffer lacerations which would expose him to Flood infection in the process.}}

====Operation: FIRST STRIKE====

[[File:Polaski cam.jpg|250px|thumb|left|Johnson and John-117 on a Covenant ship.]]

Johnson met up with [[Lieutenant|Lt.]] [[Elias Haverson]], [[Corporal|Cpl.]] [[Locklear]], and [[Petty Officer Second Class|PO2]] [[Shiela Polaski]], escaping Halo's destruction in a [[D77-TC Pelican|Pelican]] moments before it collapsed in multiple explosions. Polaski piloted the dropship away from the ring, meeting up with a [[GA-TL1 Longsword]] carrying the Master Chief and Cortana, who had also escaped the Flood and Halo. Having seen Jenkins’ video himself, SPARTAN-117 was alarmed by Johnson's appearance and promptly pulled Johnson's own [[M6D Personal Defense Weapon System|M6D pistol]] and pointed it to his head. Johnson had expressed no objection, and assured the Spartan that he was fine and not infected from the Flood, although it took Cortana's intervention to convince the Chief that Johnson was still human.

After they had captured the Covenant ship, not being able to return to Earth because of the [[Cole Protocol]], Master Chief suggested they return to Reach to regroup. They proceeded with this plan despite protests that Reach was almost certainly a dead world. When they arrived at Reach, the planet was almost completely glassed, except for a small portion. Using a [[Taaku Xur-pattern Spirit|Covenant dropship]], they traveled to the surface of the desecrated planet, where Johnson was becoming nervous. After they landed, they found the surviving [[SPARTAN-II program|SPARTAN-IIs]] and [[Catherine Halsey|Dr. Catherine Halsey]]. Johnson was the first to realize that they were surrounded by thousands of invisible Covenant, and pointed it out to [[Vice Admiral]] [[Danforth Whitcomb|Whitcomb]] before their dropship walked into the trap.

*All relevant data on Halsey’s analysis and the possible technology to counter an initial Flood infestation, as well as Jenkins’s and Johnson’s mission logs and Johnson’s medical files, focusing on the interaction between [[LF.Xx.3273 Flood Super Cell|Flood super cell]]s and Boren's Syndrome.

[[File:H2A-John&Johnson.jpg|250px|thumb|Master Chief John-117 and Sergeant Major Johnson salute Lord Hood during ceremony aboard Cairo Station.]]

Most of the crew returned to Earth safely, and they were given time to rest and were debriefed on their experiences. While aboard ''[[Cairo Station (station)|Cairo Station]]'' on October 19, Johnson was interrogated by Dr. [[Veronica Clayton]] of [[ONI]] in regards to the events surrounding [[Operation: FIRST STRIKE]].<ref>'''[[Halo Legendary Crate]]''', ''[[Halo Legendary Crate/Data Drops|Data Drop #10]]''</ref>

 

The next day, Johnson was promoted to [[Sergeant Major]] and was awarded the [[Colonial Cross]] by [[Terrence Hood|Lord Terrence Hood]] for his actions on Halo. During the ceremony, a Covenant excavation fleet headed by the [[Prophet of Regret]] arrived at the Human homeworld, sparking the [[Battle of Earth]].  

As they arrived on the surface, Cortana intercepted data that pointed towards one of the Covenant’s spiritual leaders being present in the invasion. Johnson led [[D77-TC Pelican|Pelicans]] full of marines into battle, but they were shot down by a Covenant {{Pattern|Protos|Scarab}} before they got close to the [[covenant assault carrier|ship]] that carried the High Prophet of Regret. Wielding a [[Sniper Rifle System 99C-S2 Anti-Matériel|sniper rifle]], Johnson fought in the residential district of the city, providing cover fire and serving as a lookout. As the Master Chief went on to find [[UNSC Marine Corps|Marines]] from another downed Pelican, Johnson stayed back and joined the rescue units to provide cover. Viewing the Scarab as a threat to the mission, he returned to ''[[UNSC In Amber Clad|In Amber Clad]]'' to bring a [[M808B Main Battle Tank|Scorpion]] tank for the Chief to use in a front line assault against the Covenant invasion force.

{{quote|multi=yes|q1=Whoa. It's like a postcard: Dear Sarge, kicking ass in outer space, wish you were here.|Chips Dubbo|q2=I heard that...'''jackass!'''|Avery J. Johnson|[[Private First Class|PFC]] [[Chips Dubbo]] joking around with Sergeant Avery J. Johnson  on [[Delta Halo]]}}

Johnson and a group of his best Marines joined Commander Keyes on a search for the Index deep inside the [[Quarantine zone (location)|Quarantine zone]]. As they neared the center of the massive structure, the small unit was attacked by a large amount of Flood. They dug in and fought the creatures off, finally locating the Index. Johnson helped Keyes grab the key, but before they headed out, they were attacked by [[Thel 'Vadamee]], the Covenant [[Arbiter]], who had emerged from [[active camouflage]] to attack the two. Johnson was quickly incapacitated and captured by [[Tartarus]], current [[Chieftain of the Jiralhanae]], and brought to the Covenant capital city, ''[[High Charity]]'', orbiting the ring.

Johnson, Keyes and other UNSC soldiers were held prisoner in the city, until the [[Prophet of Truth|High Prophet of Truth]] instructed Tartarus to activate the ring and initiate the [[Covenant religion|Great Journey]]. Tartarus ordered his Jiralhanae to split Johnson, Keyes, and the captured [[343 Guilty Spark|Oracle]] into two different [[Kez'katu-pattern Phantom|Phantoms]] as they descended back towards the ring. Johnson was joined by [[Staff Sergeant]] [[Banks]] and [[Gunnery Sergeant]] [[Stacker]] for execution by a pack of Jiralhanae at the [[Bastion of the Brutes]] near Halo's [[Control Room (Installation 05)|control room]]. Moments before their deaths, the Arbiter and his squad burst out of the nearby structure and attacked the Jiralhanae, distracting them long enough for Johnson and his Marines to board the nearby Scarab walker.  

Armed with a [[Type-50 particle beam rifle|Particle Beam Rifle]], Johnson arrived during the Arbiter's confrontation with Tartarus, keeping his gun trained on the Chieftain's head to prevent him from forcing Keyes to insert the Index. Tartarus threw [[343 Guilty Spark]] at Johnson, knocking him over. Swiftly, he forced Keyes to insert the Index into the control panel, starting the firing process. The Arbiter and his squad of Elites challenged Tartarus, and Johnson provided backup, using his Beam Rifle to bring down the Chieftain’s shields. With his shields down, 'Vadamee was able to kill Tartarus, thereby allowing Keyes to grab the Index and stop Installation 05 from firing. However, Spark revealed that the shutdown activated a failsafe system; the rest of the Halos were set to standby mode, and could only be activated remotely from what Spark informed them was [[Installation 00|"The Ark"]]. After the Arbiter asked him its location, Spark gave them coordinates to [[Earth]].<ref>'''Halo Encyclopedia''', ''page 197''</ref><ref>'''Halo 2''', campaign level ''[[The Great Journey]]''</ref>

The release of the Flood from the ring, however, would put their plans to get to Earth on hold. The new allies would rendezvous with the Arbiter's comrade, [[Rtas 'Vadumee]], now shipmaster of the recently captured [[assault carrier]] ''[[Shadow of Intent]]'', flagship of the separatists' fledgling [[Fleet of Retribution]].<ref name="universe">[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/vehicles/shadow-of-intent '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Shadow of Intent'']</ref> Together, they formulated a plan for sterilization and quarantine. Spark remained with the fleet to coordinate containment efforts while Johnson, Keyes and the Arbiter raced back to Earth aboard one of the fleet's vessels to warn humanity and to locate the Ark.{{Ref/Marketing|Id=LongRoad|Halo Waypoint|The Long Road Home}}<ref name="lootcrate2">'''[[Halo Legendary Crate]]''', ''[[Halo Legendary Crate/Data Drops|Data Drop #2]]''</ref>

{{Main|Battle of Kenya}}

Upon their return to Earth around November 15, 2552, Johnson met with [[Office of Naval Intelligence]] [[Captain]] [[Veronica Dare]] aboard the [[Quito Terminus]] to interrogate [[Quick to Adjust|a Covenant Engineer]] that [[Alpha-Nine|her squad]] had captured during the [[Battle of New Mombasa]] almost a month prior. With clearance from [[Lord Hood]], Johnson plied the creature with questions regarding the current [[Portal at Voi|excavation]] near Voi and the Ark. Despite his best efforts, ultimately they were unable to obtain any actionable intelligence before the [[Prophet of Truth]] and his [[Forerunner Dreadnought]] arrived two days later.{{Ref/Reuse|lootcrate2}}<ref name="Bulletin">[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/community/blog-posts/the-halo-bulletin-knowledge-drop '''Halo Waypoint''': ''The Halo Bulletin: 9.24.14'']</ref>

When John-117 crash-landed in the [[Tanzania]]n jungle after bailing out of the Dreadnought, he was [[Recovery of John-117|recovered]] by Johnson, the Arbiter, and a squad of Marines. After a few minutes of hiking through the jungle, he and his squad split off from the Master Chief and the Arbiter after encountering enemy Phantoms, reasoning that they would be safer apart than together. Johnson and his team proceeded to continue through the woods, and arrived at the evacuation site several moments before John-117 and 'Vadam. However, enemy Banshees soon discovered the awaiting Pelicans, and he was shot down, crash landing about a kilometer away. He and the surviving Marines were forced to flee pursuing Brutes. At some point Johnson and his men were captured. After being freed by the Spartan, he grabbed the nearest weapon and helped fend off incoming Covenant until [[Hocus]], a Pelican pilot, came to the rescue. Hocus eventually arrived, destroying two Phantoms that were pinning Sergeant Johnson, the Chief, the Arbiter, and the surviving Marines down. Johnson was evacuated along with the Master Chief, the Arbiter, and surviving Marines.

Sgt. Johnson, John-117, and 'Vadam were brought to a UNSC base codenamed [[Crow's Nest]], deep underground in the African jungle. There, they linked up with Commander Miranda Keyes, who briefed them on the situation. When the base was [[Attack on Crow's Nest|attacked]] by the Covenant, Johnson and the Arbiter stayed behind to defend the ops center while the Master Chief went off to secure the perimeter. After a lengthy battle, he was forced to fall back as Jiralhanae overran the control room. He rendezvoused with Keyes and 'Vadam in a Pelican, and guided the Chief through the base to an elevator that would take him to the Pelicans. Unfortunately, the base exploded before the Chief could reach Johnson, forcing the Sergeant to leave him to meet up with [[Gunnery Sergeant]] [[Reynolds]] under the base instead.

Johnson warned the Chief that the Covenant had uncovered what he thought was the Ark, and that the humans had to get to it. Johnson provided air support for the Spartan and the Marine survivors, dropping off Warthogs so the Chief and his Marines could [[Assault on the Tsavo Highway|break through]] Jiralhanae blockades on the [[Tsavo highway (location)|Tsavo Highway]]. During the [[Battle of Voi]], he dropped off several [[M274 Ultra-Light All-Terrain Vehicle|Mongoose]] ATVs to assist the Master Chief in destroying a Covenant {{Pattern|Deutoros|Scarab}}. Johnson remained in a Pelican dropship for most, if not all of the Battle of Voi, dispersing armor and troops throughout the city as necessary to help push the Covenant back. When the Pelican made a crash-landing in Voi, Johnson probably docked on the {{UNSCShip|Forward Unto Dawn}} along with Commander Keyes. He was present when the Master Chief retrieved a message from Cortana, who had been left behind on the Flood-infested ''High Charity''. Johnson was one of the Marines that followed the High Prophet of Truth to the ''real'' Ark, which was located past the [[slipspace portal]] generated by the [[Portal at Voi|device]] the Covenant uncovered on Earth.

After the Fleet of Retribution's arrival at Installation 00 on [[2552#December|December 11]],<ref name="Fortitude">'''Halo Waypoint''' — ''[[Heroes Never Die#Hero-Fortitude|''Hero-"Fortitude"'']]''</ref> Johnson descended to [[installation 00|the Ark]] with a half a dozen Pelicans along with the Master Chief, and helped him secure a landing zone and stop the construction of an AA battery. He later brought in a platoon of Marines led by Gunnery Sergeant Stacker, and some tanks from the frigate, helping throughout the mission, until the location of Truth was discovered from the [[Cartographer]].

The Prophet of Truth attempted to use Johnson to activate the Ark, and set off the Halo array, but he only taunted the Jiralhanae, in particular a [[Chieftain]], in hopes of angering the Brute to the point where he would kill him, and deny Truth the ability to activate the array. Miranda Keyes attempted to rescue him by crashing a Pelican through a large observatory window. Keyes was able to kill one brute, a Chieftain, and fatally wounded another, but was surrounded. Realizing what the Prophet of Truth wished to use them for, Johnson told her that she should kill them both so they could not be used. While Keyes hesitated, Truth shot her in the back with a [[Paegaas Workshop Spiker|Spiker]], killing her instantly and used the demoralized Johnson to activate the Array. Johnson was rescued by John-117 and Thel 'Vadam, along with a horde of Flood. After the Master Chief deactivated the array, the Flood turned on the three, and while Johnson managed to escape on Keyes' Pelican with her body, the Chief and the Arbiter were knocked off by the Gravemind, forced to fight their way back through the Flood.

[[File:DeathofAveryJohnson.jpg|thumb|343 Guilty Spark mortally wounds Johnson in front of the Master Chief.|250px]]

While the Master Chief fought the rogue construct, Johnson used the last of his life and fired his laser, rendering Spark vulnerable. With a few choice words ("Kick his ass") he handed the Chief his weapon and fell unconscious. After the rogue AI was destroyed, Johnson gave John-117 the [[data crystal chip|chip]] containing Cortana, and told him "Don't ever let her go". Despite John's promise that they would not leave him behind, the dying sergeant knew that he wasn't going to make it, requesting that the Chief "send [him] out with a 'bang'" before dying of his injuries. Following his wishes, [[John-117]] left his body in the Control Room as the ring activated, its unfinished state meaning that the activation sequence tore itself apart. Johnson's body was disintegrated in the explosion while Chief and Thel 'Vadam took Johnson's Warthog to escape on the ''Forward Unto Dawn''. Johnson's death brought condolences from Cortana and Thel 'Vadam, whom Johnson aided in his fight against [[Tartarus]].

 

On [[2553|March 3, 2553]], a portrait of Johnson was seen among the fallen and dead on the [[Voi Memorial]]. The [[Avery J. Johnson Academy of Military Science]], where members of the [[SPARTAN-IV program]] practice live fire training, was named in his honor.{{Ref/Map|INF|Academy map}}

 

He was best known for his typical "[[Wikipedia:Gung-ho|gung-ho]]" attitude towards life, personal goals, and as a leader to his fellow Marines. This earned him a reputation, respect, and admiration from his subordinates and superiors alike. Johnson was a noted fan of "[[flip music]]", a style of music similar to the [[Wikipedia:Heavy metal music|heavy metal]] from the 21st century. He was also known as being one of a select few outside of the [[SPARTAN-II Program]] to befriend [[Master Chief Petty Officer]] [[John-117]], a soldier with whom he fought alongside many times throughout the first and final months of the Human-Covenant War; ultimately dying in his arms after being critically injured. He has a large amount of respect for the SPARTAN-IIs, and appears to respect ''every'' human fighting for humanity, as well as the Sangheili when they joined forces with the UNSC. In return, Thel 'Vadam respects him as well as after his death, offering condolences to John, "I am sorry, Spartan" and "even in death, your Sergeant guides us all."

[[File:H2A-SgtAveryJohnson-Main.jpg|250px|thumb|A close up of Sergeant Major Johnson's face.]]

Johnson has received three known medals in his service: The [[Colonial Cross]] and the [[Purple Heart]],<ref name="ReferenceA">[[Halo 2]], ''[[Cairo Station]]''</ref> as well as the [[UNSC Legion of Honor]], which may have been a posthumous decoration.<ref>[[Halo 3]], ''[[Halo (Halo 3 level)]]''</ref> Johnson was not awarded any medals during his time with the ORION detachment, due to the sensitive nature of its missions.{{citation needed}}

{{Linkbox|quote=yes|gallery=yes|gameplay=yes|gameplaypage=Johnson (disambiguation)#Gameplay}}

*Johnson was voiced by [[David Scully]] in ''Halo: Combat Evolved'', ''Halo 2'', ''Halo 3'', ''Halo 3: ODST'', and ''Halo: Reach''. Scully also voiced a number of Elites in those games, notably the ones who talk in an energetic voice in ''Halo 2'' and ''Halo 3''. In an out-take for ''Halo 2'', Scully says, "In ''[[Halo 4]]'', I get a woman!".<ref>[http://halo.bungie.net/News/Media.aspx?mid=13890&age_verify=0 '''Bungie.net''': ''Media Player - Halo 2 Audio Outtakes'']</ref> In ''Halo Wars 2'', Johnson was voiced by another actor because Scully was part of an ongoing [[Wikipedia:2016–17 video game voice actor strike|strike among video game voice actors]].<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQSf8ZP2n6U '''Mixer''' - ''Johnson reveal stream'']</ref>

*Johnson is a playable character in ''[[Halo 3: ODST]]''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s [[Firefight (Halo 3: ODST)|Firefight]]. In the original Xbox 360 release, he is available only to those who pre-ordered the game from participating retailers, while in ''[[Halo: The Master Chief Collection]]'', he is unlocked at rank 50 of [[Series 3: Recon]].

*With the Sputnik skull activated on the ''Halo 2'' level "[[Cairo Station (station)|Cairo Station]]", the player can push Johnson into outer space when at the station's umbilicals. It is very difficult, however, as Johnson will keep attempting to run back to his assigned position.

*Johnson's voice is usable in ''[[Halo: Reach]]'''s Firefight mode for 100,000 cR.<ref>[http://halo.bungie.net/News/content.aspx?type=topnews&cid=27328 '''Bungie.net''': ''Bungie Weekly Update: 07.16.10'']</ref>

*Johnson may have been married: According to a quote during gameplay on the level "Cairo Station", Johnson says that the Covenant are "worse than [his] mother-in-law."{{Citation needed}} In ''Halo: Contact Harvest'', Johnson was involved in a romantic relationship with his commanding officer, [[Jilan al-Cygni]], leading fans to theorize that the two were married at some point.<ref>[http://halo.bungie.net/News/content.aspx?type=topnews&cid=12673 '''Bungie.net''': ''The Bungie Podcast: 07/23/07'']</ref>

*Johnson was fond of [[Sweet William cigars]].<ref>'''[[Halo: Contact Harvest]]''', ''epilogue''</ref><ref>'''[[Halo: Silent Storm]]''', ''epilogue''</ref>

*In ''Halo 3: ODST'' Firefight, Johnson has exactly the same body as the [[Rookie]].  

File:HR Johnson Firefight Icon.png|Johnson's profile in ''[[Halo: Reach]]''<nowiki>'s</nowiki> Firefight.

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[[Category:Human characters|Johnson, Avery]]