Editing Linda-058

{{Status|Canon}}

{{Character infobox

|variant=Human

|homeworld=[[Verent]]{{Ref/Reuse|WaypointLinda-058}}

|birth=[[2511#March|March 19, 2511]]{{Ref/Reuse|WaypointLinda-058}}

|species=[[Human]]{{Ref/Reuse|WaypointLinda-058}}

|gender=Female{{Ref/Reuse|WaypointLinda-058}}

|height={{Convert|213|cm|ftin}} {{C|with [[Mjolnir]] armor}}{{Ref/Reuse|WaypointLinda-058}}

|mass={{Convert|109.769|kg|lb}} {{C|without armor}}{{Ref/Reuse|WaypointLinda-058}}

|hair=Red{{Ref/Reuse|H5GLED}}

|eyes=Green{{Ref/Reuse|H5GLED}}

|affiliation=*[[UNSC Navy]]{{Ref/Reuse|WaypointLinda-058}}

|rank=[[Petty Officer, First Class]]{{Ref/Reuse|WaypointLinda-058}}

|sn=S-058{{Ref/Reuse|WaypointLinda-058}}

'''Petty Officer, First Class Linda-058''', phonetic callsign "Sierra 058", born '''Linda Pravdin''', is a [[SPARTAN-II program|SPARTAN-II]] supersoldier. She is one of the relative few known surviving Spartan-IIs, and is best known for her skill with the [[SRS99 series|sniper rifle]]. Linda often served as the primary sniper and scout of [[Blue Team]]. By [[2558]], she had engaged in a total of 189 military operations (of which 174 were full campaigns), most of them during the [[Human-Covenant War]]. As of most recent knowledge, Linda continues to serve alongside Blue Team in highly-classified operations.

{{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}}

[[File:HLW ChildhoodLinda.PNG|300px|thumb|Linda was cared for as a child by her mother.<ref name="HLW1">''[[Halo: Lone Wolf]]'', ''[[Halo: Lone Wolf Issue 1|Issue #1]]''</ref>{{Ref/Reuse|HTFOR3}}]]

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}}

{{Quote|What the hell, [[Vance]]? [[Kelly-087|One little girl]] too much for you to handle?|One of the men about to be set upon by the Spartan trainees questions one of his squadmates following his incapacitation by Linda. He'd been following after [[Kelly-087|one little girl]] but was felled by another.}}{{Ref/Reuse|HTFORTAS}}{{Ref/Reuse|HTFOR5}}

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}}

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}}

[[File:TFORAS Lindalanding.PNG|350px|thumb|Linda drops to the ground.]]

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}}

In the third year of training in [[2520]], Linda and the others began [[Wikipedia:Physics|physics]] courses, which included the study of [[Wikipedia:Classical mechanics|classical mechanics]].<ref name="HSS1">''[[Halo: Silent Storm]]'', ''Chapter 1''</ref> On [[2520#September|September 20]] of that year, the candidates experienced their first casualty in the form of a handler that was accidentally killed by [[Carris-137]].<ref name="DHPJS20">''[[Dr. Halsey's personal journal]]'', ''September 20, 2520''</ref> Memorial services were held and all of the trainees attended. Following the loss, Halsey had Déjà emphasize that throughout the history of military training lethal force had often been employed and that deaths were an inherent risk.{{Ref/Reuse|DHPJS20}} After Linda turned ten years old in [[2521]], she and the other children began to learn counterinterrogation techniques, in particular that of of seizing the initiative.{{Ref/Novel|Id=HSS13|HSS|Chapter=13}} At some point during the training, the Spartans went through a fleet tactics course wherein they were taught a particular planetary assault doctrine.{{Ref/Novel|Id=HSS17|HSS|Chapter=17}}

{{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}}

As the years of training proceeded, the children were routinely matched up as teams against one another.<ref name="HGOO1">''[[Halo: Ghosts of Onyx]]'', ''Chapter 1''</ref> By [[2523]] the trainees had begun to be matched up in exercises against [[Tango Company]], a [[Company|unit]] of UNSC [[marines]].<ref name="HFS17">''[[Halo: First Strike]]'', ''Chapter 17''</ref> On July 12 of that year, four years to the day since the exercise in which the trainees had been left to fend for themselves in the Highland Mountains, Linda found herself facing the company for the seventh time as part of a team which was led by John and also included Fred, Kelly, Sam, and Fhajad.{{Ref/Reuse|HTFOR5}}{{Ref/Reuse|HFS17}} They hadn't lost yet.{{Ref/Reuse|HFS17}} Their objective on this date was to [[Capture the Flag|capture]] their opponents' flag and exfiltrate with it. On the twelfth they managed to capture a sniper-spotter team that had been tasked with hunting them down. From them they learned that Tango's captain had given orders to win no matter what, even if it meant bloodying some of the kids this time. During the evening of the next day, they stole shards of mirror from Tango Company's latrine. In addition, they hunted a [[Wikipedia:Squirrel|squirrel]], which Fred combined with unripe berries and the [[Drugs|antibacterial ointment]] in their first-aid kits to make a paste to poison the marines' [[Wikipedia:Dog|dog]]s. On July 14, the game was still ongoing.{{Ref/Reuse|HFS17}} By 1002 hours Linda and Fred were sitting within a hollowed-out [[Wikipedia:Cedar tree|cedar]] stump in order to muffle their conversations and insulate them from Tango's thermal goggles. The others soon gathered together with them and John told Linda and Fred to do a weapons check. Each was armed with a [[SRS99C-S2 AM sniper rifle|SRS99C-S2 sniper rifle]] they had liberated from the sniper-spotter team two days prior. Fhajad had modified the rifles' 114mm [[APFSDS]] rounds so that their deadly armor-piercing tips were replaced with [[Narq-dart pistol|narq-dart capsule]]s. Linda had test-fired the non-lethal ammunition and was confident she could be accurate with it up to one hundred meters. Though it was only a little after 1000 hours then, the trainees planned to spring their attack at 0500 the next day. John split the six trainees up so that Linda and Fred would form [[Blue Team]], with Linda as its leader and sniper and Fred her spotter. She assured John that the guys guarding the flag would be taken down before [[Red Team]], comprised of the four others, could capture it. When the time came to split up, she whispered a final warning to John to ''be careful''. At 0500 hours on July 15, from a distance closer to two hundred meters than one hundred, Linda dropped one of the marines near Tango Company's flagpole with a dart in his neck. She landed a second shot right in the back of another's skull just as he had begun to fire his weapon at John. A third she hit once in one of his thighs and then again in his chest. By 0545 hours Red Team had made it to their designated extraction landing zone, where Linda and Fred had also been instructed to rendezvous at. For their part, however, they posted in the treetops to provide any necessary cover for Red. At 6010 hours a [[Pelican]] landed at the zone, but given that Mendez was not supposed to extract them until 0700 hours, only John showed himself while everyone else remained hidden. Suspicions were proven true when the Pelican was revealed to be carrying members of Tango Company, four of whom surrounded John. After one landed a punch to his gut, the air was suddenly filled with a hail of darts fired by Linda and the others, taking all the marines out. Even then, they did not come out of hiding until John gave the ''all-clear'' signal: [[Oly Oly Oxen Free|a singsong six-note melody]]. Linda and Fred then dropped from the tree branch they'd been perched on and ran across the clearing to join John.{{Ref/Reuse|HFS17}}

[[File:Scanned-Linda-058.jpg|350px|thumb|Linda is called forward for her augmentation procedures.]]

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>

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>

{{Expand-section}}

[[File:Lindaface.PNG|thumb|300px|Linda-058.]]

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>

By [[2525#November|November 6]], all the Spartans had departed [[Reach]] aboard the {{Class|Paris|heavy frigate}} {{UNSCShip|Commonwealth}}.<ref name="HTFOR12">''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]'', ''Chapter 12''</ref> The next three weeks were spent handling a variety of minor missions under the guidance of Doctor Halsey on their way out to [[Chi Ceti IV]] on the edge of [[UNSC]]-controlled space. All of the Spartans worked together to put down multiple insurrectionist factions on [[Jericho VII]] and also to remove a [[black market]] bazaar near the [[Roosevelt military base]].{{Ref/Reuse|HTFOR12}} During the final of these deployments in which Blue Team worked together as a singular unit, Linda and John were both severely injured, with Linda being hurt worse than he was.<ref name="HCD1">''[[Halo: Collateral Damage]]'', ''[[Halo: Collateral Damage Issue 1|Issue #1]]''</ref> It was at 1750 hours on [[2525#November|November 27]] that the ''Commonwealth'' finally emerged in real space in the [[Chi Ceti system]].{{Ref/Reuse|HTFOR12}} John was summoned to the bridge but told Sam to get the others in the bunkroom ready  in case they were needed soon. Soon enough, they were informed that they would be taking the frigate's dropship to Chi Ceti IV's surface in order to get to Project MJOLNIR at the [[Damascus Materials Testing Facility]] in [[Vhalkem]] and that all should be mustered in Bay Alpha with a Pelican ready for drop in fifteen minutes.{{Ref/Reuse|HTFOR12}}

After landing, it took around fifteen minutes for a freight elevator to carry Halsey and the Spartans down into the depths of [[Chi Ceti IV]], finally depositing them in an underground hangar at around 1845 hours.{{Ref/Reuse|HTFOR13}} There, the doctor introduced them to Project MJOLNIR, an initiative to outfit each of them with the most advanced armor ever created by humans in the modern era. Halsey walked the teenagers through the various ways [[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/Mark IV|Mjolnir armor]] would improve their abilities in combat but also made sure they each understood the risk they would be taking by agreeing to use it. Tests with unaugmented volunteers given the armor had ended catastrophically and computer modeling for the Spartans had been insufficient, meaning that whether their enhancements would actually allow them to use the armor was still an unknown. Despite the risk, each one of them volunteered at once to be the first to try Mjolnir, but Halsey ultimately decided on John being the one to demonstrate it first. After fifteen minutes, John could walk, run, and jump almost without thinking about the difference the powered armor made to his movements. Doctor Halsey directed him to try running through a nearby obstacle course with the armor while the remainder of the Spartans were fitted with theirs. Linda and the others soon ran through the course as well, experiencing somewhat of a lack of coordination in their movements. Unbeknownst to them, however, each had been given subliminal training to prepare them during their last trip through slipspace in cryostasis. For this reason, Halsey was confident that all would adapt to the armor quickly. The Spartans spent thirty minutes drilling in Mjolnir before Captain [[Wallace]] of the ''Commonwealth'' contacted them to say that the they had made contact once again with [[Unrelenting|a Covenant ship]] which had accosted the frigate once already. Though the alien ship's slipspace capability was evidently damaged from the previous engagement, it was moving toward them through normal space. Wallace offered to try to draw the enemy away to buy them more time, but Halsey decided the time had come to fight instead.<ref name="HTFOR13">''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]'', ''Chapter 13''</ref>

By 2037 hours all Spartans, Halsey, the three technicians from at the Damascus facility, and twelve spare suits of Mjolnir were together in the modified Pelican as it moved through the exit burn of its orbital path.<ref name="HTFOR14">''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]'', ''Chapter 14''</ref> The {{UNSCShip|Commonwealth}}'s last known position was ten million kilometers in system from their previous rendezvous point, and it was this to this location that they were headed. The Covenant ship was three million kilometers from the ''Commonwealth'' but closing that distance with every second. John devised a plan to [[Battle of Chi Ceti IV|board the enemy ship]] using [[thruster pack]]s and while carrying [[Anvil-II air-to-surface missile|HE Anvil-II missile]]s attached to their armor. John went over the plan with Linda and the rest, emphasizing that their target was a hole the ''Commonwealth'' had already put in [[Unrelenting|the ship]]. He said that if anyone missed then they should power down and wait to be retrieved. The Spartans rocketed toward the enemy vessel at around one hundred kilometers per hour. Unfortunately, only John, Kelly, and Sam found purchase on its hull. Linda, like the twenty-nine others, did not make it aboard and so she powered down and waited to be rescued in accordance with the plan.{{Ref/Reuse|HTFOR14}} Linda and all the other Spartans made it back aboard the ''Commonwealth'', save for Sam, who was killed during the boarding action.{{Ref/Reuse|HCD1}} On [[2525#December|December 1]], the {{Class|Halcyon|light cruiser}} {{UNSCShip|Persian Gate}} appeared in the Chi Ceti system and took Halsey and the Spartans from the ''Commonwealth''. On the ''Persian Gate'', Halsey led a funeral service for Sam wherein an empty casket was ejected into space around Chi Ceti IV.{{Ref/Reuse|HCD1}}

{{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}}

[[File:HCD Linda.PNG|300px|thumb|left|Linda fighting Covenant on Alpha Corvi II.]]

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}}

The passageway traversed by Blue Team took them more than thirty meters below sea level. The Spartans activated their [[Active camouflage]] just before a group of Sangheili, Kig-Yar, and Unggoy encircled them from multiple side tunnels.<ref name="HCD2">''[[Halo: Collateral Damage]]'', ''[[Halo: Collateral Damage Issue 2|Issue #2]]''</ref> Unfortunately, the Spartans were still possible to make out, so they decided to drop the camo as they engaged the enemy. After disposing of their ambushers, John led them through one of the passages they had come from until they came into a large chamber filled with enemy forces led by a [[Sangheili Field Marshal|Field Marshal]]. A skirmish erupted but was interrupted when the insurrectionists above triggered used [[satchel charge]]s and an [[M41 SPNKR]] to collapse the entrance to the mine. the resulting blast triggered a flood of water to rush into the chamber where the Spartans were fighting, carrying Linda to another subterranean chamber and cutting her off from the rest of her team. She attempted to hail them but got no responses. When she finally emerged from the water she found herself face-to-face with approximately one hundred hostiles.{{Ref/Reuse|HCD3}}{{Ref/Reuse|HCD2}} Forced to defend herself right away, Linda continued to hail her teammates for assistance. By the time she finally got in contact with the rest of Blue Team she had taken out twenty of the aliens attacking her. She was taking fire, however, and desperate for backup. The three others eventually got to her by blasting a hole through a cave wall with an [[MX-8 explosive]] coupled to a {{Pattern|Anskum|plasma grenade}}. Once all the Covenant were dead, Blue Team could focus its attention on escaping the rapidly flooding tunnels. Fred revealed that his armor had been breached by a cut from the Field Marshal's energy sword, but since their only way out would involve going underwater, John told him to just hold his breath and assured him they would make sure he got out. John had the team wait until the chamber they were in filled up completely and then led them out of the submerged mine toward the shore, with Kelly and Linda bringing up the rear to make sure Fred was okay.<ref name="HCD3">''[[Halo: Collateral Damage]]'', ''[[Halo: Collateral Damage Issue 3|Issue #3]]''</ref>

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}}

 

On [[2526#March|March 5, 2526]], Linda and Blue Team, along with [[Gold Team]] and [[Green Team]], were aboard the [[Razor-class prowler]] {{UNSCShip|Starry Night}} as it orbited [[Netherop]]. They were there as part of an operation that had the goal of capturing a Covenant vessel for ONI to examine.{{Ref/Reuse|HSS1}} The three Spartan teams went [[EVA]] and used a flight of {{Pattern|Elsedda|Banshee}}s for cover as they approached the [[Covenant frigate|frigate]] [[Radiant Arrow]].{{Ref/Novel|Id=HSS2|HSS|Chapter=2}} Once they [[Skirmish over Netherop|boarded]] the vessel via its underslung hangar, they eliminated the aliens within and prepared to move deeper into the frigate, all without the rest of crew realizing they had been boarded. Blue Team spearheaded the assault, clearing rooms along the ship's main corridor. As they stealthily continued on, a sensor operator aboard one of the prowlers "accidentally" broadcast a transmission on the Spartans' [[COM|SQUADCOM]], revealing their presence to the rest of the frigate's crew. Unbeknownst to them, this crewman's apparent mistake was actually part of an [[insurrectionist]] plot designed by [[Hector Nyeto]], intending to get the Spartans killed. With their presence now known, Blue Team rushed deeper into ship, where they assumed the bridge would be located. The fighting soon took them into a [[gravity lift]] tube where they were attacked by [[Sangheili]] warriors. To keep the Spartans from reaching the bridge, the crew reversed the direction of the lift, pulling Fred, Kelly, and Linda rapidly downward; John, however, managed to grab onto a maintenance ladder. Linda, Fred, and Kelly laid in a pile at the bottom of the tube, their armors locked up to protect them from being injured by the fall. However, Linda and Fred had both landed on top of Kelly, giving her a compound rib facture. John ordered them to extract Kelly and rendezvous with Green Team while he secured the bridge alone. Linda objected, saying that Fred could take Kelly back to the others and she could assist John in capturing the bridge, which was surely heavily guarded. Despite John ordering her to go with Fred and Kelly, Linda persisted until it was found that the vessel's [[shipmaster]] had prepared the ''Radiant Arrow'' to self-destruct. John then ordered Linda and the rest of the Spartans to immediately abandon ship. They all made it clear just before it detonated.{{Ref/Novel|Id=HSS3|HSS|Chapter=3}}

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Prior to the Covenant's [[glassing]] of [[Eridanus II]] in [[2530]], Linda assisted with operations [[Operation: RED ROOM|RED ROOM]] and [[Operation: BLUE MOON|BLUE MOON]].{{Ref/Reuse|H5GLED}}<ref name="HFS26">''[[Halo: First Strike]]'', ''Chapter 26''</ref> Details regarding [[Operation: RED ROOM]] are highly classified.{{Ref/Game|Id=H5GLED|Halo 5: Guardians Limited Edition|[[Halo 5: Guardians Limited Edition dossiers#Linda-058|Dossier files]] - Linda-058}} [[Operation: BLUE MOON]] was set into motion sometime following the conclusion of RED ROOM and saw Linda deployed to [[Eridanus II]] in order to provide cover fire for an [[ODST]] team conducting a ''sweep and clear'' mission at an [[Insurrection]] base there.{{Ref/Reuse|H5GLED}}

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}}

At some point during the course of the [[Human-Covenant War|war]] against the Covenant, [[Blue Team]] boarded a Covenant vessel called ''[[Perpetual Devotion]]''.{{Ref/Reuse|H5GBT}} Once aboard, the Spartans overloaded the ship's reactor and made it off just before it exploded.<ref name="H5GBT">''[[Halo 5: Guardians]]'', ''[[Blue Team (level)|Blue Team]]''</ref> At another point, Linda deployed to the Jiralhanae outpost world of [[Odenli'sh]] for [[Operation: HORN AND HIDE]].{{Ref/Reuse|WaypointLinda-058}} There, she assassinated a vital [[San'Shyuum]] missionary. HORN AND HIDE stands alongside [[2552]]'s [[Operation: FIRST STRIKE]] as one of Linda's most noteworthy combat successes.{{Ref/Reuse|WaypointLinda-058}} [[Operation: OCTAGON]], another highly classified mission which employed Linda's talents, was confuted at some point following Operation: BLUE MOON but prior to [[Operation: JOVIAN WHISTLE]] in [[2553]].{{Ref/Reuse|H5GLED}}

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>

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{{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>

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Linda was aboard the {{UNSCShip|Pillar of Autumn}} for a short time until the [[Fall of Reach]] began.<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''page 324'' (2010 edition)</ref> She was designated as Blue-Three, part of John-117's team to [[Reach Station Gamma]] to destroy the unsecured NAV database of the [[Office of Naval Intelligence]]'s {{UNSCShip|Circumference}}.<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''page 341'' (2010 edition)</ref> John had chosen Linda for the mission due to her omnipotent abilities with a sniper rifle, figuring the space dock they were about to board would be large enough that her skills would be a tremendous asset.<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''page 342'' (2010 edition)</ref> During that mission, [[James-005]] was out of commission and presumed KIA when his [[thruster pack]] was damaged by a [[Needler]], causing him to spin out of control.<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''page 348'' (2010 edition)</ref> Linda and John were forced to enter the station, which was filled with [[Sangheili]] and [[Kig-Yar]] [[Kig-Yar Ranger|Rangers]]. She found the bay and assisted Staff Sergeant Avery Johnson's squad in holding off the [[Covenant]] forces long enough to escape.<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''page 366'' (2010 edition)</ref> However, as they jumped out of their Pelican to open the bay doors, she was heavily injured by enemy fire. Linda was recovered by a horrified John, but her vitals later flatlined, and she was presumed clinically dead.<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''page 368'' (2010 edition)</ref>

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}}

When John-117, Sgt. Avery Johnson, [[Locklear|Corporal Locklear]], [[Elias Haverson|Lieutenant Elias Haverson]], and [[Shiela Polaski|PO2 Shiela Polaski]] captured the Covenant {{Pattern|Ruma|light carrier}} [[flagship]] ''[[Ascendant Justice]]'', Linda, still in her cryo chamber, was brought aboard. Due to the extent of her injuries, she was left frozen until certified medical staff was available. She stayed on the ''Ascendant Justice'' until Dr. Halsey was rescued from [[Reach]] along with Fred-104 and the survivors of his team.<ref>'''Halo: First Strike''', ''page 236'' (2003 edition); ''page 286'' (2010 edition)</ref> Dr. Halsey revived Linda aboard the {{UNSCShip|Gettysburg}}. Doctor Halsey ended up performing surgery on Linda, transplanting her with newly flash-cloned kidneys and a liver which needed to be replaced due to her injuries. The operation was successful and Linda survived, but Doctor Halsey said it would be at least a week before she should even get out of bed; however, Linda disregarded this due to the imminent threat to Earth, and seemed to recover at least enough to go on a mission within a few days.{{Ref/Reuse|fs268}}

Linda was then geared up and made ready for battle, but did not exhibit her exceptional skills until [[Operation: FIRST STRIKE]]. Linda was one of the Spartans who infiltrated ''[[Unyielding Hierophant]]'', in the [[Tau Ceti system]], in a {{Pattern|Dextro Xur|Spirit}}, providing cover for John-117, Fred-104, [[William-043]], and Grace-093 with an [[SRS99C-S2 AM sniper rifle]].<ref>'''Halo: First Strike''', ''page 299'' (2003 edition); ''page 360'' (2010 edition)</ref> She made sure the Spartans made it to the vessel's fusion reactors and allowed their overload by the team.<ref>'''Halo: First Strike''', ''page 379'' (2010 edition)</ref>

After the Spartans flew their captured Banshees to a Covenant [[dropship]], John ordered Linda to direct the dropship behind a nearby [[moon]].<ref>'''Halo: First Strike''', ''page 325'' (2003 edition); ''page 390'' (2010 edition)</ref> The Spartans later retreated to the ''Gettysburg'' and Linda took control of the ship's navigations. As the ''Unyielding Hierophant'' and the massive Covenant fleet were destroyed, the ''Gettysburg'' returned to [[Earth]].<ref>'''Halo: First Strike''', ''page 336'' (2003 edition); ''page 402'' (2010 edition)</ref> Linda and Fred were assigned by the Master Chief to partake in a debriefing by an ONI council concerning Operation: FIRST STRIKE.<ref name="h2a term">'''Halo 2: Anniversary''', ''[[Terminal (Halo 2: Anniversary)|Terminals]]''</ref>

Linda then accompanied the rest of the human survivors as they used one of ''Bloodied Spirit''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s {{Pattern|Dextro Xur|Spirit}}s to reach a massive underground [[Forerunner]] city within [[Zone 67]] on Onyx.<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''page 269''</ref> Once they had located Onyx's [[Cartographer|map room]], [[Endless Summer]] assigned them on a mission to destroy a [[Sentinel manufacturing facility|Sentinel factory]], in which they succeeded.<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''page 324''</ref>

She, along with some of the other surviving SPARTAN-IIs, was present in the [[Voi Memorial]] ceremony on [[2553|March 3, 2553]].<ref>'''Halo: Glasslands''', ''page 414''</ref>

Fred, the rest of Blue Team, and [[Special Inspector]] [[Veta Lopis]] arrived at the village with the captured ancilla to aid the company. Linda and Kelly fired explosives at the Keepers from the Wendosa rooftops.<ref>'''Halo: Last Light''', ''pages 190-192'' (Google Play edition)</ref> When the Jiralhanae attempted to charge at the village, all Spartans of Blue Team worked together to thin their numbers. During the attack, Fred was ordered to return the captured ancilla to Commander [[Murtag Nelson]] at the [[Montero Vitality Clinic]]. However, while leaving Wendosa in a [[UH-144 Falcon|Falcon]], the aircraft was shot down by Keeper fire.<ref>'''Halo: Last Light''', ''pages 219-222'' (Google Play edition)</ref> The rest of Blue Team regrouped and, with Lopis, traveled to the Falcon's crash site to locate Fred and the AI. The team was assaulted by the Keepers, but they were eventually able to defeat the charging Jiralhanae with the help of the battalion's [[Alpha Company]]. Having recovered Fred and the ancilla, the team returned to the Montero Vitality Clinic.<ref>'''Halo: Last Light''', ''pages 225-239'' (Google Play edition)</ref> However, recently elected [[President of the Gao Republic|President of Gao]] [[Arlo Casille]] declared war on the UNSC forces on the planet and [[Gao battle-jumpers]] and [[MV-29 Wyvern]]s were ordered to engage the battalion's remaining forces.

As the rest of the unit began retreating from the planet, the Spartans and Lopis traveled to the [[Well of Echoes]] to detonate a HAVOK tactical nuclear weapon inside to destroy the Forerunner installation within the Montero Caves, denying the anti-UNSC president access to the installation. Once they retrieved the ancilla and the nuke, Blue Team and Lopis regrouped in the [[Montero Jungle]] and headed for the Well of Echoes.<ref>'''Halo: Last Light''', ''pages 306-307'' (Google Play edition)</ref> Upon arriving at the Well of Echoes, the team boarded a nearby ONI [[D102 Owl]] dropship with Rear Admiral [[Serin Osman]] aboard. Mark-G313 dropped the nuke into the Well of Echoes and the Owl left the planet as the HAVOK detonated and destroyed the Forerunner installation.<ref>'''Halo: Last Light''', ''pages 320-324'' (Google Play edition)</ref>

In late 2553, Linda was tasked with infiltrating the world of [[Sephune III]] held by a [[Covenant remnant]] faction in order to eliminate the [[Treason|traitorous]] [[Chen Bax|Doctor Chen]].{{Ref/Reuse|HLW1}} Unknown to her, ONI had tasked the Smart AI [[Athos]] with additional mission parameters, to retrieve his fellow Smart AI, [[Gabriela]], who was thought to have been lost with the {{UNSCShip|Promise of Dawn}} during the Fall of Reach. This superseded the original mission, as Gabriela was the only AI known to contain a complete record of human history.<ref name="HLW2">''[[Halo: Lone Wolf]]'', ''[[Halo: Lone Wolf Issue 2|Issue #2]]''</ref> The Spartan assisted the survivors in fighting off a Covenant remnant attack, before attempting to convince Chen's followers to leave, which they refused. With the threat of another Covenant raid, Linda took Chen to the ''Promise'' to find Gabriela, and a nav unit to allow the survivors to escape the planet.<ref name="HLW3">''[[Halo: Lone Wolf]]'', ''[[Halo: Lone Wolf Issue 3|Issue #3]]''</ref> When Chen realized that his attempts to convince the Spartan to abandon the UNSC and join him would fail, he attempted to betray her and take the AI for himself. Linda overcame the ambush while Chen extracted both Athos and Gabriela from the ''Promise'' and fought him briefly before gaining the upper hand. Rather than kill him, as her orders stated, she disabled him. Linda rescued the last survivors, and they left the world, completing her mission by returning Gabriela to ONI, with Athos offering a positive review of her performance.<ref name="HLW4">''[[Halo: Lone Wolf]]'', ''[[Halo: Lone Wolf Issue 4|Issue #4]]''</ref>

Returning to Earth, John was debriefed by Hood, where the fleet admiral gave orders for Blue Team to have some rest after years of combat. However, the rest of the team instead left to take on new missions, all of them highly classified.{{Ref/Reuse|HE10}} These operations included diplomatic escorts through hostile territory, counter-piracy efforts against salvagers, and strikes against Covenant outposts.  At one point in [[2558]], the team was stationed at the construction site for a new [[ONI]] research facility, awaiting orders.<ref name="otb">'''[[Halo: Tales from Slipspace]]''', ''[[On the Brink]]''</ref> Without warning, explosions signaled an attack from fanatical [[Covenant remnants|ex-Covenant]]. During the fighting that followed, the hostiles managed to capture an [[M510 Mammoth]], disable its governor, and drive it down a steep hillside toward the site's main [[fusion reactor]]. Blue Team followed in pursuit in an [[M12 Chaingun Warthog]]. With only about a minute left before it impacted the reactor, John, Kelly, and Linda ejected from the Warthog when it was close enough to the Mammoth. The three of them just narrowly managed to wrest control of the hulking vehicle from its [[Kig-Yar]] and Sangheili hijackers. Kelly discovered scientists hiding inside the Mammoth and relayed this to John, who was driving. Their presence meant he couldn't just drive it off a cliff, as doing so would almost certainly kill them. Instead, he steered it away from the reactor at the last second,{{Ref/Reuse|otb}} but the near miss still resulted in the destruction of a decent amount of fabricated material that had been constructed. The manager in charge of the construction project rushed over to Linda and the other Spartans after the smoke cleared and demanded to know who he should blame for the damage. John, who had taken the Mammoth's controls, took responsibility. The incredulous man accused the Master Chief of thinking he could get away with anything because of his status as a hero. At this moment, Fred jumped in to reprimand the thankless individual they had all just saved, finding it difficult to maintain an easy demeanor in the face of such disrespect. John kept a cooler head and directed the team to return to a nearby airstrip, as their mission orders had come in.{{Ref/Reuse|otb}}

{{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}}

[[File:H5G-India 127.png|thumb|350px|All but John and Locke held back from exiting the Pelican initially after landing, seeing as there were multiple drawn blades amongst the Swords of Sanghelios that met them.{{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}}

The portal had deposited them relatively near the [[Sangheili]] city of [[Sunaion]] off the coast of [[Qivro]].{{Ref/Reuse|HBB1}} [[Olympia Vale]] guessed that the [[Swords of Sanghelios]] were likely still camped in [[Nuusra]] where they had recently staged [[Battle of Sunaion|an attack]] on [[Jul 'Mdama's Covenant]] from just days prior. Linda was skeptical of their chances at finding anyone, but before long fires were spotted that indicated the location of a Sangheili encampment where they expected the Swords to be. Soon enough the leaders of each respective team were being met at the bottom of the Pelican's ramp by [[Thel 'Vadam|the Arbiter]], Commander [[Sarah Palmer]], and Doctor Halsey. After everyone had disembarked they were welcomed by the [[Arbiter]], [[Thel 'Vadam]], and John introduced him to Linda, Kelly, and Fred. 'Vadam invited them all to join in a celebratory meal commemorating their victory over the last of Jul 'Mdama's Covenant. Halsey revealed that she had gotten a message from [[Roland]] on the ''Infinity'' and that it would be appearing off of the far side of [[Suban]] the following day at 1800 hours. Now that they had transportation, they could be there waiting for it when it showed. Linda and the others then took off their helmets and joined the Sangheili in dining on [[colo]] and [[kuscatu]]. During the meal Linda, Kelly, Fred, John, and Halsey went off on their own for a time to talk.{{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>

 

In late October of [[2559]] Linda and the rest of Blue Team departed the ''Infinity'' for a covert insertion onto the surface of [[Reach]] in the [[Epsilon Eridani system]].{{Ref/Reuse|CF107}} The team's mission concerned the penetration of the rubble-filled ruins of [[CASTLE Base]] and the recovery of top-secret assets locked away in Doctor Halsey's abandoned laboratory there. It was hoped that the assets in question could prove useful against [[Cortana]]. The presence of an occupying alien force on the planet, however, soon turned what should have been a simple retrieval operation into a full-blown crisis.<ref name="CF107">[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/news/shadows-of-the-former '''Halo Waypoint''' - ''Canon Fodder #107: Shadows of the Former'']</ref>

Linda is notorious for her unparalleled abilities with the sniper rifle; John-117 and [[Frederic-104]] have noted on several occasions that she makes sniping seem like an art. She never requires a [[Sniper-spotter team|spotter]], and her accuracy allows her to pull off remarkable shots: on one occasion, she was able to take out two Covenant [[Type-26 Banshee|Banshees]] in mid-flight by shooting the pilots. In addition, she once eliminated two targets so quickly that even the Master Chief couldn't tell who she had targeted first. She is notably the quietest member of Blue Team, excluding John, and has been labeled as a "lone wolf". John once described her as the emotionally "strongest" Spartan, as she does not rely on other members of her squad for advocating support on or off the battlefield.<ref name="fs150">'''[[Halo: First Strike]]''', ''page 150'' (2003 edition); ''page 185'' (2010 edition) (''"Linda had been unique among the Spartans with her blood red hair and dark emerald eyes, but her appearance was not what set her apart. She was the unit's best sniper-scout and could hit targets the rest of them couldn't. While the other Spartans preferred to operate as a team, Linda was content to separate, hide and post in some remote location, and wait for days for the single, critical shot that could turn the tide of battle. Although snipers in the UNSC were always trained to function in pairs, a shooter and a spotter, Linda was the exception to that rule--she had proven time and again that she was most effective on her own. If any one of the Spartans could be called a "lone wolf,". In many ways that made her the strongest of them all."'')</ref> She is also a practitioner of [[Zen]].

Linda is very pale, with blood-red hair and emerald green eyes. These traits made her appearance notably distinctive among her SPARTAN-II peers.{{Ref/Reuse|fs150}}

Following her augmentation procedures and the beginning of the Human-Covenant War, Linda-058 was equipped with Mark IV MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor along with the rest of her fellow Spartans.{{Ref/Reuse|HTFOR13}} During the [[Battle of Alpha Corvi II]] in 2525, she wore a modified suit of Mark IV armor designated [[Project COBALT#COBALT SV.058|COBALT SV.058]].{{Ref/Reuse|HCD1}} Before switching to Mark V MJOLNIR circa the Fall of Reach, Linda began wearing the Mark IV [[SCOUT-class Mjolnir|Scout]] helmet.<ref name="HFORC">''[[Halo: Fall of Reach]]'', ''[[Halo: Fall of Reach - Covenant|Covenant]]''</ref> After upgrading to Mark V armor in late [[2552#August|August 2552]], she continued wearing the Scout helmet.<ref name="HFORI">''[[Halo: Fall of Reach]]'', ''[[Halo: Fall of Reach - Invasion|Invasion]]''</ref> Upon her return to Earth following Operation: FIRST STRIKE, Linda was supplied with the [[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/Argus|Argus-class]] variant of Mark VI MJOLNIR armor.{{Ref/Reuse|h2a term}} In [[2553]], Linda upgraded to the MJOLNIR [[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor (GEN2)|GEN2]] platform and was outfitted with a gray-tinted suit of Argus armor.{{Ref/Reuse|HLW1}} By [[2559#October|October 2559]], she upgraded to the MJOLNIR [[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor (GEN3)|GEN3]] platform, wearing a set of gray-tinted Mark VI armor with a helmet that shares many visual similarities to her previous Argus one.{{Ref/Novel|Halo: Shadows of Reach|Cover Art}}{{Ref/Novel|Id=HSoR|HSoR}}{{Ref/Site|https://www.megaconstrux.com/en-us/halo/sets/spartan-linda-058|Mega Construx|Halo-Spartan Linda-058}}

 

By 2558, her preferred weapon loadout was her custom-crafted [[SRS99-S5 AM sniper rifle]], ''[[Nornfang]]'', and an [[M6H magnum#Variant|M6H2 magnum]] sidearm.<ref name="gi h5g">[http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2015/06/12/the-halo-5-guardians-cover-story.aspx?PostPageIndex=3 '''Game Informer''': ''The Halo 5: Guardians Cover Story'']</ref>

*Linda is voiced by [[Wikipedia:Andrea Bogart|Andrea Bogart]] in the ''[[Halo 2: Anniversary]]'' [[Terminal (Halo 2: Anniversary)|terminals]].<ref>'''Halo 2: Anniversary''' credits</ref> In ''[[Halo 5: Guardians]]'', she is voiced by {{Plain|[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm5956260/ Brittany Uomoleale]}}, with Bogart providing her performance capture.<ref>'''[[Halo 5: Guardians credits]]'''</ref>

*In ''Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary'', Linda's life signs can be seen onboard the level ''[[The Pillar of Autumn (Halo: Combat Evolved level)|The Pillar of Autumn]]'' in Anniversary Mode on red terminals in both sections of the "[[Cryo B]]" control room, her heart monitors showing that her vital signs have flatlined. Her name, Spartan tag, and rank appear on the screen; she is stated to be a petty officer but her grade is not specified.

File:H2A Terminals - Linda.jpg|Linda in the ''[[Halo 2: Anniversary]]'' [[Terminal (Halo 2: Anniversary)|terminals]].

File:FOR LindaFace.PNG|Linda in ''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach - The Animated Series]]''.

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

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

File:Enc22 Linda058.jpg|Linda in the ''[[Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition)]]''.

**''[[Terminal (Halo 2: Anniversary)|Terminals]]''

**''[[Halo 5: Guardians Limited Edition dossiers|Limited Edition dossiers]]''

==Notes==

{{Ref/Notes}}

{{Ref/Sources|3}}

[[Category:Human characters]]