Editing Maria-062

{{Era|UNSC|HCW}}

{{Center|''"Maria" redirects here. For other uses of the name, see [[Maria (disambiguation)]].''}}

**[[UNSC Special Forces|Naval Special Warfare Command]]

|rank=[[Petty Officer, Second Class|Petty officer, second class]]<ref>'''[[Halo Encyclopedia]]''', ''page 112'' (2011)</ref>

{{Quote|Once John gets a hold of this armor, we'll all start sleeping a little better at night.|Maria-062}}

[[Petty Officer, Second Class]] '''Maria-062''' is a [[SPARTAN-II program|Spartan-II supersoldier]]. She claimed that at some point during the [[Human-Covenant War]] she had retired with the intent of starting a family. She served in the reserves as of [[2552#October|October 2552]].<ref name="at">'''[[Halo Graphic Novel]]''', "[[Armor Testing]]", ''page 68''</ref>

Hours before the [[Covenant]]'s [[Battle for Earth|invasion of Earth]] on [[2552#October|October 20, 2552]], Maria tested the new [[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/Mark VI|Mark VI Mjolnir armor]] in [[Songnam]], [[United Korea]]. She engaged the [[Orbital Drop Shock Troopers|ODSTs]] of the [[340th ODST Combat Training Unit]]'s [[Echo Team (ODST)|Echo]] and [[Kilo Team|Kilo]] teams in a mock battle near the [[Special Warfare Center]] at the [[UNSC Operational Test and Evaluation Center]].<ref name="JRH2EODST">[[Joyride Studios/Halo 2 Exclusives#ODST|''Joyride'', ODST (Halo Graphic Novel Limited Edition Exclusive)]]</ref> After the exercise, the armor was approved for battle and was delivered to the [[orbital defense platform]] ''[[Cairo Station (station)|Cairo Station]]''. There, it was issued to [[Master Chief Petty Officer]] [[John-117]],<ref>'''[[Halo 2]]''', campaign level ''[[The Armory]]''</ref> who would use it to great effect as late as [[2557]].<ref>'''[[Halo 4]]''', ''[[Epilogue]]''</ref> After the test, Maria declined a request to return to active duty by the [[Unidentified Navy captain (Seongnam)|captain]] in charge of the test, stating that she did not regret her decision to retire.{{Ref/Reuse|at}}

Maria-062 may have been mentioned in two of the ''Halo'' novels, though it cannot be clearly determined if she is the Spartan in question.

In ''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]'', during [[Catherine Halsey|Dr. Halsey's]] briefing to the Spartans assembled for [[Operation: RED FLAG]], she mentions that among those not present is one Spartan who had (within the last decade) been too critically wounded to continue active duty.<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', page ''240''</ref> It is possible that this wounded Spartan was Maria, whose absence allowed her to avoid the [[Fall of Reach]], and that she had healed adequately by October 2552 to test the Mark VI MJOLNIR armor. See [[List of inconsistencies in the Halo series#Several sources|here]] for further analysis.

In ''[[Halo: Mortal Dictata]]'', [[Serin Osman]] mentions that only one Spartan has ever retired and that they had the excuse of having failed the augmentation procedures.<ref>'''Halo: Mortal Dictata''', page ''367''</ref> Since Maria is said to have retired, Osman could be referring to her. However, Osman indicates that the other Spartan had likewise failed the augmentation process. While Osman received no physical benefits from the procedures, Maria is capable of using the Mjolnir powered armor, a system dangerous enough to kill an unaugmented user; it is possible that Maria was among the crippled Spartans who were later rehabilitated. If Osman were referring to another Spartan the most likely candidate is [[Ralph-103]]: Ralph was discharged due to a combination of psychological problems<ref name="for">'''''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]''''' 2010 edition bonus content</ref> and the rejection of certain physical enhancements;<ref>[http://forums.bungie.org/halo/archive32.pl?read=967143 '''Halo.Bungie.org''': ''Re: Spoiler-free thoughts on the new episodes'']</ref> unlike the other washouts, he was allowed to return to civilian life.{{Ref/Reuse|for}}

[[Category:Humans]]