Diego-A112

Lieutenant Commander Diego-B112 is a Spartan-III attached to Special Warfare Group Three of the UNSC. He was long thought to be dead during the Fall Of Reach but turned out to be alive among many other Spartans that were literally MIA during the time then was integrated into the Spartan-IV Program where he was later assigned to the newest incarnation of Noble Team serving as Noble-1 and their weapon specialist.
== Biography ==
=== Childhood and early career ===
Diego or Diego Hernandez was born in Durban, Biko on April 6, 2519. He was raised by his parents whom were refugees from the glassing of Madrigal with the latter being more in tune to his Latino heritage and was the youngest of brothers. The family ran a mechanic shop outside of town with the young Diego delivering parts to the local townsfolk. One day, the Covenant attacked the planet during one of his delivery runs and was subsequently separated from them and became a refugee in the process. He joined the Spartan-III Program soon thinking his brothers and parents died. Diego became a skilled fighter in martial arts standing out from the others and also an obedient soldier as well serving in numerous campaigns in his life. 
During the battle of Fumirole on April 22, 2552, Diego was sent to save a couple of ODST's and marines awaiting extraction in a hospital at the time. When he arrived in the hospital, he discovered that the ODST's and marines were dead but even worse--They were his brothers who he thought were dead which can be identified by the scar on their hand due to an accident at the ship but found a picture of a little girl in his hand as Diego realized it was his niece. He encountered a Jiralhanae who bragged to him that it was their Chieftain that killed and was about to level his Spiker but the Spartan grabbed his arm then twisted it requesting to see their leader as the Brute had to agree. 
Diego encountered the Chieftain surrounded by his men after they enslaved his niece into serving them human remains seeing that she would be useful before they can kill her. He challenged the Chieftain into honorable hand-to-hand combat between them and if he wins, they will let go of the girl and he will keep his gravity hammer. The Chieftain who wanted to fight a Spartan head on agreed and the two clashed with the fight yielding mixed results with Diego's helmet almost cracked and the upper part of his chest almost being crushed. Diego soon got up then sprinted towards him punching the Chieftain in the guts then latched onto his back punching him numerous times before using his hands to sink into his eyes killing him. The rest of his men attempted to attack Diego whom he dispatched using a gravity hammer then went to save his niece and called for extraction.
When the battle was over, Diego buried his brothers by placing their helmets on the stones they were marked on and their respective helmets before saying a prayer in Spanish then walked away.
=== Fall Of Reach ===
"Yeah I fought in the Fall of Reach, everyone's grandmother's did."Diego was among the many Spartans stationed on Reach during the time alongside the ones who would become the future members of Noble team. When the Covenant invaded the planet, Diego was among the first defenders of New Alexandria and was deployed to assist a group of marines defend a couple of civilian shuttles. The MAC cannon gunner who was defending them was killed leaving the last shuttle grounded as Diego himself chose to man the gun and shoot down any Covenant vehicle that got in the way before being blasted by one with the shuttle leaving. Diego fell into the water and was presumed KIA as the marines he was assisting left on a pelican but in reality, survived and resurfaced hours later then was contacted by Niles-132 who was gathering surviving personnel and Spartans that were left behind on a UNSC ship called the Valhalla.
The Spartan trekked through dangerous territory and followed Niles's orders on finding surviving UNSC personnel and even civilians as they found a couple of Mammoths alongside leftover hornets then drove them to Niles's destination. While the journey was dangerous and there was constant fighting the Covenant, they successfully made it to Niles's ship where most of but if not those who were left behind were there answered his call. A Covenant scouting party arrived on the scene resulting in a dramatic evacuation with UNSC forces struggling to defend the ship that was so well hidden from the Covenant. Diego came up with a plane with Niles and his superior, Admiral Damian Richards, to hijack a Phantom to destroy an incoming cruiser ship with the assistance of Rosenda-A344, Harry-A299, Imogene-B078, Keiko-B201 and Riley-B019--all of whom would become the new Noble Team. 
The plan was indeed a success due to Rosenda's knowledge in speaking Sangheili and Imogene's experience with Covenant technology made their infiltration effective enough to assault the ship that was supposed to be reinforcing the scouting party. When they arrived, the party who suffered heavy losses by both UNSC and civilian volunteers hoped that it would be reinforcements were met with a glassing after the Spartans killed all of the crew inside and when they were done, destroyed it with a havoc nuke before escaping. The six were rescued by a pelican as the ship went into slip-space when more Covenant vessels arrived therefore escaping but the drive malfunctioned leaving the ship adrift into Earth space. With no choice, the entire crew went into stasis.
=== Recovery and integration into the Spartan-IV program ===
The Valhalla was found later found by a luxury-class transport ship in 2553 where the crew members went inside the seemingly derelict UNSC ship then deactivated the stasis waking everyone up in the process including Diego and the other Spartans. With the help of the crew, the ship's drive system was repaired and the Valhalla joined the ship returning to Earth with news spreading like wildfire about the return of the vanished ship long thought to be gone. When Admiral Damian walked out of the ship alongside the surviving UNSC personnel, civilians, first responders, and Spartans, they were greeted from cheers from every citizen and soldier alike also the press too asking questions about where they were.
Stories of the Valhalla and the UNSC personnel, Spartans, and civilians that fought the Covenant then escaped Reach became an example to society of the wonders of the human spirit despite all of the odds. The Spartans that were on the ship were integrated into the Spartan-IV program with Diego among them and because of their actions in destroying the Covenant ship alongside the fact there is some missions that no ordinary Spartan-IV couldn't do, Diego was one of the candidates of the new Noble Team and soon took up the title of Noble-One.
=== Operation: HIGH NOON ===
Noble Team's first assignment was taking on a threat closer to home: Homegrown terrorism. When the war was over, Insurrectionist activities began to spike with a town in Montana among them resulting in mounting tension within the community. Soon the town became silent until an online video was posted of the place being occupied by Insurrectionist forces with a havoc nuke getting the attention of the local enforcement and UNSC forces but the situation was too volatile therefore the team was deployed from a ship via orbital drop in the dead of night. 
Diego was among his teammates landed on top of an Insurrectionist warthog's hood killing the drivers in the process before they were called upon by Sarah Upton, a farmer, who was hiding in her house. The Spartans were debriefed on the situation as the Insurrectionist's goals were to make the town into a country and are abducting citizens putting them into trucks then informed them of a veteran that is forming a town resistance against the Insurrectionist force occupying the town. When dawn set in, they moved using some civilian warthogs and met with the former soldier named Wendell Mercer who gathered enough townsfolk to start a rebellion against them but had to liberate the three regions held by the Insurrectionist top dogs. Rosenda formulated a plan for Diego, Riley, Keiko to take the first region while she, Imogene, and Harry take the second helping the townsfolk along the way. Along the way, Diego met his niece, Rosalia, who used to be an ODST sniper now defending the town church when the Insurrectionists were trying to destroy the tombstones of the fallen soldiers that were buried there to demoralize the populace as the Spartan helped her defend the church from them. When Diego's MA5D ran out of ammo, he resorted to using his knife then his fists when the blade turned dull becoming a nightmare to fight against for the terrorists to the point they retreated when he used a rocket launcher to take out their reinforcements. Rosalia thanked Diego for his help and went to visit his brothers's grave before the Spartan took off his helmet revealing his face and what really happened to him with an overjoyed Rosalia hugging him saying that her father, Daniel, always knew he was alive somewhere and with a nod, Diego bid farewell to his niece before taking off on a warthog. Diego was involved in the final assault of the Insurrectionist leader, Henry Wells, after the havoc nuke was deactivated and witnessed his death at the hands of Rosenda as they called in a pelican extraction to get out of the town.
Transferred To Oban
Noble Team including Diego was transferred to Oban while Riley was chosen to be a headhunter per his expertise in demolitions. Riley's replacement soon came in the form of Kyle Halsey, a recent Spartan-IV candidate who served in the Requiem Campaign and the distant relative of Catherine Halsey. Diego's opinion was rather moderately positive on the young Spartan who showed promise on his data file.
== Personality ==
Diego is a rather focused individual and a man who is known to be generally happy but when provoked: He becomes a hyper-lethal vector. Files state that Diego was known to be a great hand to hand fighter and when he would lose his temper, he would use his fists to make the enemy suffer indicating a slight sadistic streak. But despite all of this, he sees Noble Team as a family after losing his own feeling that it was all on him that his brothers were killed yet shares a positive relationship with his niece. He is known to be friendly and talkative around everyone even Harry who is a bit of a narcissist and an elitist at best although displays suspicion on Imogene since they met and worries about her sanity as well while sees some good around Kyle Halsey but doesn't see it enough to warrant his place within Noble Team. 
== Equipment ==
Diego's equipment back in Reach and Furmiole consisted of a CQB helmet that consisted of his Collar/Breacher chest armor and wielded a shotgun alongside a BR55 battle rifle which are his weapons of choice at the war. When he was integrated into the Spartan-IV program, Diego began wielding a Hydra MLRS and Spartan Laser. 
== Trivia ==
* Diego is known to hum some classical music like Claire Delune but often listens to old Mariachi music too.